Oregon State coach Dennis Erickson isn't ready to announce the release of "Men in Black II."

Erickson, whose team sports chromatically challenged all-black uniforms (read: ugly) at home, knew such a question was coming and he began his rote response before it was done.

How do these 4-0 Beavers compare to the 2000 crew that strutted through an 11-1 season and buried Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl?

"Hard to tell," he said. "Once we get into the league, we'll know where we're at."

Air Force's DeBerry Da Man

A short list of the nation's best coaches could start with the old school, Penn State's Joe Paterno and Florida State's Bobby Bowden, or the new school, Oregon's Mike Bellotti and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, but here's a vote to include Air Force's Fisher DeBerry. Air Force finished 6-6 last season and only welcomed back 10 starters, including just three on offense. Yet the Falcons are 3-0 with victories over Big Ten (Northwestern) and Pac-10 (California) teams. Air Force isn't a magnet for blue-chip recruits. Playing for the Falcons typically doesn't lead to an NFL career because it requires a military commitment of five to eight years. But it does mean wins. Notre Dame, Ohio State, BYU, Texas, Virginia Tech and Washington top recruiting rankings and stock the NFL with talent every year, yet they each have fallen victim to the Falcons' triple-option attack during DeBerry's 18-year tenure. The Falcons, the only remaining unbeaten team in the Mountain West Conference, weren't suppose to be in the thick of the conference race. But this weekend's game against Utah figures to crown the top adversary for preseason favorite, Colorado State. The Falcons' resurgence starts with junior quarterback Chance Harridge, who overcame a pair of first-half fumbles against Cal to score three second-half touchdowns. He's the oil that makes the option hum. "He's the best runner I've seen over there in a while," Utah coach Ron McBride said. The Falcons have ranked in the top-10 in rushing every year since 1987. But with Harridge running the offense, they currently lead the nation with 344 yards per game. In an age when the pass rules college football, Air Force can beat ranked teams despite completing just three passes for 22 yards, like it did against Cal. "We probably need to throw the ball a little bit more," DeBerry said. Perhaps. Utah ranks seventh in the nation (72 yards per game) in rushing defense. Utah and Air Force typically put on a great show. Their last five meetings have been decided by seven points or less, including the Falcons' 38-37 victory last season that came down to the final play of the game. McBride calls Air Force "the masters" of the triple-option. But the Falcons also can play defense. Cal was averaging 50 points per game but managed only five field goals and a late touchdown. DeBerry said he's not worried that the Falcons are one of only two unbeaten teams -- Bowling Green is the other -- not ranked in either national poll. The future looks bright with just one senior starting on the offense and two on the defense, but DeBerry's primary concern is fretting about the present, which includes a nasty Utah defense. "Right now I'd be elated if I thought we could make a first down," DeBerry said. -- Ted Miller

Answers should come quickly then. Oregon State opens the Pac-10 schedule with a visit to No. 22 USC and the Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday, a place where the Beavers have lost 18 consecutive games since 1960, including a heartbreaking 16-13 overtime defeat last year.

The early returns on "The Beavers are Back," however, point toward a potential blockbuster. Oregon State, which jumped into the ESPN/USA Today rankings at No. 24, has outscored its opponents 190-49 and has looked dominating on both sides of the ball.

Sophomore quarterback Derek Anderson, a question mark entering the season, has passed for 300 yards per game and has tossed 15 touchdown passes with just a single interception. He ranks second in the nation in passing efficiency.

The Beavers' defense is surrendering just 257.8 yards per game and is leading the nation with 11 interceptions.

The swagger is definitely back after last year's disappointing season. Oregon State, which also is leading the Pac-10 with 119.5 penalty yard per game, plays with an in-your-grill, aggressive style, much like Erickson's controversial (and successful) Miami teams did.

The Beavers not only like to whip you; they like to provide color commentary as it happens, even if that means a couple of 15-yard penalties along the way.

Last weekend's 59-19 dismantling of Fresno State dispatched a bad memory from last season, when the Beavers were ranked No. 10 in the preseason before losing their opener 44-24 at Fresno State and commencing a downward spiral toward a 5-6 finish. Dispatching USC doesn't figure to be as easy, and not just because the Trojans have won 27 of their last 28 against the Beavers.

The Trojans, who lost to Kansas State last weekend, lead the nation in pass defense, allowing just 108 yards per game, and are ranked third nationally in total defense (229.7 yards per game). Opponents are converting just 16.2 percent of their third down plays.

