OAKLAND — The expectation is balanced by the anxiety which is balanced by the excitement and that’s balanced by the bracing reality that the Raiders mean something again.

An actual relevant NFL franchise, with relevant playoff hopes (and worries) for the first time since 2003.

That’s a long time and, more practically, owner Mark Davis and general manager Reggie McKenzie have steadily built towards this for more than four years, which is a relatively long time, too.

Reggie, do you expect this team to be in the playoffs this season?

“Yes,” McKenzie told me recently and bluntly.

Care to expand a little on that?

“We’ve got enough talent to compete,” McKenzie said. “Whether you win it or not, we feel like we’ve got the players and everything to compete and try to battle and beat the other teams in this division.”

That’s where the balance comes in–with true expectation comes the possibility of over-estimation and disappointment.

The Raiders have been the darlings of the preseason (and that continues here), which is new for them, and coach Jack Del Rio has tried to be as even-keeled as he can through all this.

“We worry about it–he does good job of reminding us, it’s a lot of talk,” left tackle Donald Penn said of Del Rio, “and talk means nothing until we go out there and prove it.”

I think they’re good enough and balanced enough to get through it, succeed, win 10 games, and take the AFC West, a quest that will be aided by Denver’s quarterback issues and maybe a dip in Kansas City’s overall talent level.

I’m also presuming a leap forward for quarterback Derek Carr, receiver Amari Cooper and pass rusher Khalil Mack, who was an All-Pro at two positions last season but can be even better.

Let’s go back to Carr: The Raiders will have the better quarterback in a majority of their divisional games, which hasn’t been the case since Rich Gannon’s MVP season in 2002.

They have question marks, of course–will all the upgrades on the offensive line add up to a consistent running game, and can the defense stop the run?–but no more than most playoff contenders.

One key area: The Raiders were outrushed by more than 200 yards last season and despite their lively passing game, they were out-passed by almost 200 yards, too.

This season will be about balance, or the attempt to gain it, and here’s how I think it could go, broken into four quarters…

— The first part of their season has a lot of airline miles, which is a major challenge.

Several theoretically winnable road games are stacked early: at New Orleans in Week 1, at Tennessee in Week 3 at Baltimore in Week 4.

And that makes the Raiders’ Week 2 home-opener against Atlanta almost a mandatory victory.

I’ll say the Raiders lose at New Orleans, blow out Atlanta, win in Tennessee and lose in Baltimore.

That’s 2-2, a pretty solid first month given the miles traveled right off the bat.

–The Raiders’ next five games — leading to their bye in Week 10 — are winnable, including three at home.

If they’re going to be a playoff contender, the Raiders probably need to go 3-2 at worst and 4-1 more realistically, given what’s ahead.

I’ll say the Raiders beat San Diego and Kansas City at home, then split the Florida road trip (lose to Jacksonville, beat Tampa Bay), and beat Denver at home.

That’s 4-1 through this most important stretch, to get the Raiders to 6-3 and feeling very good, before their bye, and then…

–They gave up a true home game to “host” the Nov. 21 Monday night game in Mexico City against Houston, and that raises some issues.

They lose the Coliseum advantage for this game plus all those extra miles could take a toll as they start the stretch drive.

I’ll say the Raiders lose to the Texans, lose to Carolina at home the following week, then beat Buffalo at home in this three-game “home” stand.

That would bring the Raiders to 7-5 with just four left to play, just as it was in 2011, the year Al Davis died and Hue Jackson took over… when the Raiders went 1-3 to close and missed the playoffs.

–The schedule ends as it began, with three roadies out of four.

I’ll say the Raiders lose in Kansas City, beat the Chargers in San Diego, and beat the Colts at home on Christmas Eve, which would put the Raiders at 9-6 heading into Game 16.

I think one more victory gets the Raiders into the playoffs as the AFC West champions, and it would have to come in Denver against the defending Super Bowl champs.

I’ll say the Raiders find a way to do it, and clinch their first playoff spot since 2002, with everything on the line that last week.

Relevance. Expectation. Belief. The potential for large disappointment.

The Raiders will be living through a lot this season, with some possible heartache ahead, and they might flinch through some of it.

But that’s also half of the fun–and nervousness–of being good again.

Read Tim Kawakami’s Talking Points blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami. Contact him at tkawakami@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/timkawakami.