New season's optimism makes its way to Seattle.

Byline: PAC-10 NOTEBOOK By Bob Clark The Register-Guard

This is a great time for optimism, from top to bottom in the Pac-10.

There's USC wondering why it can't make another run at the national title despite the loss of 11 players drafted by NFL teams. California is also in the top 10, and wondering if the Rose Bowl isn't very reachable, though the Bears haven't been there since 1959.

And even at the other end of the Pac-10, Washington is a huge favorite in its opener against San Jose State, with a trip to Oklahoma looming on the following Saturday.

`It'll jump-start us for the rest of the season to come in there and beat San Jose State,' Washington's Anthony Russo said. `We are not going to underestimate any opponent, but we are going in there to win. And then we go to Oklahoma and see what we can do there, and I feel real confident going into Oklahoma.'

Well, yes, optimism can be taken too far, like into Norman, Okla., with a Washington team that went 2-9 last season. On the other hand, UW coach Tyrone Willingham has set a bowl game as a goal.

`The biggest change for me is guys have confidence,' UW quarterback Isaiah Stanback said in previewing the season. `Guys have always been confident with themselves and what they can do. But now they are confident in what we can do as a team.'

Stanback still will have to carry quite a bit of the load himself, as an option runner and thrower. The Huskies lost redshirt freshman tailback J.R. Hasty in the summer to academics, along with transfer receiver Chancellor Young. They were both seen as key additions to an offense that was 10th in the conference last season in scoring and first downs.

There is one new Husky who has caused a second look. That would be wide receiver Marcel Reece, a junior college transfer listed at 6-3 and (gulp) 260 pounds.

`If I heard somebody say there was a 260-pound receiver that was real fast, I would be leery of it, too,' UW receivers coach Eric Yarber said. `But the big guy can really run.'

A first for USC

If the Trojans go with C.J. Gable as their starting tailback against Arkansas on Saturday night, it will be the first time USC has ever started a true freshman at the position in a season opener. Not Charles White nor Marcus Allen nor Anthony Davis did it.

How did it come to this? Reggie Bush and LenDale White left early for the NFL after leading USC to average 6.4 yards per carry last season, the best figure in the nation and a Pac-10 record.

The job might have fallen to Desmond Reed, but he tore up a knee last season and still isn't fully recovered. Hershel Dennis, who came so close to picking Oregon over USC out of high school, is out for another season with a knee injury suffered in spring drills.

It could still be Chauncey Washington, who played sparingly in 2003 but missed the past two seasons with academic problems, but he's been hampered by a strained hamstring. That left it to three incoming freshman, and the most highly touted of that trio, Stafon Johnson, now seems ticketed for a redshirt season.

`It's more about consistency,' Johnson said of his struggles. `One day I would come and do something and the next day I wouldn't. I just feel I have to improve myself back to where I want to be. Confidence is the main thing.'

If he does start, it remains to be seen how long Gable holds the spot.

`We'll go the first quarter and then get a feel for who is going good,' USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said. `It depends on the type of game it is.'

Help for the Wildcats

Arizona's biggest surprise of August was the emergence of walk-on running back Chris Jennings.

`He's going to help us,' UA coach Mike Stoops predicted.

Jennings played high school football in Kentucky and then went to Arizona Western when his academics kept him out of Division I schools. He had an offer out of junior college from West Virginia, but it was as a linebacker. It looked like he was headed for Arizona State until he brought a highlight tape to the Arizona coaches.

`I hadn't even heard about him,' Stoops said.

Then he looked at the tape. `I was like, `are you kidding me?' ' Stoops recalled. `I was surprised no one had taken him.'

The million-dollar Bear

So how much is a first-rate running back worth to a college football team?

The San Jose Mercury News, with the help of economists familiar with college athletics, did an evaluation on California's Marshawn Lynch and came to the conclusion that if there was a salary system like the NFL, the junior running back should be paid about $800,000 for this season.

`It is impossible to say exactly what a specific player is worth, but I'd say that's a perfectly reasonable estimate,' said Robert Brown, an economics professor at Cal State-San Marcos who has studied the value of college athletes. `Even if you had told me it was one million (dollars) for a guy like Lynch, I'd say that was reasonable.'

The Mercury News calculated the value of Lynch to Cal by figuring Cal brings in about $25 million for football in a season. Though the NFL allocates 59.5 percent of revenue to player salaries, that's too much for college football players, so the Mercury News cut the college portion of revenue that could be allotted to player salaries to about 40 percent, or $10 million at Cal.

On the basis of a running back who is one of the five best in the NFL making about 8 percent of his team's total salary amount, that computes out to Lynch getting $800,000.

Instead, he receives a scholarship worth about $16,800 (not including books).

One problem with this, of course, is that it doesn't take into account that college football, at any university, has to support virtually all the other sports, with the possible exception of men's basketball. So football's total revenue could never be simply allotted to football players.

But somewhere, someday, couldn't there be a way to offer a small stipend to pay for miscellaneous expenses?

Back under center

In a league where eight teams will have a quarterback with starting college experience, one of the two exceptions is at UCLA, where Ben Olson will take the first snap when the Bruins host Utah on Saturday.

That will be the first start for Olson in five years, or back to high school. He went to BYU for a season and redshirted, then was on a religious mission for two falls. Then it was a transfer to UCLA, and scant playing time last fall as a backup.

`I've waited too long to have game jitters,' Olson said. `I'm excited to go out there and finally play. We feel we're going to do some good things.'

RATING THE PAC-10

FOOTBALL

1. USC: Six linebackers with starting experience anchor defense

2. California: Loss of CB Mixon (torn ACL) felt on punt returns

3. Oregon: Only 6-6 against Stanford in past games at Autzen

4. ASU: If asked tomorrow, this rating might be Koettered

5. WSU: If fits on jersey, kicker is Romeen Abdollmohammadi

6. UCLA: Utah might be more than Bruins want for an opener

7. OSU: Fiesta Bowl season of 2000 started with scare by EWU 

8. Stanford: Not coming off loss to UC Davis, as it was in '05

9. Arizona: Opener almost must-win; after BYU, it's on to LSU 

10. Washington: This spot in standings known as Dawg house