Washington, Stanford Head the Class of ’97

A look at the Pac-10 in order of predicted finish:

WASHINGTON

Coach: Jim Lambright (fifth season)

Last season: 9-3 (7-1, second in Pac-10)

Haves: There’s a No. 4 ranking in the Associated Press preseason poll and a quick chance to back it up Sept. 20 against Nebraska in Seattle. The Huskies have 16 starters back, eight on each side of the ball, and are generating some buzz as national-title contenders. One of their stars is Jason Chorak, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound linebacker-defensive end. He was named an All-American as a junior after leading the conference with 14.5 sacks. There’s an All-American in the offensive line too, junior Benji Olson. The offense is in the hands of sophomore quarterback Brock Huard, perhaps the best underclassman in the country at his position. Receiver Jerome Pathon is a standout, and running back Rashaan Shehee is a 1,000-yard threat whose injuries opened the door for junior Corey Dillon to rush for 1,555 yards last season, then jump to the NFL.

Haves . . . not: The schedule starts out tough, with the opener at Brigham Young and the third game against Nebraska. But the Huskies miss Stanford this season, and that could smooth the way to the Rose Bowl.

Sure wish they had: A proven kicker. The Huskies lost their punter and their kicker.

STANFORD

Coach: Tyrone Willingham (third season)

Last season: 7-5 (5-3, third)

Haves: With 12 starters back from a team that matured down the stretch last season and won its last five games--beating USC and UCLA--Stanford is ranked 18th in the AP poll. Willingham has the program on the rise after two bowl games in two seasons, capped by last season’s 38-0 victory over Michigan State in the Sun Bowl. Experienced quarterbacks with good arms are not rare in the Pac-10 this season, and Stanford has Chad Hutchinson. He’s a standout pitcher on the baseball team who passed for more than 2,000 yards as a freshman but must cut down on interceptions. He threw 12. Running backs Mike Mitchell and Anthony Bookman complement each other. Defensively, the standouts are linebacker Chris Draft and lineman Kailee Wong.

Haves . . . not: The secondary is suspect, after losing three starting defensive backs. There’s not much depth, and opponents probably will try to exploit Stanford’s weakness in pass coverage.

Sure wish they had: A little more time to get ready for North Carolina in the second game of the season Sept. 13, after only a warmup against San Jose State. On the other hand, the Pac-10 schedule doesn’t include Washington, so a stumble by the Huskies could open the door for the Cardinal.

USC

Coach: John Robinson (12th season, fifth in his second term)

Last season: 6-6 (3-5, tied for fifth)

Haves: There should be a revived running game, since the offensive line has matured, and Delon Washington could have a season more like his 1,000-yard sophomore year and less like his suspension-marred 1996. The Trojans have plenty of big-play potential from players such as receiver R. Jay Soward, linebacker Chris Claiborne and cornerbacks Daylon McCutcheon and Brian Kelly, perhaps the nation’s best pair of cornerbacks.

Haves . . . not: There’s the little problem of inexperience at quarterback, where John Fox, Quincy Woods and Mike Van Raaphorst have combined for 22 snaps.

Sure wish they had: A moment to ease into the season. The opener Sept. 6 against Florida State in the Coliseum is no way to break in a quarterback who has never started a college game.

UCLA

Coach: Bob Toledo (second season)

Last season: 5-6 (4-4, fourth)

Haves: There’s plenty of proven ability in the backfield. Running back Skip Hicks is the only returning 1,000-yard rusher in the Pac-10 and had six 100-yard games last season. Quarterback Cade McNown, a junior, definitely gets veteran status now, after starting the last 19 games.

Haves . . . not: Defense figures to determine UCLA’s season. The Bruins are woefully lacking in size up front and will be pushed off the line some games.

Sure wish they had: A nonconference opponent that wasn’t a bowl team last season. Texas, Tennessee and Houston don’t offer the kind of breaks that help a team win six games and reach a bowl itself.

ARIZONA STATE

Coach: Bruce Snyder (sixth season)

Last season: 11-1 (8-0, first)

Haves: There’s a reputation to uphold since quarterback Jake Plummer led them to an 11-1 season. But the Sun Devils lost 15 starters, among them Plummer, running back Terry Battle, lineman Juan Roque and receiver Keith Poole. Still, there’s a good corps of receivers, led by Lenzie Jackson and Ricky Boyer, and tailback Michael Martin has recovered from surgery to repair a neck injury he suffered against UCLA. A particularly exciting player is running back J.R. Redmond, who threw a touchdown pass to Plummer on a memorable trick play against UCLA. Defensively, Arizona State has an outstanding linebacker in Pat Tillman and safety Mitchell Freedman has returned from off-field problems.

Haves . . . not: There’s no more Plummer, who started the Sun Devils’ last 40 games. In an unorthodox move, Snyder says he may not choose between the former backup, 6-foot-8 Steve Campbell, and redshirt freshman Ryan Kealy until the first Pac-10 game Sept. 27. Both are scheduled to play in the opener Aug. 30 against New Mexico State.

Sure wish they had: The last minute of the Rose Bowl to play over. The Sun Devils were moments from an undefeated season when Ohio State scored with 19 seconds left for a 20-17 victory. Arizona State ended up fourth in the final poll.

