ESPN College Football

Oregon has never thrown up on itself under coach Chip Kelly.

The Ducks have lost games under Kelly, six in three seasons. But each loss was to a high-quality foe. The only unranked team that beat Kelly was Stanford in 2009, a squad that featured Andrew Luck and Toby Gerhart and was ranked the next week after beating the Ducks.

Before losing to USC on Nov. 19, Oregon had won 21 consecutive games in Autzen Stadium, then the longest home winning streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Ducks also had won 19 consecutive conference games, then the second-longest such winning streak in FBS behind TCU.

The Ducks, who very rarely lose at home and very rarely lose conference games, lost to the Trojans by three. UCLA lost to the Trojans by 50.

So it's not much of a surprise that Oregon is a 31-point favorite against UCLA in the first Pac-12 championship game Friday. The Bruins also, by the way, fired coach Rick Neuheisel this week, so the negative momentum with the program is fairly strong.

Our point: If Oregon were to lose to UCLA, and yield a spot in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio to a 7-6 team, it would rate as an upset of monumental proportions. Think Stanford over USC or Appalachian State over Michigan, both in 2007.

But those were games in which the Trojans and Wolverines obviously -- and not without justification -- overlooked their foes. Those were early-season matchups without clear stakes and with zero pregame buzz. The Ducks, who celebrate the steadiness of their weekly preparation, believing every game is a Super Bowl, are surely aware a win means Rose Bowl and a loss means Valero Alamo Bowl. It's that simple.

So there would be grounds to call a UCLA win, with Neuheisel on the sideline for the final time, one of the biggest in college football history.

We laid out that lengthy introduction because now we'll ask a simple but impossible question: How? How can UCLA win this game?

The first thing is obvious: turnovers. That's often the first place to look. If the Ducks were to, say, give the ball away four or five times and the Bruins were to end up with zero giveaways, that would bolster the Bruins' cause significantly. Recall USC QB John David Booty heaving four interceptions against the Cardinal in 2007, which made things easier for a 41-point underdog.

And all turnovers are not equal. A pick-six when the opposing offense is in the red zone can transform a game. Ask Notre Dame about that 96-yard fumble return for a touchdown that South Florida got with the Irish on its 1-yard line.

But Ducks gifts to the Bruins are obvious as a recipe for an upset and would be out of character for a team that has turned the ball over only 16 times, second fewest in the conference behind Stanford, which has 15.

In terms of X's and O's, the Bruins are going to have to take some chances on offense. They like to run the ball and have done it fairly well this season out of their pistol formation, but they are going to have to get some big plays downfield in the passing game. A 76-yard TD pass was probably the key play of the Bruins' surprising win over Arizona State.

That said, the Bruins also will want to play keep-away. Sure, Oregon doesn't care about time of possession. But UCLA should not snap the ball with 15 seconds left on the play clock. The Bruins want to minimize the Ducks' touches.

"If you are talking to your offensive unit, you've got to treat it like tennis," Neuheisel said. "You've got your serve, and you better hold it. You've got to go down and put points on the board."

Then there's special teams. The Bruins need to win that battle. They certainly can't let the Ducks get big plays on returns from De'Anthony Thomas. They can't miss field goals. They need punter Jeff Locke to pin the Ducks as far away from the end zone as possible. UCLA needs a short field for its limited offense and a long field for Oregon's explosive one.

As for the Bruins' defense, it needs to be opportunistic and physical. This term has become a cliché for Ducks opponents, but it's that way because it's true: gap integrity. The Bruins' front seven needs to maintain its assigned gaps and not get distracted by Oregon's spread-option misdirection.

"You have to be very mindful of assignments and you have to be mindful of pace," Neuheisel said.

Third down also will be key, although Oregon is rarely afraid of going for it on fourth down. The Bruins need to find ways to stay on the field on offense and get off the field on defense. That's obvious, yes, but it also speaks to the best way to prevent the Ducks' up-tempo pace from exhausting a defense.

In the end, it's simple: UCLA needs to play its absolute best, and Oregon needs to lay an egg.

There is no reason to believe that will happen, even if the Bruins are inspired to win one for the old Rickster.

But they still are going to roll the ball out there Friday and see what happens. Stranger things have occurred, after all. Not many, but some.

Anyone notice the Iowa State's uniforms look a lot like USC's if you squint your eyes just so?

No reason I'm making that observation, of course.

Oregon might want to make sure it takes care of business in Autzen Stadium this evening instead of thinking too much about moving up another notch in the race for the national title game.

After Iowa State dispatched No. 2 Oklahoma State on Friday night in double-overtime -- just like everyone saw coming, right? -- the Ducks likely will move up to No. 3 in the BCS standings on Sunday behind LSU and Alabama.

If they beat the Trojans.

And if they win impressively, their bid to become viewed as the "best one-loss" team would be bolstered.

The Cowboys loss sent a simple message that Yogi Berra would admire: It ain't over until it's over. There is NO team you can pencil into the national title game at this point, even top-ranked and impressive LSU.

LSU still has to play Arkansas, which only lost to Alabama, and the SEC title game, which we noted Friday leaves open plenty of complicated possibilities. Alabama has a visit to rival Auburn. Oregon has USC, Oregon State and then the Pac-12 championship game on Dec. 2.

And, really, Oklahoma is still lurking, though beating Oklahoma State won't have as much heft now. Or what about the Cowboys? Recall that the computers love them; they were tied with LSU for No. 1 with the computers last week.

But here's what you can say about Oregon's chances, without question: They are better today than the were just 24 hours ago.

By the way, Jon Wilner looks at what Oklahoma State's loss might mean for Stanford -- and Andrew Luck's Heisman Trophy chances -- here.

We've got bad news. College football rivalries aren't really about the emotional roller coaster, the good guys versus bad guys of a Hollywood movie. Their fundamental essence is far more akin to those self-help books you see stacked high on the deeply discounted table at your corner bookstore.

While Oregon and Washington fans have spent a lot of time this week painting each other as inferior, uglier, stupider and enemies of all that is right and good, the Huskies' and Ducks' locker rooms have been talking about focusing on "things they can control" and about the "importance of preparation" and about "winning the day."

Rivalry talk? It's for fans, not players.

"That stuff is so cool when you are on the outside," Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said. "That's why I love this sport. But from the inside, the rivalry is not going to make us play better. It's our preparation."

On Monday, some Oregon fans probably will make up stories about being spit on in Husky Stadium, just like some Huskies fans probably made up stories about being spit on at Autzen Stadium in the past, as if spitting on people is more accepted as proper behavior in Seattle/Portland than in Portland/Seattle.

And Huskies running back Chris Polk will still be from California and Ducks running back LaMichael James will still be from Texas and they will continue to like each other, because the different colors of their jerseys don't hide the fact they have a lot in common.

"He's a real cool person," Polk said. "It just so happens that he's a Duck and I'm a Huskie. I consider him a friend. I respect him as a player and a person."