While Anderson has piled up big numbers against weak opposition, he hasn't yet produced a win on the road against a ranked team.

"Anytime you're a young quarterback playing at the University of Southern California in the Coliseum, it's a huge test," Erickson said.

Sophomore tailback Steven Jackson should take some heat off of Anderson. He leads the Pac-10 with 134 yards rushing per game after piling up 227 yards and two touchdowns against Fresno.

Oregon State has opened a season 5-0 just four times, most, er, recently in 1939.

"Winning games on the road is going to be a real key," Erickson said of the Beavers, but really talking about the entire Pac-10 race.

Yet if the Beavers can get over their USC issues, the remaining schedule is favorable. They don't play Washington State, and UCLA, California, Arizona and Oregon all must visit Reser Stadium. The only remaining road test is a Nov. 9 game at Washington.

While most of the preseason front-runner debate centered on Washington, Oregon and Washington State, the Beavers appear poised to enter the fray.

"Oregon State is playing as good as you could be playing," USC coach Pete Carroll said.

Around the Pac-10

Arizona
Arizona will lick its wounds this weekend against North Texas after being dismantled by Wisconsin. The Wildcats' high-flying passing attack was brought back to earth after Wisconsin limited quarterback Jason Johnson to just 129 yards in a 31-10 Badgers' victory. Receiver Bobby Wade still leads the Pac-10 with 24 receptions for 393 yards, with both figures among the top 10 nationally. He has a streak of 34 consecutive games with a reception. ... The Wildcats' key concern is finding an adequate substitute for junior cornerback Michael Jolivette, who is out indefinitely with a knee injury. His replacement, senior David Hinton, was targeted by Wisconsin and was flagged for a pair of pass interference penalties. ... Tailback Clarence Farmer turned in his best effort of the season against Wisconsin, rushing for 131 yards on 20 carries, though much of that came on a 70-yard touchdown run.

Arizona State
The Sun Devils have lost three consecutive games to Stanford by an average margin of 22 points. Last year, the Cardinal won 51-28 in an offensive shootout that produced 1,052 total yards. ... Both teams are coming off bye weekends. ... Quarterback Andrew Walter has entrenched himself as the starter after throwing for six touchdowns in 24 passes in his last two games. ... The news on the injury front is good: safeties Alfred Williams and Joey Smith as well as suspended receiver Daryl Lightfoot will be ready to play this weekend.

Cal
The Bears have lost three consecutive games against Washington State and five of the last six. In the Cougars' victory last year, WSU quarterback Jason Gesser passed for 432 of the Cougars' 605 yards of total offense with four touchdown tosses. ... After an impressive start to his senior season, California quarterback Kyle Boller completed just 13 of 37 passes for 216 yards against Air Force. But that doesn't really tell the story. Boller was victimized by what has been reported as 12 dropped passes. ... First-year coach Jeff Tedford said his message to his team after their first loss dropped them from the national rankings is simple: "The message is don't panic about it," he said. ... Kicker Mark Jenson connected on a school-record five field goals against Air Force, just one shy of the Pac-10 record.

Oregon
The Ducks have this week off before hitting the road for the first time this season with road games at Arizona and UCLA. Oregon has a nine-game winning streak, best among Pac-10 teams. Oregon's longest winning streak is 10 (1963-64). ... The 41-0 victory against Portland State was Ducks' first shutout since 1992. ... Oregon has scored on its opening drive in every game this season and is outscoring opponents 41-7 in the first quarter. ... Tailback Onterrio Smith has rushed for more than 100 yards in all four games this year. Only Bobby Moore has posted five consecutive 100-yard rushing games (1971) for the Ducks. Smith has compiled those numbers despite hamstring and toe injuries. "I don't expect to get him too much action this week," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. "He'd be the first to tell you he's not where he was last year." ... Receiver Keenan Howry has caught a pass in 39 straight games. The Pac-10 record is 42 (Dennis Northcutt, Arizona, 1996-99).

Oregon State
The Beavers have bad memories of last season's game at USC. They lost 16-13 in overtime despite owning a 384 yards to 204 advantage in total offense, and limiting the Trojans to 11 first downs, 33 yards rushing and no offensive touchdowns in regulation. Special teams, however, were a problem. OSU surrendered a blocked punt that was recovered for USC's only regulation touchdown, and the Beavers missed two fourth-quarter field goals which would have won the game in regulation. ... OSU is second in the country in total offense -- behind Marshall -- with 499.8 yards per game. ... The Beavers had four turnovers against Fresno State after giving away just three in their first three games.