WASHINGTON STATE

Coach: Mike Price (ninth season)

Last season: 5-6 (3-5, tied for fifth)

Haves: Quarterback Ryan Leaf, who is 6-6, threw for 2,811 yards and 21 touchdowns last season as a sophomore. But Leaf also threw 12 interceptions and had a completion rate of only 52%, so there’s a downside too. Running back Michael Black flirted with a 1,000-yard season and catches the ball. Not to be overlooked is perhaps the Pac-10’s best defensive line, which averages 6-6 and 293 pounds. Dorian Boose is the star of that line, which returns intact.

Haves . . . not: The Cougars don’t have a go-to receiver and the secondary is a weak spot, with safety Duane Stewart the only veteran defensive back.

Sure wish they had: A schedule that didn’t start with UCLA and USC, teams the Cougars have never beaten in the same season. Just as bad, the season ends against Stanford and Washington--the top-rated Pac-10 teams.

ARIZONA

Coach: Dick Tomey (11th season)

Last season: 5-6 overall, (3-5, tie for fifth)

Haves: Quarterback Keith Smith is only a sophomore, but he started as a freshman, throwing for 1,450 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was the Wildcats’ second-leading rusher too, and Tomey says he thinks the double-threat quarterback soon will be known as a great passer. A bonus for the defense is the unexpected return of defensive tackle Joe Salave’a, who was granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA after he had already played in the East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl. Cornerback Chris McAllister led the Pac-10 with six interceptions last season.

Haves . . . not: The “Desert Swarm” defense is a thing of the past--Arizona gave up 56 points twice last season--but former coordinator Rich Ellerson has returned to try to revive it after coaching at Southern Utah.

Sure wish they had: A proven running back. The leading rusher, other than the quarterback, is Leon Callen, who ran for 275 yards last season.

OREGON

Coach: Mike Bellotti (third season)

Last season: 6-5 (3-5, tie for fifth)

Haves: Tailback Saladin McCullough and receiver Damon Griffin are dynamic players, and the Ducks have had a good offensive show for a while now, even if the line and quarterback situations aren’t solid. Only four starters are back from the team that averaged 34.4 points. The Ducks have a fairly benign schedule that includes nonconference games against Nevada and Fresno State. But they will need a good showing to avoid ending their three-year streak of winning records.

Haves . . . not: Bellotti calls the defense “the youngest I’ve ever seen at Oregon,” so there isn’t likely to be a “Gang Green” revival, especially after last year’s unit gave up 32.4 points a game. Both the defensive and offensive lines are weak spots. The quarterback situation isn’t very clear, with junior Jason Maas and junior transfer Akili Smith competing for the job.

Sure wish they had: Chris Miller, Bill Musgrave, Danny O’Neill or Tony Graziani back at quarterback, along with an offensive line to protect them.

CALIFORNIA

Coach: Tom Holmoe (first season)

Last season: 6-6 (3-5, tie for fifth)

Haves: Those memories of a 5-0 start last season--followed by six losses in their last seven games. Bobby Shaw led the Pac-10 in receptions, catching 58 passes, but there’s no Pat Barnes to throw him the ball anymore. Tailback Tarik Smith could have the big year he seemed headed for last year before knee surgery ended his season, but that’s a question mark. The new coach is Holmoe, who is well regarded but was the defensive coordinator last season--for a team that gave up 33 points a game.

Haves . . . not: Steve Mariucci jumped to the San Francisco 49ers after one season as Cal’s coach. Holmoe’s first year in charge of the Golden Bears won’t be easy after losing Barnes, as well as tight end Tony Gonzalez and offensive lineman Tarik Glenn, both first-round NFL draft picks. The pressure is on Barnes’ replacement, Justin Vedder, the quarterback for Saddleback College’s undefeated team last year.

Sure wish they had: Confidence in the defense. It was a disaster last year, giving up 460 yards a game and 40 or more points five times. Holmoe hired Lyle Setencich from Arizona State as defensive coordinator, but is having nine returning starters necessarily good?

OREGON STATE

Coach: Mike Riley (first season)

Last season: 2-9 (1-7, 10th)

Haves: New coach Riley left his job as USC’s offensive coordinator to go home to Corvallis and coach a team that hasn’t had a winning record since 1970. This won’t be the year, either, but it may provide an inkling whether Riley can revive the Pac-10’s worst program. At least he has shown he can work under difficult conditions: He coached the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League, working in probably the coldest sizable city in North America. Quarterback Tim Alexander is a versatile player who can run, throw, and even catch the ball, but he can’t throw it to himself, so Riley may move him around in the backfield at times.

Haves . . . not: There are only four starters back from an offense that averaged 19.6 points last season. Riley has begun a transition to a more balanced attack after the Beavers passed for only 85 yards a game. Defensively, there are eight starters back from a group that gave up 35.3 points a game.

Sure wish they had: You name it.

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PACIFIC 10

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Team Conf. Overall W L W L Arizona State 8 0 11 1 Washington 7 1 9 3 Stanford 5 3 7 5 UCLA 4 4 5 6 California 3 5 6 6 Oregon 3 5 6 5 USC 3 5 6 6 Arizona 3 5 5 6 Washington St. 3 5 5 6 Oregon State 1 7 2 9

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