CORVALLIS HOSTS AN EARLY SHOWDOWN OREGON STATE, UCLA LOOK FOR EDGE.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

CORVALLIS, Ore. - The leaves have barely started to change color and there are more than two months of football left to be played.

Although there might be bigger games ahead for the 12th-ranked UCLA Bruins, there won't be any that are more pivotal than today's 12:30 p.m. game against No. 19 Oregon State.

If UCLA wants to win the Pacific-10 championship, let alone work its way into national-title contention, history says it had better beat the Beavers.

Since 1967, when the conference schedule was expanded beyond five games, a Pac-10 team has reached the Rose Bowl only four times after losing its conference opener. The good news is that Washington accomplished the feat last season and the Bruins have done it twice, in 1985 and 1993.

Of course, UCLA has had plenty of opportunities to buck the trend. The Bruins have been dreadful in Pac-10 openers, winning just two of their last 10 and nine of their last 24.

What makes this game so important is that the Beavers and Bruins are legitimate title contenders and the loser will suddenly find itself in a must-win situation the rest of the season.

``You don't want to lose one game and get behind the eight-ball right away,'' said UCLA coach Bob Toledo. ``If we want to reach our goals, just like Oregon State, we need to win this game.''

Doing so won't be easy.

The elements are no longer the toughest part of a trip to Corvallis. The Beavers have won 12 of their last 13 games at home and Beaver Fever has taken hold. Today's home opener, just like every other game this season at 35,362-seat Reser Stadium, is sold out with black-clad fans.

Although the Beavers might look vulnerable after their loss to Fresno State, they haven't against the Bruins recently.

UCLA was unbeaten and ranked No. 3 in 1998 when it needed Cade McNown's last-minute bomb to Brad Melsby to pull out a 41-34 win. But in 1999, the Beavers demolished the Bruins 55-7. ``That was the worst game we've played since I've been here,'' Toledo said.

Last year, the Bruins played the worst fourth quarter since Toledo arrived. They blew a 10-point lead, surrendering 23 consecutive points and lost 44-38.

``I know it's going to be the biggest hurdle,'' said quarterback Cory Paus. ``It's going to be the biggest game of my career and the biggest game of everyone else's career.''

For the Bruins, a victory is doubly important.

It would be proof that they really are a better team than last season when they rose to No. 6 in the polls with a 3-0 start before a loss in the conference opener at Oregon launched a free fall in which they dropped six of nine.

``That was a very, very tough loss psychologically because that was the first time we were really tested on both side of the ball and we didn't get the job done,'' said linebacker Ryan Nece. ``It really kind of showed us that we weren't the team we thought we were. Then we started to wonder what's wrong? Any time you start doubting, it's hard for you to be a successful team.''

Dropping the opener also means chasing a trip to the Rose Bowl with one eye on the scoreboard and both hands out, asking for favors.

Last season, Washington lost to Oregon and was not only rooting for the Ducks to lose but also for Oregon State to keep winning. If the Ducks and Huskies had finished tied, Oregon would have gone to the Rose Bowl. But a three-way tie ended up sending the Huskies to Pasadena.

In 1997, UCLA dropped its conference and season opener to Washington State and kept winning. But the Bruins, who won their final nine regular-season games, ended up in the Cotton Bowl because Washington State lost only once.

If Oregon State wins today, the Bruins could be in the unpleasant position of rooting for USC when the Beavers play the Trojans on Nov. 3. If UCLA wins, Oregon State could be pulling for Oregon on Nov. 10, when the Ducks play the Bruins.

``You don't want to put yourself in a position where you're rooting for teams to beat teams,'' Nece said. ``You'd rather control your own destiny.''