Further, the bitter hate of this rivalry among fans apparently can be weened out of a young man if he should ever become a player in the game, either via coaching hypnosis, a magic ray beam set up in the locker room, or an untruth serum provided by a sports information department deeply paranoid about players saying anything inflammatory about the rivalry.

For example, Oregon defensive tackle Taylor Hart, a graduate of Tualatin (Ore.) High School, has this in his official bio: "Notable: Father is a UO graduate. Attended first Oregon game (against USC) when he was eight years old."

When asked about this, Hart acts as if he has little memory of it, other than admitting that, yes, he did root for Oregon growing up.

Asked if this game is special for him, he said: "We've been going into every game as the Ducks Super Bowl and that's worked for us. I feel like that's how we're going into this game."

Asked how his father, Doug, might feel about this game, Hart said: "I don't know how he feels."

Hmm.

This, of course, can be attributed to Ducks coach Chip Kelly's well-known mind-control techniques. While Kelly admits that he frequently hears from Ducks fans about their dislike of the Huskies -- "They bring it up. It's relevant to them," he said -- he also coaches by the mantra of playing a "nameless, faceless opponent" each week, and that each game is the equivalent of a "Super Bowl."

If you wish to mock this approach, please note that Kelly is 29-5 as the Ducks' head coach and is 22-1 in conference play.

"We don't get caught up in the 1923 game," Kelly said. "Or what happened in the '89 game or the '96 game. None of us were here. The only thing we can worry about is what we have an effect on. What we have an effect on is the game we're playing on Saturday."

By the way, the Huskies won 26-7 in 1923, 20-14 in 1989 and 33-14 in 1996. They, however, have lost seven in a row in the rivalry, each defeat by at least 20 points.

This "just another game" talk might feel like raining on a parade, but at least Ducks and Huskies are pretty good at handling rain.

Further, when taken as an observable social trend, this represents an interesting shift in thinking. Recall that some coaches celebrate rivalries and talk specifically about how rivalry games are more important than others. Jim Tressel was immediately embraced by Ohio State fans when he started trash talking Michigan before he'd even coached in the game.

And it wasn't too long ago that then-Huskies coach Rick Neuheisel and then-Ducks coach Mike Bellotti were trading barbs in the newspapers, players were openly taunting each other and Oregon players were wearing T-shirts that said, er, "Huck the Fuskies."

Now, instead, it's fairly clear that Sarkisian and Kelly like each other, at least as well as coaches in the same conference can.

"I think the world of Chip," Sarkisian said. "We've got a very good relationship. I probably communicate with Chip as much as any other coach in our conference in season or out of season."

Finally, the "nameless, faceless opponent" mantra makes sense. Shouldn't a team try to practice and play at its highest level every week? The whole "110 percent" cliche is mathematically impossible, after all, but giving just, say, 80 percent in practice and competition is something any coach or athlete would condemn. And the emotions of "We really hate these guys" can only last a few plays before the football part of football becomes most important: blocking, tackling, executing.

"I don't think you have the time or the energy to get up for one game more than another," Sarkisian said. "The preparation process is really more about us than about Oregon, and our ability to go out and play the best brand of football that we can."

Still, there is something there. Just as Kelly and Sarkisian admit that boosters frequently bring up the rivalry, Polk said he hears about Oregon "just about every day." Being that this is the last game in Husky Stadium before a massive renovation begins, and that former Huskies coach Don James and the 1991 national championship team will be on hand, there's an unmistakable gravitas to the approach of Saturday night.

Oh, and there's that whole Pac-12 North and Rose Bowl thing, too. Both teams have designs on those, the Ducks for a third consecutive time, the Huskies as a sign of program recovery from an extended downturn.

So the cumulative effect will be a game atmosphere that should feel more intense than, say, if either team were squaring off with Missouri State or Eastern Washington.

"There's definitely a sense of urgency," Polk said. "Win or lose, the most important thing is respect. Being that we've not really played our best game the last few times we've played them, and they kind of got in to us, we don't feel like they really respect us. They whole thing this weekend is to go out there and earn respect."

And the notion of earning respect works both as a self-help truism and as an us-vs-them cinematic plot point.

Issues to consider heading into the seventh week of games.

Thomas takes over: With RB LaMichael James out, QB Darron Thomas becomes the veteran presence inside a young Ducks offensive huddle. He's the guy everyone will look to. Arizona State's defense has rattled some pretty good QBs, most notably USC's Matt Barkley. Thomas hasn't put up big numbers this year, but he's thrown 15 TD passes and just two interceptions. It's likely strong passing numbers from Thomas will be a key in this game.

Lobbestael vs. Luck: It's fun to ha-ha at the absurdity of that -- Washington State's backup QB vs. the most talented QB in college football in a decade -- but that's what we've got Saturday in Pullman: The almost certain No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft this spring versus a guy who has admirably filled in for starter Jeff Tuel but who may be seeing the last football of his career. There's some poetry there. By the way, Marshall Lobbestael is good enough to give Stanford's secondary some trouble if he gets time to throw.

Barkley-Woods: Last year against California, Barkley threw five first-half TD passes, tying a USC -- full-game -- record. Robert Woods might be the best receiver in the nation in terms of pure talent. If you wonder what Cal needs to be concerned with tonight, it's Barkley-Woods, Barkley-Woods, particularly with starting CB Marc Anthony out.

Price increases Buffs' secondary costs: Washington QB Keith Price ranks second in the Pac-12 in passing efficiency and first in TD passes. Colorado's patchwork secondary, which has been riddled by injuries and suspensions, ranks 10th in the conference in passing efficiency defense and has yielded 14 TD passes, most in the conference. Not a good matchup for the Buffs. Colorado's solution to a struggling secondary is to attack with blitzes -- see 17 sacks, tied for most in the conference. The Huskies have yielded 11 sacks. If Price gets time to throw, he can make Colorado pay. But will he?

Utes up front: Utah's strength is its lines, and it needs to lean on that strength at Pittsburgh. The Panthers on offense are mostly one guy: RB Ray Graham, the nation's second leading rusher. The Panthers aren't good if they have to pass. They yield 4.67 sacks per game, most in the nation, and rank 96th in the nation in passing efficiency. So it's obvious: Make Pitt throw. On the other side, the Utes probably will faces that same strategy. The Panthers will try to make new Utes starting QB Jon Hays beat them. But RB John White and a solid offensive line might be good enough to still win that battle in the trenches.

Beavers fall: Every year is a new year, so past trends don't always matter. Until they do. This year started out particularly bad for Oregon State, but losing Septembers are -- sorry -- standard in Corvallis. That's the bad news. The good news is the Beavers typically seem to get better. They have entered October with losing records eight consecutive years. But since 2004, they are 38-15 in October, November and December. After an 0-4 start, they are now 1-0 in October. Can they maintain their trend of mid-to-late-season improvement?