Stanford
Chris Lewis remains Stanford's starting quarterback, but if he falters new coach Buddy Teevens apparently won't hesitate to insert Kyle Matter. "The reality is if a guy is performing, he'll stay in," Teevens said. ... Stanford, which visits Arizona State this weekend, has won three consecutive conference openers and four of its past five conference road games. ... While Stanford's defense was a question in the preseason, it leads the Pac-10 against the run (86.5 yards per game) and is fourth in total defense (305 yards). The Cardinal has picked off seven passes in the first two games.

UCLA
UCLA is 16-0-1 against San Diego State, with the tie coming in 1924.When UCLA and San Diego State last met in San Diego in 1993 -- then-coach Terry Donahue's last Rose Bowl season -- the Bruins rolled to a 52-13 victory. That game featured UCLA's star receiver J.J. Stokes and Aztecs running back Marshall Faulk. Faulk, currently a Pro Bowl back for the St. Louis Rams, had just 53 yards on 19 carries. ... UCLA's loss last weekend to Colorado snapped a nine-game regular season winning streak against non-conference opponents. Bruins had not lost to a non-conference opponent in the regular season since 1999. The Buffaloes outrushed the Bruins, 325-62. ... UCLA quarterback Cory Paus' longest completion against Colorado was 20 yards, a week after connecting on eight passes longer than 20 against Oklahoma State. He was 21 for 35 for 189 yards with one interception. ... Bruins coach Bob Toledo said Matt Ware will return to cornerback from safety -- a move that Toledo has considered for two weeks -- to help cover SDSU's big wide receivers.

USC
USC quarterback Carson Palmer has passed Rob Johnson to become USC's career leader in completions (681) and passing yards (8,608). Receiver Kareem Kelly has moved past Keyshawn Johnson into second place on the Trojans' career receiving list with 171 catches. He trails only Johnny Morton's 201 (1990-93). He set a USC record with receptions in 38 consecutive games and is chasing the Pac-10 mark of 42 straight (Dennis Northcutt, Arizona, 1996-99). Palmer, who completed nearly 72 percent of his passes in the first two games, completed only 18 of 47 attempts for 186 yards and a touchdown against Kansas State. It was his worst completion percentage since he became a starter, though he wasn't helped by his receivers, who stropped numerous passes, including four by freshman Mike Williams. ... The Trojans continue to struggle with the kicking game. Kicker David Davis missed a 30-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter and had an extra-point attempt blocked and returned for a two-point conversion. Punter Tom Malone averaged 36.9 yards on 11 punts, including a 12-yard effort that set up a 29-yard Kansas State scoring drive.

Washington
Washington will complete a troika of weak non-conference games this weekend against Idaho. The Huskies never punted in their 38-7 victory over Wyoming, a final score that would have been much worse if not for four fumbles in Cowboys' territory. The big story was Cody Pickett, who passed for 404 yards and became the first Husky quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards in three consecutive games. Pickett leads the Pac-10 and ranks third in the nation in total offense at 347.3 yards per game. At his current rate, he will completely rewrite the Huskies' passing record book before the end of his junior season.

Washington State
Apparently Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser will play this weekend in the Pac-10 opener at California, despite a rib injury suffered against Montana State. That's good, because Gesser's backup, Matt Kegel, is bothered by a knee injury. Both likely will play -- Gesser will sport a flak jacket like he did much of last season -- but third-stringer Chris Hurd will see lots of action during practices this week. "I don't see any way (Gesser and/or Kegel) won't play," coach Mike Price said. "They will have to play with pain." ... The Cougars will welcome back defensive tackle Rien Long and offensive lineman Billy Knotts, who were suspended from the Montana State game, though Price won't say if they will start. The pair was suspended after being caught with alcohol at Ohio State trip two weeks ago, though both are legal drinking age, according to the Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.). ... Running back Jermaine Green, who has battled a knee injury, appears poised to become the No. 1 tailback after rushing for 123 yards against Montana State.

