I was at the dentist's office earlier this week, secure in the knowledge that I'd made it through another cleaning with my teeth still intact thanks to a witty and skillful dental hygienist who makes those visits more than tolerable.

The dentist strolled in to inspect my semi-pearly whites, and conversation quickly shifted to Oregon football. A No. 13 national ranking has left him cautiously optimistic.

"But I remember they were rolling along last year and look what happened," said the good doctor, a longtime Oregon fan who was at the Big House in Ann Arbor to watch the Ducks dismantle Michigan.

So how good are the Ducks?

"They can be as special as how hard they work and how special they want to be," coach Mike Bellotti said. "I think there's great energy and chemistry on this team right now. But we were here at the same place a year ago."

The unbeaten Ducks (3-0) have a head-turning 39-7 victory at once mighty Michigan, are coming off a 52-21 win against dangerous Fresno State, and have a point-a-minute fast-paced spread offense that has left defenses weary and searching for answers.

Oregon is averaging 46.3 points, and is third in the nation in rushing and 11th in total offense.

Quarterback Dennis Dixon, who skipped summer workouts in Eugene to play minor league baseball in the Braves' organization, has blossomed thus far in his senior year as a multidimensional player capable of hurting teams with his legs and right arm.

Tailback Jonathan Stewart, injury free for the first time in his college career, is a force with his blend of power and speed. He broke loose for an 88-yard touchdown scamper in the Fresno State game, which was the longest run in Autzen Stadium history.

Of course, fast starts are nothing new for the Ducks, who have opened 3-0 in six of the past seven seasons.

"It's cool," center Max Unger said of the ranking. "But we were ranked in the same exact place we were last year. 3-0 and look what happened last year."

Warning: Oregon fans not wishing to relive the pain should skip the next few paragraphs.

The 2006 Ducks rallied to knock off Oklahoma in a controversial victory in Eugene in which blown calls helped the home team late in the fourth quarter, went to 4-0 after routing Arizona State and imploded down the stretch, finishing 7-6, including a 38-8 pounding at the hands of BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl.

In 2003, Oregon was 4-0 after upsetting then-No. 3 Michigan in Eugene, lost its next game to Washington State, 55-16 at home, and finished 8-5.

The 2002 team won its first six games and crawled to the finish line at 7-6.

Staying power has not been an Oregon strength in recent years.

"There's been (Oregon) teams before that started 4-0, 5-0, and kind of let it slide," middle linebacker John Bacon said. "We're confident this year that we're just going to keep it going."

Is there mettle in those words, or just wishful thinking? Early indicators suggest that this team has the right stuff to stay on course.

Last year's turnover-plagued team has been more opportunistic this season. Oregon is plus-8 in takeaways, third best in the nation (the Ducks were minus-1 at this point in 2006). Last year's team finished minus-10 in that all-important category, ninth worst in the Pac-10.

Dixon, who struggled with his decision-making in the second half of last season and eventually lost his starting to Brady Leaf, has played with confidence and poise.

A defense that yielded 205 yards rushing to Houston's Anthony Alridge in the season opener and 127 yards to Michigan's Mike Hart, limited Fresno State to 60 yards on the ground.

Pretender or contender? Answers are coming.

Oregon shouldn't have much trouble Saturday at Stanford, but major tests await Sept. 29 against No. 6 California and Oct. 27 against No. 1 USC. Both of those games are at Autzen Stadium.

"We have more poise on this team," Jonathan Stewart said. "We have a lot of leadership and just wisdom from last year. We know what it's like to be down in the hole and what it's like to go through controversy."

And to watch September success turn into November disappointment.