Mike Riley sees what he likes, and he likes what he sees. And right now, Riley’s seeing his ’08 Beavers winning a Pac-10 championship. He cares not that USC has been that guy for an unprecedented six-straight seasons. He doesn’t see that. All he sees is that his team finished in the AP-25 for the last two season, including a 9-4, ’07 season culminating with a win over Maryland in the AT&T Whatever Bowl…

As quoted on Scout, Riley had this to say of his Beavers:

“We are very capable of making a run to win the conference champion,” said Mike Riley on a Seattle area radio station recently. “You look historically at our league and… (several teams challenge for the title). Now ‘SC has changed that in the last five years. But I think the Beavers are very capable of making that run in a cycle where they can win this championship.”

Yes, USC only returns four starters on defense. But as the Scout article continues to point out, the Beavers are replacing their defensive front-seven and their top running back. Advantage USC. Now, I’m not saying the Beavers are a bad team. If anything they’ve been on the up and up in the last couple years, in an otherwise pretty stagnant Pac-10. But will their defense have learned enough only three games into the season to stop a Sanchez-Turner-Johnson-McKnight assault?

My projection? Mike Riley will be singing a completely different tune when the season’s out. Instead of a championship trophy and an invitation to the Rose Bowl, expect his post-season radio interviews to sound a little Brando-esque:

“You don’t understand! I could have had class, I could have been a contender. I could have been somebody. Instead of a bum, which is what I am, let’s face it.”