The 6-8 QB: Inside Autzen Stadium, everything starts with the opposing QB. How well can he handle the noise? Can he maintain focus and make plays and avoid miscues. Arizona State's Brock Osweiler, who it will be noted at least once on Saturday is 6-foot-8, made his first career start at Autzen in 2009 as a true freshman. That evening started badly and ended quickly when he was knocked out of the game. Suffice it to say, he's a different guy these days: Skilled, confident, knowledgeable. It's also impossible to believe the Sun Devils can record an upset without him playing lights out -- as he did against Missouri and USC.

Cougs up front: While Andrew Luck gets all the publicity, Stanford is as much about being physical up front on both lines as it is about Luck. Luck will stress the Washington State secondary, but the real measure of the Cougars' ability to hang with Stanford will be on both lines. Can the Cougs slow down the Stanford running game and force Luck to throw? That doesn't sound like a great thing, but it's critical in terms of slowing down Stanford. And, on the other side of the ball, will the Cougs be able to run well enough that the Cardinal doesn't load up with blitzes on Lobbestael? Playing at home will help. But Washington State's only chance is not getting exploited at the line of scrimmage.

Ten issues to consider heading into the sixth week of games.

Maynard vs. Autzen: California QB Zach Maynard has played at Colorado and Washington, but a night game at Autzen Stadium on ESPN is another level of loud and intense. Further, Maynard and the Bears have been off since Sept. 24, when they scored just three second-half points and had numerous red zone failures at Washington. Against the high-powered Ducks, you have to take advantage of every opportunity. This is a big opportunity for Maynard and the Bears to convince their fans the program is back on track. Ending the Ducks 18-game home winning streak probably would do that.

Hazing Hays? Utah QB Jon Hays thought he'd be facing Ouachita Baptist and Truman State this year. But when Nebraska-Omaha dropped football, he jumped at an offer from QB-deficient Utah. Now he gets No. 22 Arizona State and linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who has four of the Sun Devils' 14 sacks this year. It seems safe to assume that ASU is going to come after Hays, both with blitzes and coverages designed to confuse him. How will Hays handle the pressure of his first start against an extremely athletic defense?

Cougs run D: This is simple. Washington State must slow down UCLA's running game. Why is that notable? Well, UCLA rushed for 437 yards in a 42-28 win last year. While the Cougars are only allowing 127 yards rushing per game, they gave up 227 yards to San Diego State and 161 yards to Colorado, their only two quality opponents thus far. UCLA averages 200 yards rushing per game, but it still isn't terribly efficient throwing the ball. Washington State has a good chance to win if it holds the Bruins to their average rushing numbers.

Luck vs. Colorado secondary: Perhaps the biggest mismatch of the weekend appears to be Stanford QB Andrew Luck -- at home -- facing off with a Colorado secondary that was a big question even before injuries knocked out several top players. Luck completed 23 of 27 throws -- 85 percent -- against UCLA's beaten-up secondary last week. The biggest thing for the Buffs: Don't let receivers get behind you, see Marquess Wilson from Washington State.

Foles, Foles, Foles: Arizona has become a one note team: The passing game with QB Nick Foles, who ranks third in the nation with 375 yards per game. The defense has been bad. The running game has been bad. But Foles showed last week at USC that the Wildcats are not an easy out because of him. Oregon State has been rotten against the pass this year. If the Beavers are going to notch their first win, they will have to slow Foles down -- at least a bit -- or hope the Wildcats (Foles) make mistakes.

Fighting for Neuheisel? UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel sits on one of the hottest seats in college football. In fact, it's unlikely he will survive into 2012 if the Bruins lose at home Saturday against Washington State. You'd suspect his players know this. If the Bruins come out flat and uninspired, that would indicate they don't really care what happens to their coach. And, by the way, they'd also look like spineless patsies. But if they come out with focus and intensity, it would suggest they want Neuheisel to keep his job. It's get good or get gone time, and at this moment it's on the Bruins to show they care.

Clean sheet for Sun Devils? With Utah missing its starting QB, Arizona State has a lot going for it in Salt Lake City. But if the Sun Devils duplicate the sloppy performance they produce during their last road game -- a 17-14 defeat at an inferior Illinois team -- they will lose. The key here: Protect the football, minimize the penalties. Force the Utes and Hays to make plays to win.

James on the loose? Oregon running back LaMichael James had just 91 yards -- 3.1 per carry -- against California last year. His best performance that night, in fact, was his cavalier attitude in front of reporters who asked about his obviously hurt ankle. Then, he said he was fine. This week, he admitted it was a bad injury. James is healthy now. An ESPN audience will be watching. Many aren't including him in the Heisman Trophy discussion, which doesn't make much sense but is the reality. It would be a nice time for one of those tour de force performances we've seen from him on big stages in the past.

Balanced Buffs? Colorado's best -- only? -- chance at Stanford is playing keep-away with Luck. There is no way that can happen if the Buffaloes can't run, which has been an issue this season. Unfortunately for Colorado, Stanford ranks fourth in the nation in run defense, while the Buffs are eighth in the conference in run offense. But if Rodney Stewart gets in a groove early, it will open things up in the passing game. And if the Buffs are forced to pass 50 times? Things will get ugly.

Mannion becomes the Man? Wow, what a month for Sean Mannion. He becomes Oregon State's starter as a redshirt freshman, which seems like a good thing, only he displaced a guy who was widely thought to be pretty good -- Ryan Katz -- and Mannion is in the cockpit for an 0-4 team. It is unlikely, however, he will be presented a better opportunity to win over Beavers fans than this weekend: At home versus a terrible Arizona defense. If Mannion puts up big numbers in a victory, his life -- and coach Mike Riley's life -- will become much easier. If not, the dark clouds of winter will come early in Corvallis.

On Friday, the Pac-10 becomes the Pac-12, and life as we all have known it ends.

But before we move on as a 12-team league, let's look back at the best of a 10-team league.

On Wednesday, we looked at the best players. Thursday, it's the best teams.

We've listed 12 teams because that's the new magic number (Arizona fans, see if you can guess who came in 13th).

Again, no team before 1978 -- when Arizona and Arizona State joined the Pac-8 -- was considered.

1. 1991 Washington: The Huskies finished 12-0 and split the national title with Miami.

Best player: Defensive tackle Steve Emtman won the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award.

Point differential: Washington outscored its foes 495-115.

Best win: Whipped Michigan 34-14 in Rose Bowl. Wolverines finished ranked sixth.

Comment: Four wins over teams that finished ranked in the final top 25, including road victories at No. 15 Nebraska and at No. 8 California. Featured one of the great defenses in college football history, yielding just 9.2 points and 67.1 rushing yards per game. Eight Huskies earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors.

2. 2004 USC: While the NCAA and BCS have nixed it in their own ways, the Trojans finished 13-0 and won the national title on the field.

Best player: Quarterback Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy.

Point differential: USC outscored its foes 496-169.

Best win: Crushed Oklahoma 55-19 in the national title game.

