1. Washington Huskies ■ 1996 Record: 9-3 over all, 7-1 in the Pac-10; lost to Colorado 33-21 in the Holiday Bowl ■ Head Coach: Jim Lambright, fifth year ■ Returning Starters: Offense 8, Defense 8 ■ Player to watch: Jason Chorak, linebacker ■ Outlook: Whether the Huskies are really go ing to be contenders for the national title was decided on Sept. 20 when Washing ton faced Nebraska. Other than that, all 4 the pieces are in place for the Huskies to make a serious run for No. 1, starting with their cupcake schedule. Excluding the Cornhuskers’ trip to Seattle this past weekend, Washing ton played BYU and San Diego State to open the season, and they have the luxury of not playing Stanford. They open the Pac-10 season with four games against the conference’s cel lar dwellers, then finish with three of four games at home against Oregon, USC and Washington State. Of course, a soft schedule alone won’t win a team the conference title. The Huskies are loaded with talent and proven players. Sophomore quarterback Brock Huard and tailback Rashaan Shehee return to lead the Husky offense. They will be supported by an offensive line that includes two All-Ameri cans, guard Benji Olson and center Olin Kreutz. All-American linebacker Jason Chorak re turns for his senior year. He led the Pac-10 in sacks last season with 14.5 and was named the conference’s defensive player of the year. S2. Stanford Cardinal ■ 1996 Record: 7-5 overall, 5-3 in the Pac-10; beat Michigan State 33-0 in the Sun Bowl ■ Head Coach: Tyrone Willing ham, third year ■ Returning Starters: Offense 6, Defense 6 ■ Player to watch: Chad Hutchinson, quarter back ■ Outlook: The Cardinal proved last year that it is for real, winning five of its last seven and shutting out Michigan State in the Sun Bowl. Chad Hutchinson, the Sun Bowl MVP, re turns at quarterback after throwing for 2,134 yards and 10 touchdowns last sea son. His primary receivers will be Damon Dunn and Troy Walters. Eugene native and All I American candidate pSfc Kailee Wong record 4* ed 12 sacks and 21 tackles for losses last season for , Stanford. The six , f o o t - jj three, 2 6 2 - CHAD PATTESON/Emerald Keith Smith is Wildcats' player to watch. pound defensive end was a running back at North Eugene High School. Stanford could follow Washington and go undefeated in the Pac-10 this season because the two teams don’t play each other. But don’t count on it. Stanford could stumble a bit when it plays back-to-back games on the road against Washington State and USC in early November. What will keep the Cardinal out of the top 10 will be tough nonconference games against North Carolina and Notre Dame. It’s hard pic turing Stanford going victorious in both games. 3. Washington State ■ 1996 Record: 5-6 overall, 3-5 in the Pac-10 ■ Head Coach: Mike Price, eighth year ■ Returning Starters: Offense 7, Defense 7 ■ Player to watch: Ryan Leaf, quarterback ■ Outlook: Overlooked by most of the national polls, the Cougars could be the surprise team not only in the conference, but in the coun try, reminiscent of Arizona State last season. Two-year starter Ryan Leaf is being touted by many college football preview magazines as the best quarterback in the country west of Tennessee. The six-foot-six, 238-pound junior should have no problem living up to the billing as long as his offensive line, led by All American candidate Jason McEndoo at left guard, gives him adequate protection, t Senior tailback Michael Black gives the Cougars ot to fensive balance. He ■| rushed for 948 yards (r in nine games in 1996, ^ including a season high 161 against Oregon. Defensively, Washing ton State is strong up front, led by Dorian Boose and Leon Bender, who combined for 12.5 sacks last season. The real key for the Cougars, though, is how ’97 Pac-10 Washington is the cream of the crop in the Pac-10, but can Stanford or Washington State challenge the Huskies for a berth in the Rose Bowl? well they finish. Their last two games of the season are against Stanford at home then in Seattle for the Apple Cup against the Huskies. 4. Southern California ■ 1996 Record: 6-6 overall, 3 5inthePac-10 ■ Head Coach: John Robin son, fifth year ■ Returning Starters: Offense 8, Defense 6 a Player to watch: Daylon McCutcheon, cor nerback B Outlook: With an impressive but losing ef fort against Florida State to start the season, the Trojans showed they might be for real this year. But then again, it’s always a crap shoot with this team. Two years ago, USC won the Rose Bowl. Then last season, with arguably a better team than the year before, the Trojans found them selves sitting home watching television on New Year’s Day. So, what now? With John Fox, an unproven sophomore quarterback, starting under center and un proven sophomore Quincy Woods backing him up, this could once again be a long sea son in Troy. But USC does have the advantage of an of fensive line returning all five starters, each of whom weighs around or over 300 pounds. The line will be good enough to ease the learning process for Fox or Woods. Even though the Trojans lost defensive tackle Darrell Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft, and Sammy Knight, the team’s leading tackier, their defense is still one of the strongest in the conference. Daylon McCutcheon and Brian Kelly make up the best cornerback combination in the Pac-10. The Trojans should get off to a quick start with home games against Washington State and UNLV, then road games against Cal and Arizona State. Then they hit a nasty four game stretch starting with Notre Dame in South Bend, then conference games against Oregon, Washington and Stanford. Those four weeks will determine where USC will be come bowl time. 5. Oregon Ducks ■ 1996 Record: 6-5 overall, 3-5 in the Pac-10 ■ Head Coach: Mike Bellotti, third year ■ Returning Starters: Offense 4, Defense 5 ■ Player to watch: Saladin McCullough, tail back ■ Outlook: This team is not only loaded with talent, it’s loaded with question marks. Yes, the Ducks have more talent at the of fensive skill positions than at any other time in recent history. Oregon’s pool of quality and capable wide receivers goes five deep with Damon Griffin and Pat Johnson leading the way. Tailback Saladin McCullough is one of the best in the league with Kevin Parker and I I COURTESY/ THE STANFORD DAILY , Quarterback ^ Chad P Hutchinson ■ and the ■ Cardinal look I to challenge ■ Washington I for the H conference I title. Darien Latimer backing him up. Akili Smith and Jason Maas are still battling it out for the starting quarterback position, with Smith be ing the better athlete and Maas the more accu rate passer. But Oregon has only one returning starter on a very young offensive line. If no holes get opened, how will McCullough be able to showcase his talent? If the line struggles to provide adequate pass protection, how will Smith or Maas be able to utilize the many weapons at wide receiver? Oregon must also prove it can win on the road where it will play Stanford, Washington and USC. Many pieces need to fall in place for the Ducks to find themselves in position for a bowl berth come December. But this team def initely has the makeup to surprise some teams, just as they did 1994. 6. Arizona Wildcats ■ 1996 Record: 5-6 over all, 3-5 in the Pac-10 ■ Head Coach: Dick Tomey, 11th year ■ Returning Starters: Offense 8, Defense 10 ■ Player to watch: Keith Smith, quarterback ■ Outlook: There is no doubt the Desert Swarm defense that turned the Wildcats into national contenders in the early 1990s is back. The game against Oregon on Sept. 4 proved that. But the question, as it so often is with the Wildcats, is offense, or lack thereof. Quarterback Keith Smith is expected to give Arizona that offensive stability with his abili ty to run and move freely from the pocket. He also gives the Wildcats a multi-dimensional weapon that will give opposing offensive co ordinators fits trying to prepare for him. But Smith doesn’t have the skill players surrounding him as does, say, Akili Smith. The Wildcats don’t have a game-breaking run ning back like Skip Hicks or Rashaan Shehee. And to win in the Pac-10 you have to be more than a one-man show on offense. 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