Around the Mountain West
Air Force 's victory over No. 23 California was its first over a ranked team since 1988. A victory over Utah this weekend would give the Falcons a 4-0 record and likely earn them a spot in the national rankings. They currently are 29th in the AP poll and 28th in the coaches poll. ... In last year's game with Utah, linebacker Anthony Schlegel tacked Utes' quarterback Lance Rice at the Falcons' 4-yard line as time expired to preserve a 38-37 victory. ... BYU coach Gary Crowton isn't the sort of coach to play games with the media, so when he says he's not completely sure what his quarterback situation is, he probably means it. His best guess as the Cougars head into a bye week before facing Utah State is Bret Engemann remains the starter, Todd Mortensen will get more reps in practice and Lance Pendleton will offer a spark off the bench. Engemann, who had a fumble and two interceptions against Georgia Tech, is struggling with his confidence. Pendleton has twice come on in relief and shown good mobility but only limited effectiveness. Crowton said he wants to keep a redshirt on highly touted freshman Ben Olsen. There are other issues. Sophomore running back Marcus Whalen suffered a groin injury in the loss to Georgia Tech and figures to be out at least until the Mountain West Conference opener against Air Force. That means true freshman Curtis Brown will start against Utah State. On the positive side, junior cornerback Jernaro Gilford saw his first action of the season against Georgia Tech, though his knee still isn't 100 percent. ... Colorado State, the Mountain West Conference's lone ranked team, visits Nevada after an off week. The No. 25 Rams are 6-0 all-time against the Wolfpack and are 7-2 after bye weeks under coach Sonny Lubbick. Of course, Nevada looks a lot more dangerous after defeating BYU and Rice on consecutive weekends, even without the services of running back Chance Kretschmer, who led the nation in rushing as a freshman last season. ... Rams' coaches have gone out of their way to insist redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Holland, who led a pair of scoring drives against Louisville, is not threatening to take starter Bradlee Van Pelt's job. ... Adam Wade will replace injured Doug Heald at linebacker against Nevada. ... New Mexico whipped New Mexico State 53-0 last year, but what a difference a year makes. The Aggies rushed for 262 yards and shocked the Lobos 24-13 last weekend. New Mexico will try to do its own reversal against Texas Tech, which has beaten the Lobos eight consecutive times, including a 42-30 triumph last year, and leads the all-time series 31-5-2. The Lobos will have to find a way to slow down Red Raiders quarterback Kyle Kingsbury, who has passed for 1,253 yards with 11 touchdowns. ... San Diego State appeared poised to grab its first victory of the year with a 24-10 first-half lead over Idaho, but things fell apart. The Aztecs surrendered 31 points on five consecutive Idaho second-half possessions and fell to 0-4 with a crushing 48-38 defeat. The defense gave up 382 yards passing and six touchdown passes. New coach Tom Craft's first victory won't likely come this weekend. SDSU plays host to UCLA, which is 16-0-1 against the Aztecs and is coming off an embarrassing 31-17 defeat at home to Colorado. The biggest worry might be the health of quarterback Adam Hall, whose production fell off in the second half against Idaho. He is nursing an injured throwing shoulder. ... UNLV is off this weekend before playing Nevada on Oct. 5, and that's good because this team is in disarray after losing 38-21 to Toledo and falling to 1-3 on the year. "I'm as embarrassed and disappointed as I've been as a coach in my career," coach John Robinson said after the game. The biggest problem is the Rebels are getting crushed out of the gate, falling behind 24-0 (Wisconsin), 37-0 (Oregon State) and 24-0 (Toledo). That leaves quarterback Jason Thomas scrambling behind a weak offensive line trying to make plays. Robinson promised changes, and those might start with Thomas, who was benched in favor of Kurt Nantkes late in the third quarter with the Rebels trailing 31-7. Thomas has another mediocre outing, completing 11 of 22 passes for 132 yards. Nantkes led two scoring drives against Toledo's reserves, connecting on 8 of 16 passes for 138 yards with a touchdown and an interception that was returned for a score. ... UNLV's minus-2 turnover margin ranks 111th in the country. ... Utah gained 13 yards rushing against Michigan after getting only 32 at Arizona the week before. Before losing tailback Marty Johnson to a knee injury, the Utes ranked second in the nation with 334 yards rushing per game. ... Strong safety Dave Revill had a career-high 15 tackles against Michigan and tied a 23-year-old school record with 14 solo stops. ... Wyoming's losing streak tied the school record of 12 after a 38-7 defeat to Washington. The Cowboys produced an impressive 10-play, 88-yard scoring drive against the Huskies but little else, while their defense surrendered 549 yards, including 436 through the air. The final count could have been much worse if not for four Washington fumbles lost deep in Wyoming territory. The good news is the Pokes have a bye this weekend before squaring off with I-AA The Citadel, a game that should end the losing streak.

Ted Miller covers college football for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.