It appears there are two points of consensus among Pac-10 prognosticators: Oregon is the conference favorite, and Washington State will again finish last.

As for Nos. 2 through 9, suffice it to say, things are fluid.

But it hasn't escaped Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson that his team has trended far closer to No. 9 than No. 2 in most folks' rankings.

"Nobody thinks we're going to be very good," he said, "but I think we'll surprise some people."

There's a reason for the low expectations and talk that Erickson heads into 2010 on the warmest seat in the Pac-10: No conference team welcomes back fewer starters than the Sun Devils (10), who finished 4-8 overall and 2-7 in conference play, which left them at ninth in the standings.

The defense looks solid, particularly up front, despite some notable departures, but the offense has questions at just about every position.

So why doesn't Erickson seem worried?

Well, few coaches betray worry this time of the year. All brim with hope. Or spin their worries positively in public. But Erickson might have a few more tricks up his sleeve.

For one, there's a lot of optimism surrounding the quarterback competition, starting with the premise that the position can't be much worse than it was last year. Michigan transfer Steven Threet was good enough to start eight games for the Wolverines in 2008, and sophomore Brock Osweiler should be much improved after being thrown into the fire prematurely as a true freshman.

Junior Samson Szakacsy likely won't be in the mix much when spring practices start on March 30 because his nagging elbow injury is still, er, nagging.

Erickson liked what he saw from Threet last year when he ran the scout team offense.

"He's very athletic for his size [6-foot-5, 228]," Erickson said. "He's got a good arm and gets the ball off really quick. He's a lot better athlete than you'd think."

But, really, the quarterback and the offense as a whole won't be able to do much until the offensive line -- an Achilles heel the past two seasons -- improves. That's an area where Erickson is most hopeful, despite the departure of three starters.

"This is the first time we are over two-deep with scholarship guys on the offensive line," Erickson said. "I think that is going to become a strength for us."

To boost the running game, which ranked eighth in the conference last year after ranking ninth in 2008, Erickson will turn to sophomore Cameron Marshall and converted slot receiver Jamal Miles, a 180-pounder who is one of the Sun Devils' fastest players.

Toss in some wrinkles from new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, and there's enough newness here to raise an eyebrow or two.

The offense doesn't have to dominate. The Sun Devils could make some noise in the Pac-10 if the offense is just average.

"We'll be good on defense," Erickson said. "I think our offense will improve as it picks up some of the stuff we're going to do."