Comment: Basically a push for dominance with 1991 Washington. Beat four teams that finished ranked in the top 25, including the bludgeoning of Oklahoma. Eight Trojans earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors.

3. 2003 USC: The Trojans finished 12-1 and split the national title with LSU. Their only loss came in triple overtime at California.

Best player: Receiver Mike Williams was a consensus All-American.

Point differential: 534-239.

Best win: The completely dominant 23-0 victory at then-No. 6 Auburn in the opener set the tone for the season -- and caused many Pac-10 fans to question how good these highly rated SEC teams really are.

Comment: The Trojans finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in both polls but lost out playing in the BCS title game because of the computer polls. LSU fans have been thanking the computers for that glitch ever since.

4. 2005 USC: A 34-game winning streak came to an end with a nail-biting loss to Texas in the national title game. The Trojans finished 12-1.

Best player: Reggie Bush won the Heisman Trophy.

Point differential: 638-297.

Best win: The 34-31 win at Notre Dame -- the "Bush Push" game -- was one of the all-time greats.

Comment: Perhaps the best collection of offensive players in the history of college football: Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, Dwayne Jarrett, Ryan Kalil, Sam Baker and Taitusi Lutui earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors. And don't forget LenDale White, Winston Justice, Steve Smith and Dominique Byrd.

5. 1978 USC: Finished 12-1 and split national title with Alabama. Lost to Arizona State, 20-7.

Best player: Charles White was a unanimous All-American.

Point differential: 318-153

Best win: A 24-14 win over the team that "claimed" the other half of the national title.

Comment: Split national title -- coaches liked the Trojans; AP the Crimson Tide -- despite a decisive 24-14 USC at Alabama. So much for head to head.

6. 1979 USC: Finished 11-0-1 and No. 2 behind Alabama. Tied Stanford 21-21.

Best player: Charles White won the Heisman Trophy.

Point differential: 389-171

Best win: The 17-16 win over Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, in which White ran for a record 247 yards, including the game-winning touchdown with just more than a minute remaining.

Comment: Team featured four future College Football Hall of Famers in White, Marcus Allen, Ronnie Lot and Brad Budde. By the way, THAT undefeated, untied Alabama team was really, really good: Outscored foes 383-67. So no sour grapes on that one.

7. 2001 Oregon: The Ducks finished 11-1 and ranked No. 2 in both polls. The only loss was 49-42 versus Stanford (a really, really weird game, if you recall).

Best player: Quarterback Joey Harrington finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Point differential: 412-256.

Best win: A 38-16 win over Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl.

Comment: The Fiesta Bowl victory caused plenty of folks to bemoan the Nebraska-Miami matchup in the BCS title game, considering Colorado had blown out Nebraska the final weekend of the regular season. As for the Stanford loss, the typically straightforward AP noted the game had "everything but aliens landing on the Autzen Stadium turf."

8. 1984 Washington: Finished 11-1 and ranked No. 2 behind BYU. Lost to USC ,16-7.

Best player: Defensive tackle Ron Holmes was a consensus All-American.

Point differential: 352-145

Best win: Shocked Oklahoma 28-17 in the Orange Bowl. Sooners finished ranked sixth.

Comment: A controversial season. Before the Orange Bowl, Sooners coach Barry Switzer lobbied hard for the winner to be declared the national champion. As it was, BYU won the national title after beating a bad Michigan team in the Holiday Bowl. Does anyone believe BYU was better than the Huskies? No.

9. 2010 Oregon: The Ducks finished 12-1 and No. 3 in both polls, losing the national title game to Auburn.

Best player: Running back LaMichael James finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Point differential: 611-243

Best win: The Ducks handed Stanford its only loss, 52-31, after trailing 21-3 early. Cardinal finished ranked No. 4.

Comment: An innovative, exciting team to watch, one that played faster than perhaps any big-time college team in history.

10. 1996 Arizona State: Finished 11-1 and ranked No. 4 in both polls. Lost Rose Bowl -- and potential national championship -- to Ohio State, 20-17.

Best player: Quarterback Jake Plummer finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Point differential: 488-216

Best win: The Sun Devils trounced top-ranked, two-time defending national champion Nebraska, 19-0.

Comment: The Sun Devils lost one of the most dramatic Rose Bowls, when the swashbuckling Plummer was out-swashbuckled by Joe Germaine, who was raised in Arizona as an ASU fan.

11. 2000 Washington: The Huskies finished 11-1 and ranked No. 3, their only loss coming at No. 7 Oregon. They beat Purdue 34-24 in the Rose Bowl.

Best player: Marques Tuiasosopo finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Point differential: 387-270

Best win: Beat Miami, 34-29. Hurricanes finished ranked No. 2.

Comment: This is not the most talented team on the list. In fact, some have rated the 2000 Oregon State team -- see below -- ahead of the Huskies. And based on NFL results, the Beavers were more talented than the Huskies. But head to head matters, and the win over Miami is better than anything Oregon State did.

12. 2000 Oregon State: The Beavers finished 11-1 and ranked No. 4, their only loss a 33-30 decision at Washington, which finished ranked No. 3.

Best player: Running back Ken Simonton was first-team All-Pac-10.

Best win: Beat Oregon 23-13 in Civil War. Oregon finished ranked seventh in the coaches poll.

Comment: One or two more plays at Washington, and the Beavers would have played for the national title. And they, by the way, were more talented than the Oklahoma team that did win the title. Notable Beavers: Ken Simonton, Chad Ochocinco (the Chad Johnson), T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chris Gibson, DeLawrence Grant, LaDairis Jackson, Dennis Weathersby and Eric Manning. They spanked Notre Dame 41-9 in the Fiesta Bowl.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Oregon is aiming for the first national title in school history, but the Ducks already have made history, at least in terms of the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game.

Oregon's home, Autzen Stadium, which officially seats 54,000, is the smallest in BCS title game history.

The Ducks did average 59,398 fans this year -- 110 percent of capacity -- and that is more than Miami averaged in 2001 (47,162), but the Hurricanes then played in the 74,476-seat Orange Bowl.

Why is this significant? Well, just like when a small-market team makes it to the World Series without a huge payroll, it's meaningful.

Here are the teams that have played -- or will play, in Auburn's case -- in the BCS national title game, which started in 1998, and their official stadium capacities.

Ohio State... 105,329
Tennessee... 102,455
Alabama... 101,821
Texas... 100,119
USC... 93,607
LSU... 92,400
Florida... 88,458
Auburn... 87,451
Nebraska... 86,304
Florida State... 82,112
Oklahoma...82,112
Miami... 74,916
Virginia Tech... 66,233

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- When Rob Mullens arrived at Oregon as the Ducks new athletic director in July, he'd never attended a game at Autzen Stadium. Oh, he'd heard that it was a great atmosphere, but he'd just come from Kentucky, which plays in the SEC, which some folks believe invented atmosphere at college football games. So with lowly New Mexico coming to Eugene on Sept. 4 to open the season, Mullens' expectations weren't terribly high.

