That's right: After months of soap opera twists, strip club twirls, ridiculous lies and, oh yes, coaching changes, the Pac-10 Conference is once again ready to take to the field.

‘‘It's been a strange process,'' said Keith Gilbertson, who was handed the keys to the University of Washington program a week before preseason camp started.

Jeff T. Green/Associated Press Arizona State quarterback Andrew Walter has the talent to place himself among the Pac-10's top quarterbacks, but -- like in last year's 44-22 loss at Washington State -- a lack of support may hold him back.

It might get a little stranger in the coming months. As many as seven teams have a chance at the Pac-10 title this season, with Southern Cal being the favorite. ‘‘We can all look at SC as setting the standard after their season last year,'' said Oregon State coach Mike Riley.

But this is a quarterbacks' league. Make that a veteran quarterbacks' league. And USC doesn't have one.

Washington, Arizona State and Oregon State have experience the position. But Washington will have to overcome off-season turmoil. Oregon State must get used to a new coach who was its old coach five years ago. Get it? Well, Riley hopes his team does. And Arizona State can no longer rely on the element of surprise.

‘‘This is a tremendously wide-open conference race,'' said ASU coach Dirk Koetter. ‘‘More so than many of you may think. Several teams have a chance to win it all, including us.''

Three teams really don't have a chance -- Arizona, Stanford and Cal. Still, all will get their chance starting Saturday.

Here's a look at the conference, in predicted order of finish.

Southern California

2002 record: 11-2, 7-1.

Head coach: Pete Carroll, 17-8 in two seasons; 33-31 in four years as an NFL coach.

Returning starters: Six on offense, six on defense.

When they play the Cougars: Nov. 1 in Los Angeles on ABC.

Outlook: The Trojans are too good to fall too far. Southern Cal walks into the season with questions at quarterback, where Matt Leinart steps in for Carson Palmer, but by the time the Pac-10 season rolls around it should be have a solid feel for what the offense can do. Wide receivers Keary Colbert and Mike Williams are the best 1-2 punch in the conference. On defense, the line should dominate most teams and cornerback Marcell Allmond is good enough to shut down opponents' top wide receivers.

Oregon State

2002 record: 8-5, 4-4.

Head coach: Mike Riley, 8-14 in two seasons; 14-34 in three years as an NFL coach.

Returning starters: Nine on offense, four on defense.

When they play the Cougars: Oct. 25 in Pullman.

Outlook: The Beavers stepped back in the past by bringing Riley back to Corvallis. But his impact should be overshadowed by quarterback Derek Anderson and running back Stephen Jackson. Jackson is on most preseason first-team All-America lists and is the premier runner in the Pac-10. Four of five players return on the offensive line, and that group should open plenty of holes for Jackson. Anderson set school records for passing yards and touchdowns last season.

Arizona State

2002 record: 8-6, 5-3.

Head coach: Dirk Koetter, 12-13 in two seasons; 37-23 in five years overall.

When they play the Cougars: Nov. 15 in Pullman.

Returning starters: Nine on offense, seven on defense.

Outlook: Experienced players and a solid system should be enough to put the Sun Devils near the top of the Pac-10 this season. Quarterback Andrew Walter is second only to Washington's Cody Pickett when it comes passing skills. The entire offensive line is back as is running back Mike Williams. Defensively, the secondary is a veteran group and could provide trouble for other passing offenses. The area of concern is linebackers. Arizona State must replace Solomon Bates and Mason Unck. The NCAA all-time sacks leader, Terrell Suggs, is also gone.

Washington

2002 record: 7-6, 4-4.

Head coach: Keith Gilbertson, 0-0, first year; 48-35, seven years.

Returning starters: Eight on offense, seven on defense.

When they play the Cougars: Nov. 22 in Seattle.

Outlook: Rick Neuheisel is gone, but he left plenty of talent behind. Wide receiver Reggie Williams is the top player in the conference. Quarterback Cody Pickett is a Heisman contender. Gilbertston could bring the direction and drive this talent-loaded team was missing last season. The problem areas include running the football and finding some run-stopping linebackers on defense.

Washington State

2002 record: 10-3, 7-1.

Head coach: Bill Doba, 0-0, first year.

Returning starters: Five on offense, six on defense.

Outlook: The Cougars are deeper, but will have trouble being better than last season. Matt Kegel takes over at quarterback. The offense has been tailored to fit the fifth-year senior. A stable of running backs should take the pressure off Kegel. And a veteran offensive line should provide adequate protection. On defense, teams will try and exploit Karl Paymah at the cornerback spot. If the junior responds and the rest of the defense rallies, Washington State could be a contender. But a rough road schedule might be too much to handle.

Oregon

2002 record: 7-6, 3-5.

Head coach: Mike Bellotti, 67-29 in eight years; 88-54-2 in 13 years overall.

Returning starters: Eight on offense, six on defense.

When they play the Cougars: Sept. 27 in Eugene.

Outlook: The Ducks could have quarterback instability and that is never a positive in a league dominant at that position. If Bellotti can settle with one quarterback and get the offense on track quickly, the Ducks might again be a tough win for any team in the Pac-10. Oregon could get a huge boost in confidence if it can beat Michigan at home in the fourth week of the season.

UCLA

2002 record: 8-5, 4-4.

Head coach: Karl Dorrell, 0-0 first year.

Returning starters: Eight on offense, seven on defense.

When they play the Cougars: Nov. 8 in Pullman on ABC.

Outlook: Dorrell is the least experienced coach in the Pac-10 and he is taking over the team with the most problems. In recent years, UCLA has been a program run by the players. If Dorrell can corral the talent, he has the ability to get an upset win here or there. But as a young coach in his first year, Dorrell has a lot to learn before he can start consistently winning.

California

2002 record: 7-5, 4-4.

Head coach: Jeff Tedford, 7-5 in one year at Cal.

Returning starters: Six on offense, two on defense.

Outlook: Nobody lost as many starters and nobody will fall as far as Cal. The Bears simply don't have enough experience at the skill positions to keep up. Tedford's coaching will keep Cal in a couple of games and may even steal a win here or there. But a tough opener at Kansas State could demoralize the spirit of this young team.

Stanford

2002 record: 2-9, 1-7.

Head coach: Buddy Teevens, 2-9 in one year at Stanford; 46-78-1 in 13 years.

When they play the Cougars: Oct. 18 at Stanford.

Returning starters: Three on offense, eight on defense.

Outlook: Quarterback Chris Lewis has shown some ability and earned a couple of big wins in his career over Texas and Oregon. But Lewis simply doesn't have enough offense around him to produce points. That means the Cardinal defense will be on the field too long. And it doesn't matter how many returning starters a team has if they are worn down from playing too much. Luke Powell is one exciting player to watch on Stanford. But there is not much beyond the senior flanker.

Arizona

2002 record: 4-8, 1-7.

Head coach: John Mackovic, 9-14 in two years at Arizona; 94-78-3 in 15 years.

When they play the Cougars: Oct. 4 in Pullman.

Retuning starters: Seven on offense, four on defense.

Outlook: The season should be considered a success if Mackovic makes it all the way through. There has been constant turmoil in his two years in Tucson. Last season he narrowly escaped a coup attempt. In the offseason the staff went through a multitude of changes. And this year the over-under on the first fight between Mackovic and star running back Clarence Farmer is four weeks.