FILE PHOTO/Arizona Summer Wildcat The Wildcats were picked 8th in the Pacific 10 Conference at the annual media day in Los Angeles last week. This was the second year that Arizona came in 8th after a 5-6 season, Mackovic said he was not surprised by the ranking.

LOS ANGELES ö UA players might think they have an improved team this season but the media does not think much has changed. For the second straight season, the Wildcats were picked to finish 8th in the Pacific 10 Conference by the media in its annual preseason poll. After a 5-6 season, UA head coach John Mackovic said the low ranking was no surprise.

"The biggest thing is we have to earn our position to feel like we are being slighted," said Mackovic at the conferenceās media day festivities in Los Angeles Wednesday.

"We have wound up where we have been picked the last couple of years. So, we have to earn the right to say Īhey, wait a minute.ā If you ask our players they will say they think we are better but we still have a lot to prove."

UA quarterback Jason Johnson was quick to remind the media that Washington State was picked to finish last in 2001, but wound up 10-2

"Washington State was able to have the pride to do what they did last year and we are in that same position to do that this year," Johnson said. "Guys donāt really pay attention to (the polls). A lot of it is based on last year."

In Mackovicās second year at Arizona he said he feels much more comfortable this time around.

"I can say itās much easier to come in and know the lay of the land and whatās going on, not only with my team but with the style of play in the Pac-10," he said.

Itās easy to see why Mackovic feels more relaxed this time around.

The Wildcats return nine starters on offense and Johnson, senior wide receiver Bobby Wade and junior running back Clarence Farmer finished in the top 10 in passing, receiving and rushing respectively last season. Arizona is the only team in the conference that can say that. But that did not mean the media picked the Wildcats to finish any higher than they did a season ago. However, being picked low by the media has almost been a godsend over the years. Washington State was picked to finish last the past three years before going 10-2 last season and finishing second in the conference behind Oregon.

This season, for the first time in the Pac-10 media pollās 42-year history, writers tapped the Cougars as the conferenceās preseason favorite.

"You finally got it right!" WSU head coach Mike Price told the gathered reporters. "You guys are much smarter than a year ago."

WSU received 17 first-place votes, five more than second-place Washington. Oregon was third, USC fourth and Oregon State fifth. UCLA was picked sixth, followed by Stanford, UA, Arizona State and California.

Over the past five years, five different teams have been chosen as the Pac-10 preseason favorite. Seven teams have won the conference championship in the past seven seasons ö USC, Arizona State, WSU, UCLA, Stanford, Washington and Oregon.

"I think we are in the same place a lot of teams have been," Johnson said. "We are in position with an improved defense where we can surprise some people."

Pac-10 Notes

Arizona State will be the only team in the Pac-10 that will start a quarterback with no game experience. ASU head coach Dirk Koetter said Wednesday that redshirt freshman Chad Christensen will be the Sun Devilsā starting quarterback, over sophomore Andrew Walter and junior-college transfer Andy Goodenough. ... UCLA head coach Bob Toledo said he wouldnāt name a starting QB until a week before the Colorado State opener, a disciplinary measure on Cory Paus, who had a second DUI revealed late last year. · WSU receiver Mike Bush, who suffered a stress fracture in his left foot, should be ready to go when preseason practices begin this week. ... Calās Jeff Tedford and Stanfordās Buddy Teevens are the conferenceās two new coaches. In the media poll, both teams were picked to be in the bottom half of the conference · Stanford senior defensive tackle Matt Leonard was the Cardinalās representative at media day. Leonard is the younger brother of former UA wide receiver Malosi Leonard · UCLAās Mike Saffer, a former offensive lineman at Sabino High School in Tucson, was the teamās representative. Saffer will be in Tucson this week before the start the of Bruinās fall camp · A virtual unknown last year, Johnson is making the most of his improved notoriety around the conference. The UA quarterback was approached by Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen and by nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Warren Moon, who is now an analyst for Fox Sports. Both told Johnson they enjoyed watching him last season and are excited to see what he can do in 2002.