Suffice it to say, his expectations were exceeded.

"It sounded like the best atmospheres that I've experienced anywhere in the country," he said.

The Pac-10 is very different than the SEC. Start with money. The SEC makes a lot; the Pac-10 doesn't. The SEC sells out huge stadiums. The Pac-10 often doesn't sell out medium-sized venues.

And Oregon is not an SEC school. Start with money. The Ducks spend $18.1 million on football, which ranks fifth in the Pac-10. The SEC averages $19.5. Auburn, the Ducks' foe in the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 10, spends $27.9 million on football.

And while Autzen Stadium is electric and loud, it still seats only 59,000. SEC venues average 76,000 fans and Auburn packs 87,000 into Jordan-Hare Stadium.

All that said, Oregon is SEC-ish.

Start with fan passion: Autzen is on a run of 74 consecutive sellouts, and it's the only Pac-10 stadium that EXCEEDED 100 percent capacity this season -- 110 percent, to be exact. And it is very, very loud. More than a few coaches, players and visiting media members have called it the loudest stadium in the nation.

"The atmosphere in Autzen is electric -- noisy and passionate," Mullens said. "And what impressed me the most was, no matter the score, fans stayed until the end of the game, even when the outcome was decided."

Mullens, of course, is biased and has a specific agenda as the administrator of Oregon sports. But he's right.

When the gates open to Oregon's students, the mad dash for prime seats is a little scary to watch. And even in games when the Ducks lead by 40 and the weather is a bit chilly, a majority of fans seemed content to stick around until the final bell instead of hitting the local watering holes for a warm toddy.

And Oregon fans have an, er, SEC-ish, "our-team-wrong-or-right zeal" to them. While the Pac-10 blog would never, ever -- ever! -- call one group of fans more obnoxious than another, there are some out there who might say something of that nature about Ducks fans, just as fans from other conferences often grumble about SEC fans.

Further, in more concrete measures, Oregon's football facilities match any program in the country. And they are getting better. Construction of a new, six-story operations building to headquarter the football program will begin this year. It will be entirely financed by billionaire booster Phil Knight, a well-known cobbler.

State-of-the-art facilities give a program a "wow" factor. While it's legitimate to fret over the "arms race" in college football -- athletic buildings before academic investment -- there's no question that Oregon's facilities look very SEC-ish compared to the rest of the Pac-10.

"It's extremely important to have the facility infrastructure to attract the talent," Mullens said. "It shows you are committed to the program. These facilities are attractive to young people but they also help people prepare to compete at the highest level."

Of course, Mullens, just like other Pac-12 athletic directors going forward, hopes that commissioner Larry Scott is going to produce a more lucrative TV deal this year, which will allow the conference to remain competitive with the SEC and Big Ten in terms of football revenue.

"These are the biggest differences: No. 1, the asset base is more significant in the SEC," he said. "One, because [the SEC has] one of the best TV deals in the nation, which provides huge revenue. They've got exceptional bowl agreements, which is another source of revenue. And, they have sold out football stadiums on an incredible scale."

Sold out at 60,000 is great. But it doesn't compete -- financially -- with sold out at 90,000. Said Mullens, "It's tough when you're minus thirty or forty thousand seven times a year."

Where SEC schools benefit from extraordinary football revenue, Knight helps Oregon make up the difference. His fingerprints are all over the athletic program, and the donor base beyond Knight is strong, too. That's a major reason that coach Chip Kelly signed a contract that will average $3.4 million per season over the next six years.

Big money for a coach is very SEC-ish.

So, yes, Oregon fans wear fleece and might be a tad more liberal -- in more ways than one -- than their counterparts at Auburn and the SEC. But when it comes to the football program, Ducks and Tigers adherents might share more than you think.

Said Mullens, "I think they are very similar. I'm not sure there is much of a difference."

EUGENE, Ore. -- A to-do list hangs in Oregon's locker room. Stuff like "Have fun" and "Eliminate distractions." Whatever. But No. 4 on the list, coach Chip Kelly said, is "Flip the switch."

Hmm. The Ducks' locker room is closed post game, so we do not know exactly where this switch is located. Nor do we know the nature of said switch. Witchcraft? Is it something cosmic? Is Kelly close with Harry Potter. Or perhaps Lord Voldemort? Should the NCAA drop all this agent, pay-for-play stuff and fly to Eugene to investigate this switch? Because it's becoming clear that switch is pretty powerful when it gets flipped.

"We're pretty good at flipping the switch," Kelly said cryptically.

You won't have to convince Arizona of that. The No. 21 Wildcats led the No. 1 Ducks at halftime and then -- click -- they got steamrolled 48-29. It was over early in the fourth quarter after the Ducks scored five touchdowns, a flurry amid which the Wildcats countered with a mere field goal.

"Slowly, but surely, their spirits started to dwindle," Oregon center Jordan Holmes said.

Spirits were high in Autzen Stadium and among the Ducks players. But there sure weren't many roses around for a team that just clinched the Pac-10 championship, which comes with a Rose Bowl berth.

The Ducks haven't won a Rose Bowl since 1917, but they've got bigger prizes within their grasp. Beat rival Oregon State on Dec. 4 and they will bypass the Rose Bowl and go directly to Glendale, Ariz., where they would play for the program's first national title.

Oregon wasn't celebrating much. "I'm giddy," said Kelly, who appeared to be exaggerating his mood a tad.

But back to this switch. It seems to be most frequently used at halftime. Oregon has outscored foes 256-64 in the second half this season. It's yielded just 14 points in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats led 19-14 at the break. Then "flip."

How did it happen?

The Wildcats took the opening kickoff of the second half and went three-and-out. The Ducks took over and, on second down, true freshman receiver Josh Huff took a pitch 85 yards for a touchdown. That made it 20-19 when the 2-point conversion failed.

Another defensive stop and the Ducks took over -- on their 1-yard line. A 19-play, 99-yard drive later and it was 27-19. That drive got a big hand when the Wildcats jumped offsides on a 42-yard field goal attempt, which was missed. You can't give Oregon's offense breaks.

The Wildcats answered with a field goal! The Ducks went 75 yards for a TD in 2:10. Another Oregon stop, the Wildcats shank a punt 25 yards, another quick Ducks TD.

And just like that it's 48-22 with 12:15 left in the fourth. A game that was close no longer was. And it was hard not to ask, "What just happened?" even if you watched the whole thing.

Click.

Of course, we've seen this before: Tennessee, Stanford and USC previously thought it had the Ducks figured out before the switch was flipped and they ended up confused by how they ended up losing by three or four touchdowns.

There is this: Why not flip the switch before the game? Do the Ducks take it for granted that they can eventually overwhelm foes in the second half?

"I don't believe our players take it for granted," Kelly said. "Trust me, it's not by design that we are down at halftime."

