Oregon Ducks
2001 record: 11-1 (7-1)
Coach: Mike Bellotti (13th season, 83-48-2; at Oregon, 60-23, 7 years)
Starters returning: 5 offense, 6 defense, 2 specialists

Outlook: Quarterback Joey Harrington, his 27-3 record as a starter and his 10 fourth-quarter comebacks are gone, but coach Mike Bellotti isn't, so don't count on the Ducks falling far after the best season in school history.

Oregon welcomes back solid talent on both sides of the ball, but replacing Harrington and two cornerbacks will be essential if the Ducks plan to return to the nation's top-10. Junior Jason Fife leads the quarterback derby after completing 16 of 27 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns in the spring game, though he could get a challenge at some point this season from redshirt freshman Kellen Clemens if he's not up to snuff.

	Around The Pac-10
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	Oregon Ducks
	Oregon State Beavers
	Stanford Cardinal
	UCLA Bruins
	USC Trojans
	Washington Huskies
	Washington State Cougars

Whoever plays quarterback will have lots of help. Keenan Howry leads a deep receiving corps. Tailback Onterrio Smith, who rushed for 1,088 yards last year and averaged 6.0 yards per carry, is one of the nation's elite runners. Three starters are back on the offensive line.

The Ducks defensive line and linebackers are outstanding -- most of the crew that held Colorado's vaunted rushing attack to 49 yards in the Fiesta Bowl is back. This group should get pressure up front, which will be critical with a pair of inexperienced corners.

The Ducks have eight home games in the friendly confines of Autzen Stadium, where $90 million added 12,000 seats to the Northwest equivalent of Florida's "The Swamp." The non-conference slate, other than an intriguing season-opening game against Mississippi State, is soft. Yet Pac-10 schedule makers didn't do the Ducks any favors: their only miss is doormat Cal.

Key game: Oregon plays fellow conference frontrunners Washington State and Washington on consecutive weekends (Nov. 9, 16), so take your pick. But beating the hated Huskies at home after a year off from the rivalry probably counts more in Eugene.

Keep an eye on: Fife. His arm is reportedly better than Harrington's, but will he have the fourth-quarter magic? As a first-year starter with no significant experience, he'll need to focus on not making big mistakes rather than making big plays.

It's a good year if. . . The Ducks finish in the top-10 for the third consecutive year.

Ted Miller covers the Pac-10 for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.