Football

Six Pacific-10 Conference teams found themselves ranked in the top 25 after Week 3, indicating the conference season should be as wild and unpredictable as ever.
In particular, three Northwest schools — Washington State, Oregon and Washington — were in the preseason top 15 and have their sights set on a January party in Tempe, Ariz., the site of this season’s national championship.
The fourth Northwest team, Oregon State, is close to returning to its 2000 glory, when the Beavers finished 11-1.
Don’t think the California schools haven’t taken notice. USC, UCLA and Cal each cracked the polls and have fared well through tough preseason hurdles.
Without further ramble, here
are a humble reporter’s 2002
Pac-10 picks:

1. Washington State

(2001 record: 10-2; 2002: 2-1)
The Cougs opened with convincing wins over Nevada and Idaho as quarterback Jason Gesser got his Heisman campaign off to a moderate start. An early-season loss at Ohio State hurt the Cougs’ national championship hopes, but the team will still play tough conference ball. In his 14th year in Pullman, head coach Mike Price is seeking his first back-to-back winning seasons
and may tout the best defense he’s ever had.

2. Oregon (11-1, 3-0)
Eight home games in the newly expanded Autzen Stadium almost automatically put the Ducks in contention for a third straight conference title. And it appears the Ducks are going to do it the same old way — in nail-biting fashion. Jason Fife overcame a late fumble to lead Oregon to a 28-24 win over Fresno State on Sept. 7. Head coach Mike Bellotti, who says the defensive line may be the best in school history, again looks to lead the Ducks to their best season in school history.

3. Washington (8-4, 1-1)
Husky head coach Rick Neuheisel wants to make UW the “Florida State of the West” and a consistent national-title contender. If the Huskies are going to do that this year, they’ll have to show they can play defense — and learn how to count. The Huskies were dawged by a last-second penalty at Michigan for having too many men on the field, costing them the game. Washington allowed more points last year than it scored and gave up more than 160 yards per game on the ground, but the defense has shown signs of improvement this year. With an offensive combination of quarterback Cody Pickett and receiver Reggie Williams, lighting up the scoreboard will not be a problem for the Dawgs. In all, a Pac-10 title is not out of reach.

4. Oregon State

(5-6, 3-0)
With no national championship predictions in sight, the Beavers enter the season somewhat under the radar. Appropriately, Oregon State didn’t get much attention for clobbering Eastern Kentucky, Temple and UNLV early in the season and the Beavers’ first real test probably will be USC on Sept. 28. Quarterback Derek Anderson and tailback Steven Jackson, both sophomores, have been impressive early on, and the OSU defense is always ready to punish. Defensive back Dennis Weathersby has All-American talent, and linebacker Richard Seigler is just tough. After a long offseason, the Beavers may be busy again come January.

5. USC (6-6, 3-0)
So far so good for the Trojans. Senior Carson Palmer got off to a good start in leading the Trojans to a 24-17 win over Auburn. USC is said to have the toughest schedule in all of college football and has not yet faltered. Former NFL coach Pete Carroll enters his second year with the Trojans, who desperately need to regain their running tradition. A trio of runners, led by the speedy yet-often-injured Sultan McCullough, could turn things around. Palmer has been inconsistent in his career (39 touchdowns, 39 interceptions), but his experience combined with a strong defense could lead to a double-digit win total for USC this year.

6. UCLA (7-4, 2-0)
The Bruins jumped into The Associated Press poll at No. 23 after a come-from-behind win over Colorado State to open their season. But will it matter in November? UCLA has a rich tradition of major collapses, evident by the Bruins’ 2001 dismal second-half performance. The Bruins won their first six games last season, jumped into the national title picture, and quickly fell into controversy and out any bowl game. Head coach Bob Toledo signed a contract extension in the offseason, but is still rumored to be in the hot seat. Add all that on to one of toughest schedules in the country this year, and UCLA will have a tough time competing for a conference championship.

7. Stanford (9-3, 1-1)
Playing without quarterback Chris Lewis (who was suspended for a minor NCAA violation), the Cardinal blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead Sept. 7 and fell 34-27 at Boston College to start their season. But not all is lost in Palo Alto, Calif. With former head coach Tyrone Willingham now at Notre Dame, Buddy Teevens — Steve Spurrier’s top offensive assistant at Florida — should be downright offensive. With Chris Lewis throwing to the durable Luke Powell and the mammoth Teyo Johnson, along with a solid tailback-by-committee corp, the Cardinal should score a bowl bid this year.

8. California (1-10, 3-0)
Cal’s new head coach, Jeff Tedford, has gone from Joey Harrington to Kyle Boller. Although the Bears were a big surprise in the early going this year, when they scored 104 points on Baylor and New Mexico State and defeated then-No. 15 Michigan State, the former Oregon offensive coordinator will have a tough time digging his team out of the cellar.

9. Arizona State

(4-7, 2-1)
After getting stomped 48-10 by Nebraska to open the 2002 campaign, ASU combined for 84 points against Eastern Washington and Central Florida. Yawn. In short, it’s going to be a long year for the little Devils. With redshirt freshman Chad Christensen taking the snaps and two freshmen taking the handoffs, Dirk Koetter should not expect to go bowling this year.

10. Arizona (5-6, 1-0)
The Wildcats have been marred by three consecutive losing seasons, and there isn’t much hope in Tucson despite a 37-3 romp of Northern Arizona to start this season. Watching his team give up a school-record 34.3 points per game last year, second-year coach John Mackovic has focused his efforts on the defense. On the other side of the ball, Clarence Farmer led the Pac-10 in rushing as a sophomore (1,229 yards). But they won’t be able to make up for what the defense lacks.