That approach might not always work, either. You might have noticed that Auburn, a potential opponent in a national title game, seemed pretty good in the second half at Alabama.

But that's getting ahead of things. That's a distraction. Oregon won't be perfect until it closes the deal in Corvallis against the rival Beavers. As Kelly has said repeatedly, often drawing titters from media folk: Every game is a Super Bowl.

"We've been that way all year long. It's just about the next game," he said. "This time, you guys will believe me."

EUGENE, Ore. -- The question: Was Oregon's offensive illness at California just a 24-hour virus or was it a long-term disease?

A large part of the Ducks answer against No. 21 Arizona here tonight might concern another health issue: Running back LaMichael James' left ankle, which he hurt late at Cal. He's been limited in practice this week, and even after a tape-job and a handful of aspirin, he might not be 100 percent. He could be a pretty good back at 85 percent. Or a good decoy.

Or backup Kenjon Barner could step up in his stead. Or quarterback Darron Thomas could be forced to shoulder more of the offensive load with his arm.

But James' value is significant. Since 2009, his 34 runs of 20 or more yards lead all of FBS football.

That big-play ability likely would have been challenged anyway by the Arizona defense, which has given up only three rushes of 20 or more yards this season, the fewest in FBS football.

Both teams are coming off a bye. So there surely will be some schematic gamesmanship. How much of Cal's defensive plan will Arizona adopt? And how much of a counterpunch has Ducks coach Chip Kelly concocted in his secret labratory deep under Autzen Stadium?

Yet the Ducks offense against the Wildcats defense isn't the only strength-on-strength matchup. The Ducks defense is pretty darn good, and quarterback Nick Foles and the Wildcats offense is tough to stop when it's in rhythm.

Of course, Arizona coach Mike Stoops tried to cultivate some intrigue this week by talking about backup quarterback Matt Scott being available -- and then not making Foles or Scott available to chat with reporters. Scott was outstanding in two starts when Foles was hurt, and he could give the Wildcats a run threat at quarterback.

The stakes couldn't be higher for the Ducks. They are two wins from playing for the national title.

For Arizona, the spoiler role would certainly give the program a boost in national prestige, not to mention in the national rankings.

Three keys for Friday's high-stakes matchup at Autzen Stadium.

The counterpunch: Any bets Oregon coach Chip Kelly and his guys are weary of hearing about how California provided a road map for stopping the Ducks' offense? The Bears' man-free scheme -- man-to-man coverage in the secondary with a safety spying the quarterback -- has been tried before against the Ducks and isn't exactly rocket science. But it held the Ducks to just one offensive touchdown, so many are acting like it was a "eureka!" moment. After a bye week, expect Oregon to come out with some offensive wrinkles early against Arizona. And it will be up to the Wildcats to react to those wrinkles and not panic if they give up some big plays. It's when a defense tries to do too much that it gets in trouble with Oregon.

The QBs: Arizona won't beat the Ducks by running the football, though a decent running threat certainly wouldn't hurt. It's going to need Nick Foles to be his sharp and accurate self. Most particularly, it's going to need Foles & Co. to be efficient in the red zone. The Wildcats have six red zone turnovers this year and just 26 touchdowns in 45 opportunities (eighth in the Pac-10). They must take advantage of scoring opportunities and not settle for field goals. As for Oregon QB Darron Thomas, he may not have running back LaMichael James (ankle) at full speed, and backup Kenjon Barner is still regaining his form after suffering a scary concussion at Washington State on Oct. 9. Thomas' arm -- and feet -- may need to play a big role. He's been up to the task thus far, far surpassing preseason expectations. But the stakes couldn't be much higher at present.

Weirdness: Who saw USC's upset losses at Oregon State in 2008 or at UCLA in 2006 coming? Those two defeats knocked the Trojans out of the national title game. In 2007, LSU was seventh in the BCS standings on Nov. 25, but, after shocking late-season chaos, the Tigers wiggled into the national title game and became the only two-loss BCS champion. In other words, crazy bounces happen late in the season when you don't see them coming. A pick-six here. A special-teams breakdown there. A sudden case of the dropsies or fumblitis. A tour de force performance from an adversary. All of these -- and more -- can derail a national title dream. Oregon has been smart and poised all season. If some weirdness shows up, it might be their most serious adversary yet.

Issues to consider heading into the 13th week of games.

Can Arizona "Cal" Oregon's offense? California didn't reinvent the wheel when it held Oregon to just one offensive touchdown Nov. 13. A good defense just played soundly and with passion and focus. Sure, the Wildcats probably picked some things up from the Bears, but you also have to figure that Chip Kelly & Co. made adjustments during their own bye week in anticipation of folks trying to use the Bears "man-free" scheme (man-to-man in the secondary with a safety spying the QB). The Wildcats have the personnel to slow the Ducks. But can they keep up with the tempo and not lose focus -- and gap control -- over four quarters?

Luck, Stanford need to roll up style points: Stanford is fighting to prove it is BCS bowl-worthy. It could guarantee itself an at-large BCS bowl berth if it pushes up two spots from No. 6 to No. 4 in the BCS standings. So style points matter, because you never know what could happen at the top of the BCS standings. Further, QB Andrew Luck is trying to secure an invitation to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Another big performance could give him a push against Auburn's Cam Newton among "character counts" voters.

Will Mustain (finally) get his close-up? USC's backup QB Mitch Mustain is the best-known player in college football who has seen barely any action since 2007, when he was a good SEC quarterback, going 8-0 at Arkansas as a true freshman. But playing QB in the Pac-10 is a whole other level, and Mustain was never able to win the Trojans' starting job. But with Matt Barkley's high-ankle sprain, it's possible -- likely? -- he will get the call Saturday against rival Notre Dame. It's a great chance for him to earn some redemption as well as help his team. And, he also might raise an NFL eyebrow or two (see Cassel, Matt).

Is California Jekyll or Hyde this week against Washington? The whole "California is always great at home!" line of thinking went poof last weekend when Stanford slammed the Bears 48-14 in the Big Game. The Bears have now suffered three blowout losses on the road and one blowout loss at home. The deal with the Bears is simple: Sometimes they show up and play four quarters. And sometimes they don't. Of course, Stanford has made a lot of teams look bad, and Washington is no Stanford. If Cal shows up and plays four quarters, it should be able to handle the Huskies. But if it doesn't, it could get its rear end kicked again.

Brehaut or Bruin nothing: UCLA QB Richard Brehaut wasn't playing well at Washington last week, but it became clear when he was forced out with a concussion that the Bruins have no shot without him. His backups were 1 for 11 passing, each throwing an interception. Brehaut is expected back at Arizona State on Saturday. The losing team is out of contention for earning bowl eligibility. The Sun Devils have a much better defense than the Huskies. If UCLA is to have any shot, first, it needs Brehaut to stay healthy. And, second, it needs him to look like a Pac-10 quarterback.

