STOCKTON, Calif. -- Prime time beckons the 49ers. Following a meteoric rise from an inexperienced 6-10 upstart to a 12-4 surprise team, the 49ers are receiving the red-carpet treatment by the NFL afforded to the elite.

Four of their games this season are in prime time and another is on Saturday, leaving only 11 games on Sunday. Only 14 training camp days are scheduled in Stockton because of a rare Thursday night season-opener against the Giants and five exhibition games, including one in Japan. Riches abound. Two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Jeff Garcia makes more than $11 million this year, pretty good for a wiry competitor from garlic country in Gilroy. Terrell Owens, when he's not feuding with Steve Mariucci, is regarded as one of the game's elite receivers and is such a good athlete that he's been wooed by summer league basketball leagues.

Once again, it's great to be a 49er.

	Terrell Owens, right, caught 93 passes for 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.

But here's the rub. Are the Niners ready for Prime Time? Shooting out of the 2002 schedule like a pop-up screen is the Oct. 6 home game against the Rams, with the 49ers coming off a bye week. The Rams have built a six-game winning streak against the 49ers, and as much as has been made about closing the gap on their division rival, the 49ers could be emotionally fragile if they can't win that game in Candlestick.

"They are probably the team to beat in the NFL, and they are the team to beat in our division," Mariucci said. "They've been to the Super Bowl in two of the past three years, and they are still a very talented team. We have been rebuilding our football team and adding players who are capable of competing and winning in our division. It just so happens that the best team in the division is also the best team in the league."

Management did its best to set up this showdown. Excluding rookie contracts, the 49ers spent $46 million in signing bonus money alone to retain 20 of 22 starters from last year's 12-4 team and to make a few strategic tweaks to better challenge the Rams. They replaced 39-year-old Pro Bowl guard Ray Brown with another Pro Bowl guard, Ron Stone, who is bigger and seven years younger. They used a first-round pick on tall cornerback Mike Rumph to improve coverage matchups against Rams receivers.

They've beefed up their defensive line depth with tackle Jim Flanigan and former Rams end Sean Moran.

Talentwise, the 49ers believe they are ready. But are they?

"For the most part, I feel like mentally we have been ready for these games (against the Rams), but I think once we get out there, guys aren't really thinking we can win," Owens said. "Sometimes, there is sense of false enthusiasm. We played some good ball in our first home against them last year (a 30-26 loss). I took that loss hard. I felt I lost that game."

After four drops in their first loss to the Rams last season, Owens sat in his locker for more than an hour after the game with his face in his hands and not speaking to anyone. As much as he's developed into being an offensive machine, Owens is a truth machine off the field. He speaks his mind. Sometimes, that's misunderstood because he's a loner who isn't close to many teammates. But he's caught 190 passes for 2,863 yards in the past two seasons, emerging from the shadow of Jerry Rice.

Garcia doesn't disagree with Owens' evaluation of the team's psyche for big games. Garcia knows that the team pressed, but Mariucci was quick to point out that the 49ers are one of the league's youngest teams and they are growing up quicker than anyone expected. Two years ago, as many as seven rookies started on defense. Their one appearance in a Monday night game last year was a first for so many of the players.

"We are learning how to play well against teams like the Rams," Garcia said. "The key is not going into those games and almost taking ourselves out of them before the game is started. That's what we did at times last year. So much emphasis was made on closing the gap between the Rams and trying to match up with them and trying to outscore them. We know they can put points on the board. All it did was create was a negative effect for us as a team going into the game."

Talking to most of the offensive stars of the Niners produced two anchors of confidence. First is their defense. Those rookies of 2000 are entering their third seasons as starters. They ranked 13th statistically in the league, but the unit really came on the second half of the season when it trimmed yardage allowed from 324 yards a game to 295 and improved turnover stats from 11 in the first of the season to 23 in the second.

	“	They are probably the team to beat in the NFL, and they are the team to beat in our division. They've been to the Super Bowl in two of the past three years, and they are still a very talented team. We have been rebuilding our football team and adding players who are capable of competing and winning in our division. It just so happens that the best team in the division is also the best team in the league. ”
		— Steve Mariucci, 49ers coach on the Rams

Rushing the football is the second confidence anchor. Though the 49ers are known for being a passing team, they have annually ranked among the league's best rushing teams. Mariucci loves his depth at running back, starting with Garrison Hearst and having a backup stable of Kevan Barlow, Terry Jackson and Paul Smith. Projecting the most confidence is fullback Fred Beasley, whose mission in life is to bury linebackers to make room for Hearst.

"There was a point where the 49ers were beating them in consecutive years. Now the Rams have beaten us six times in a row. They had bad mouthed us in the papers. I see them in the offseason, and they mouth off, too," Beasley said. "There is a lot of bad blood."

Beasley said that he believes the Rams replaced middle linebacker London Fletcher with Jamie Duncan because of the way Beasley terrorized Fletcher in blocks during games. Duncan is a bigger matchup for Beasley, but he fears no linebacker.

Garcia, meanwhile, knows that to win, the next move is to make the passing game better against the Rams and the top defenses. Doing that will require better play from J.J. Stokes and Tai Streets and an effort by Garcia to spread the ball around. The 49ers ranked 14th in the NFL in passing offense last year, but part of the problem was a knee injury that prevented Garcia from moving out of the pocket, one of his strengths.

"It took away something when you have a six-foot guy in the pocket all the time," Mariucci said. "We were limited in how much we used him on the run because of the knee."

The knee is fine. Garcia doesn't even wear a brace, so he's back to scrambling on the run. Mariucci praised his growth over the last three years from a quarterback trying to win a roster spot to a leader who won come-from-behind games and five road games last year. His next step is beating the Rams and winning a playoff game.

Against the Rams, Garcia was 32 of 70 for 267 yards and one touchdown in two games last season. He's a 62 percent passer who has averaged 31.5 touchdowns a season for the past two years.

"I know the knock on me is that I'm not the biggest guy, but I feel that I proportionally fit in my body," Garcia said. "Scrambling I feel good. Mobility wise, I feel good. At 32, I know I'm not as fast as I was at 27. The knee injury took a lot out of my game. That is not even a concern now. Mentally, I feel so much more fresh every day because I'm not having to think what I'm doing. I'm going off instincts."

In February, while teammates were reflecting on the 12-4 playoff season, defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield started calling players to get them into the weight room. Most teams start lifting in late March. The 49ers got a month-and-half jump start.

Prime time beckons. The Niners look the part. Still, the days count down endlessly until their Oct. 6 game against the Rams, where they will have a chance to prove it.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.