DREAMS ON LINE IN NFL OPENERS.

Byline: Thomas George New York Times News Service

High hopes.

Each National Football League team that kicks off the season today is unbeaten. Each thinks it can win its division. The playoffs dance in each team's head and visions of Super Bowl glory tingle each team's spine.

And then reality strikes. They have to play the games. And one by one, all but two teams slip, slide and crash. It is a high-stakes dance of huge egos clashing, of old rivalries renewed and new ones created.

The result is a new order.

Soon the dominant teams of this decade will give way to that new order. Sweeping change - franchises moving to new cities, free agency being put in place, a new collective bargaining agreement, $17.6 billion in new television contracts, new coaches, new star players - have already occurred this decade. And new powerhouses are on the way while old stars begin to fade.

Among the teams on an immediate upswing are the Baltimore Ravens, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Oilers in the AFC, and the Arizona Cardinals, the Minnesota Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC.

These teams are fighting deep water: the Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers in the AFC, and the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams in the NFC.

The league's marquee franchises of the '90s, the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers, face huge obstacles to retaining their lofty stature. Both are older and more injury prone, depleted by free-agency losses and in transition from changes in coaches (Dallas) and management (San Francisco).

After 13 consecutive Super Bowl losses, the AFC finally toppled the NFC when Denver won in January. And the AFC is in position to put together its own string with a more bountiful crop of young, skilled quarterbacks and young, athletic teams.

Four coaches will face inordinate pressure as the 1998 season unfolds. Dave Wannstedt has little chance to survive in Chicago. Norv Turner is in trouble if his Washington team does not make the playoffs. Dennis Erickson has all the tools to win in Seattle and must. And Ray Rhodes appears at the end of his rope in Philadelphia.

Other things to look for in 1998:

The stadium game. During this decade, NFL executives saw that too many of their stadiums were crumbling before their eyes.

Several have been upgraded to include luxury boxes and suites. Two teams will play in new stadiums, the Ravens and the Buccaneers. The Ravens open their new digs in downtown Baltimore on Sunday when they play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Buccaneers will wait until they entertain the Chicago Bears on Sept. 20.

And the Oilers, after having played last season in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, will play at Vanderbilt Stadium near downtown Nashville. Their first game there is Sept. 13 against the Chargers. Next season they move again, into a permanent, new stadium in downtown Nashville.

Changing teams. One of the amusing and yet infuriating aspects of free agency is signing away other teams' top-notch free agents. Especially doing it within your own division, when you can bolster your own squad and weaken a rival. Amusing for the receiver. Infuriating for the giver.

The Jets did this to the New England Patriots. Running back Curtis Martin left the Patriots to return to his old boss, Bill Parcells, and it added fuel to an already red-hot rivalry among the franchises. Both teams reside in the AFC East.

Another example was receiver Yancey Thigpen moving from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Oilers, both of the AFC Central. Steelers players say they will miss Thigpen's big plays and leaping, twisting catches. The Oilers say he gives them a go-to-guy in the passing game.

Another byproduct of this type of signing is that it gives a team an understanding of the inner workings, in scheme, philosophy, style and preparation, of a divisional opponent. In both of these cases, the receivers (Jets, Oilers) are chasing the more powerful givers (Patriots, Steelers). Used correctly, this ploy is a valuable asset.

Impact rookies. Randy Moss, Vikings, wide receiver: So many teams passed on him in the draft. He is intent on proving it was a huge mistake. And he is quite capable of doing that.

Ryan Leaf, Chargers, quarterback: He gets off to a faster start than Peyton Manning. He has warm weather in San Diego that will help the passing game and a passing offense more tailored for his skills.

John Avery, Dolphins, running back: He might finally give the Dolphins' ground game gusto. He is quick, runs fluidly in the open field and displays desire.

Charles Woodson, Raiders, cornerback: So talented. Starts immediately. Makes plays.

Ahman Green, Seahawks, running back: Ricky Watters is the featured running back in Seattle, but look for Green to play a spirited role on third-down plays and as a receiver from the backfield.

TODAY'S WEEK 1 GAMES

Atlanta at Carolina, 10:01 a.m.

Detroit at Green Bay, 10:01 a.m.

Jacksonville at Chicago, 10:01 a.m.

New Orleans at St. Louis, 10:01 a.m.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore, 10:01 a.m.

Seattle at Philadelphia, 10:01 a.m.

Tampa Bay at Minnesota, 10:01 a.m.

Tennessee at Cincinnati, 10:01 a.m.

Washington at New York Giants, 10:01 a.m.

Arizona at Dallas, 1:05 p.m.

Buffalo at San Diego, 1:15 p.m.

Miami at Indianapolis, 1:15 p.m.

New York Jets at San Francisco, 1:15 p.m.

Oakland at Kansas City, 5:20 p.m.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1--Color) Packers Antonio Freeman, left, and Robert Brooks.

Travis Bell/Associated Press

(2) Quarterback Warren Moon will lead Seattle's resurgence in the AFC West and likely save coach Dennis Erickson from being fired.

Andy Kuno/Associated Press

BOX: TODAY`S WEEK 1 GAMES (see text)