Foles and Wildcats attack: If Arizona can slow down the Ducks' offense at all -- see the Cal game -- then the Wildcats have an offense that can take advantage much better than the Bears did. QB Nick Foles isn't the sort to get spooked by the Autzen Stadium crowd, and he leads a veteran unit with plenty of playmakers. The Wildcats will need to attack and, perhaps, even take chances because conservative play won't beat the Ducks.

Beavers' lines redefined? The Beavers' offensive and defensive line have struggled much of the year, and they hit rock bottom in a loss to Washington State. But both played well in the shocking domination of USC. The offensive line opened holes and protected QB Ryan Katz. The defensive line shut down the Trojans' running game and pressured Barkley. Was this the proverbial turning of a corner? We figure to get a much better idea at Stanford, particularly for the Beavers' D-line, which will have to go mano-a-mano with one of the best O-lines in the nation.

Will the USC D (finally) make a stand? If Barkley can't play against Notre Dame due to a sprained ankle, that means we have no idea what we'll see from the USC offense. So this would be a good weekend for the Trojans' defense, which has ranged from bad to mediocre this year, to take a big step forward. And the Notre Dame offense, which also is using a backup QB -- freshman Tommy Rees -- is hardly a juggernaut. The USC offense may not be able to score in bunches, as it often did with Barkley, but it can still score enough to win a ninth consecutive game versus the Fighting Irish if the D makes a stand.

Not to repeat ourselves but ... Locker? The hype around Washington QB Jake Locker really started to really bubble during his final two games of 2009, when he put up huge numbers against Cal and Washington State. It's been a thoroughly disappointing season for Locker, but if he leads the Huskies to wins in their final two games -- at Cal and at Washington State -- they will go to their first bowl game since 2002. That counts for something. And while the Huskies could afford to just run the ball against woeful UCLA last week, they will need balance to overcome a good Bears defense.

Sun Devils put it together: Arizona State might be the best 4-6 team in the nation. It's lost four games by four points or less, and two of those defeats were against top-10 teams (Wisconsin and Stanford). The Sun Devils also gave Oregon its second-toughest game. They are as good as a team with a losing record can be, but they seem to find ways to lose with mistakes at critical times -- penalties, turnovers, whatever. If they play a smart, (mostly) mistake-free game versus UCLA, they should win. And even if they fail to become bowl-eligible -- the season finale is at Arizona -- they will create some positive momentum for what could be a breakout in 2011.

Ouch.

Did I just hurt myself, or am I faking it? Hard to say.

That's a topic Oregon fans are obsessing about this season: Opponent's defenses are apparently faking injuries in order to force the fast-paced Ducks offense to stop while that player is helped off the field.

And then said player returns -- apparently after a miraculous recovery -- either one or two plays later.

First, Oregon fans do need to hear this: Yes, you are correct. Teams are faking injuries. Without a question.

While there's video from the California game that many Ducks fans find most damning -- and hilarious -- my favorite continues to be what I suspect was a purposely poor acting job from Stanford linebacker Chase Thomas that -- again, I suspect -- was intended to goad the crowd at Autzen Stadium.

Oregon coach Chip Kelly mostly danced around the topic during the Tuesday Pac-10 coaches call.

"We don't talk about it. If the league wants to look into stuff like that, that's their problem. That's not coming from me," he said. "Obviously you don't know when a player is really injured and not injured. I don't know really what can be done about it."

And that is the issue: Little can be done. Wrote Pac-10 vice president of communications, Dave Hirsch, "Officials cannot decide if someone is faking an injury or not."

Don't think for a second Kelly isn't bothered by this. We've all seen him wildly gesticulating on the sidelines and yelling at officials about apparently fake injuries during games. We've heard his halftime quips, such as when he noted at Arizona State, "It's kind of like a World Cup game with this crowd. And the injuries." Kelly was referring to the diva bad acting you often see in soccer games in order to draw yellow and red cards.

When a questioner who operates a Washington Huskies fan website asked if the booing from Oregon fans was poor sportsmanship, Kelly allowed his true feelings to show.

"I know what our fans reaction is when he's carted off the field and he looks like he's going to surgery, and then he's back immediately the next play," he said.

Cal coach Jeff Tedford was asked directly about whether his team faked injuries during the game Saturday.

"People get hurt during games, and in fast-tempo stuff, there's cramps," he said. "That's not the deal. I know that anytime anybody goes down against Oregon, they always think that's the case. But it's not the case."

Tedford is typically a straight-shooter. But not in this case. Defensive tackle Aaron Tipoti's cramp from nowhere that appeared immediately after he took a long look at the Cal sidelines is going to to earn him the Pac-10 blog's Worst Actor award.

While there's little that can be done about opponent's faking injuries, Kelly did note that as far as strategies go, it's a weak one.

"You basically have thrown up a white flag and said you can't play at our pace," he said. "Do you really want to say you can't play at this level of football that we're playing?"

The Ducks are off this weekend. They play Arizona on Nov. 26. Wildcats coach Mike Stoops was asked if he has any opinion on faking injuries to slow Oregon down.

"I've never even seen it so I wouldn't even know what you are talking about," he said. "I don't know what that is. That's not something we use as part of our game plan."

We shall see.

Woody Hayes was a rivalry guy. When he was Ohio State's head coach, he wouldn't even say "Michigan." He said, "that team up north." He famously refused to fill up his gas tank while on a recruiting trip in Michigan. When Jim Tressel was hired to fill that legacy, he immediately endeared himself to Buckeyes' fans by promising something special "in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Mich., on the football field."

Oregon coach Chip Kelly is not a rivalry guy. The hated Washington Huskies visiting Kelly's Ducks on Saturday? Pffft.

"We have 12 rivalries," Kelly said.

Kelly previously said the Ducks play "12 Super Bowls," so his "every game is critical" philosophy is at least consistent.

Fact is, the Huskies-Ducks rivalry, long one of the nastiest and most underrated in the nation, has dramatically shifted. Washington was once the power that barely even noticed Oregon, which hated the Huskies sense of entitlement -- and winning -- in the Northwest (and a certain UW vote in 1948 on who goes to the Rose Bowl was a bit of an issue, too). But in the mid-1990s, things started to change. Oregon became competitive, and Huskies' fans didn't like that. The rivalry may have peaked when Rick Neuheisel became Washington's coach in 1999. Ducks fans already disliked Neuheisel from his days of Colorado, so it was a perfect stir to an already boiling pot.

Those were fun times because both programs were national powers. The rivalry mattered.

Now? Not so much. Oregon has won six in a row in the series, each by at least 20 points. The Huskies appear to be headed toward an eighth-consecutive non-winning season. They are coming off an embarrassing 41-zip loss to Stanford inside a stunned Husky Stadium. Moreover, struggling quarterback Jake Locker, the unquestioned face of the program, will be out Saturday due to a broken rib, and redshirt freshman Keith Price will make his first career start in boisterous Autzen Stadium.

Uh-oh.

Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian, therefore, fielded no questions about the glorious rivalry with the Ducks during a lengthy news conference Monday.

"I think more important for our program right now is focusing on us and not necessarily on the Oregon Ducks," Sarkisian said.

Meanwhile, Oregon, after finishing ranked in the top-11 the previous two seasons, is a national title contender. It's got bigger things going on than trash-talking a team that it's favored to beat by five touchdowns.

"Every game in this league is a challenge for everybody," Kelly droned. "Our concentration is solely on next week's game and that's playing Washington."

Oh, but the Huskies-Ducks hatred is still there among the fans.

Guess what's being celebrated -- again -- at Autzen on Saturday? Yep, "The Pick," the 1994 pick-six interception by Ducks cornerback Kenny Wheaton of Huskies QB Damon Huard, which is widely considered the most important play in school history. Wheaton will be at the game, appearing at PK Park from 10:30 a.m. to noon (PDT), signing autographs, including a T-shirt commemorating the play.

By the way, guess who is the new color guy on Huskies broadcasts? Huard. And guess who's an analyst for the ABC telecast? Damon's younger brother, Brock, also a former Washington QB. And guess who's going to be Brock Huard's co-analyst? Former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti.

How fun is that? How can you not smile about all that!

Said Kelly, "Harrumph." (We just made that up, but that's a fair translation of whatever he would say).

So do the Huskies have a chance? The short -- and practical -- answer is, no. But, folks, in college football, everyone has a chance, even when a team is missing its starting QB and brings one of the nation's worst defenses into the nation's most hostile venue to face the nation's best offense.

Said Kelly, "They've got really good athletes."

He then spit and let out an mocking laugh.

No, he didn't, but wouldn't it have been fun if he did?

Issues to consider heading into the 10th week of games.

Is Foles in sync early? Nick Foles is expected to return to his starting spot at quarterback after missing two games with a dislocated knee cap. Foles is one of the best QBs in the nation, no doubt. But this is not just another start. For one, he'll be thinking about his knee early, no matter how hard he tries to block it out. That might affect his performance. And rust might be an issue -- Foles hasn't been at game-speed since going down at Washington State on Oct. 16. Moreover, if Foles isn't in-sync and, say, throws an early interception, how quickly might Mike Stoops go with Matt Scott, who was outstanding filling in for Foles? In a big game, when the stakes are high, it might be hard to be patient.

Fight still on for USC? USC can't play in a bowl game this season, so a few Trojans called last week's game with No. 1 Oregon their bowl game. Well, they lost their bowl game by three TDs; does that mean the season is over? Does the cumulative effect of two last-second losses and that blowout defeat -- not to mention what figures to be a small crowd in the Coliseum -- leave the Trojans unfocused and unmotivated with Arizona State in town fighting for its bowl life?

"Tavita" Price? Washington would have had no chance at Oregon even with Jake Locker. It will have even less of no chance without him. Right? Redshirt freshman Keith Price surely will wilt under the pressure of boisterous Autzen Stadium and relentless blitzing from mean-old Ducks defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti. Right? Well, Duck fans, let's not forget that in 2007 a Stanford team with no chance that also was starting a backup QB who made things even no-chancer entered the Coliseum -- where USC had won 35 in a row -- and beat the No. 2 Trojans, 24-23, on a 10-yard TD pass on fourth down from Tavita Pritchard. But lightning won't strike again. Right?

Lots of Jacquizz: Jacquizz Rodgers and the Oregon State running game broke through last weekend versus a good California run defense. So what will it do against a struggling UCLA run defense, which is yielding more than 200 yards per game? The guess here is Mike Riley will be eager to test the fortitude of the Bruins, whose season is teetering on the brink.

Building a Mansion on the road: Cal has been a complete disaster on the road this year, at least other than a tight game at Arizona. That makes even a trip to Washington State ominous. Further, after QB Kevin Riley suffered a season-ending knee injury during a blowout loss at Oregon State, junior Brock Mansion now will be making his first career start. Crowd noise won't be an issue -- Martin Stadium won't be full. And, while there might be some rain, the elements won't be a factor, as they sometimes are in Pullman. For Mansion, it will be all about staying focused and poised and making plays against perhaps the worst defense in the nation. Is Mansion -- and his supporting cast -- up to that, even if they aren't playing inside the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium?

Make Luck un-Lucky: The challenge for Arizona's defense is to get the Pac-10's most talented and efficient passer, Stanford's Andrew Luck, out of his comfort zone. That won't be easy. The Cardinal again has a great running game -- 224 yards per game -- and it protects Luck well, with just three sack surrendered. And even if you pressure Luck, he's such a good runner that he can make a big play with his legs just after you think a sack dance is coming. The Wildcats lead the conference in sacks, with 3.38 per game, and Ricky Elmore and Brooks Reed are the best defensive end combo in the conference. But the Wildcats will have to give Luck lots of different looks, and hope that a few of them cause him a bit of angst. And provoke a mistake (or two).

A Threet to the Trojans' secondary: Arizona State QB Steven Threet leads the Pac-10 in passing yards per game. USC ranks last in passing yards surrendered. That would seem to favor Threet and the Sun Devils. At the same time, Threet has hurled 13 interceptions, most in the conference. Threet has proven he can make plays in the passing game, and USC has proven vulnerable to passers. But Threet sometimes is his own worst enemy. Can the Trojans -- and coordinator Monte Kiffin -- rattle Threet into making mistakes?

James makes more Heisman noise (and maybe Thomas, too): My Mama always said if you can't say something nice, don't say anything. But then I wouldn't be able to do my job, which is at this moment to observe that the Washington defense is lousy. The Huskies are particularly bad versus the run. Oh, by the way, Oregon rushes for 309 yards per game. So expect Ducks running back LaMichael James to get another 200-yard performance and then sit out the fourth quarter. And when the Huskies become addled trying to stop James, Thomas will find plenty of opportunities downfield. Count on both putting up numbers that are noted in next week's review of Heisman Trophy candidates.

Just when you count the Bruins out...: Seems like we've already written off UCLA about five times this year. And folks are always trying to write of Rick Neuheisel. But it also seems like, just when things are darkness for Neuheisel ... sunrise! Mike Riley seemed to be aware of that this week; he seemed genuinely concerned about how his team might view UCLA's vulnerability. Not sure how the Bruins would beat the surging Beavers, but stranger things certainly have happened. Recall that the Beavers didn't exactly shine the last time they were on the road at Washington.

Breakthrough for the Cougs? Speaking of strange things: The Cougars last Pac-10 win came in the 2008 Apple Cup against the winless Huskies. So Cal comes to Pullman looking to hand the Cougs a 16th consecutive conference defeat. If Washington State had played Arizona State tougher last weekend -- instead of, say, losing 42-0 -- then it would be easier to project an upset. Still, you'd think that, based on some of the competitive performances this year, the Cougs are going to surprise someone and get a win at some point. Cal, with a new starting QB and a tendency to throw up on itself on the road, seems like a legitimate potential victim.