Through week 11 of the 2011 college football season, the Oregon Ducks find themselves ranked number four in the BCS rankings and one place behind the Alabama Crimson Tide. Both teams have one loss and are contending for a spot in the BCS National Championship. The two both lost to the same opponent, the LSU Tigers. The Ducks lost to LSU in the Cowboys Classic season opener in Dallas, Texas, but have since won nine games in a row including wins versus the #18 Arizona State Sun Devils and the #4 Stanford Cardinal. The Ducks have the 8th best offense in the nation, but the 63rd best defense...it is typical for teams that run an uptempo spread like the Ducks to suffer in defensive statistical categories due to quick scoring and less time of possession.Alabama, on the other hand, lost to LSU in week 11 at home 9-6 in overtime. The Tide missed 4 field goals, 3 in regulation and 1 in overtime. Bama has won 10 games including against #6 Arkansas Razorbacks, #12 Florida Gators, and #23 Penn State Nittany Lions. Alabama has the #1 defense in the nation and #35 offense. Are the Oregon Ducks better than the Alabama Crimson Tide?
In week 12 of the 2011 college football season, the #18 USC Trojans travel to Eugene, OR to play the #4 Oregon Ducks in Autzen Stadium. The Ducks are coming off their biggest win of the season over the #9 Stanford Cardinal. The difference in that game was Stanford was unable, once again, to keep up with Oregon's speed.This week, the Ducks face a depleted USC team currently battling through NCAA Probation and Sanctions. The Trojans may not have depth, but they are highly talented at most positions. A key distinction between Stanford and USC is the Trojans have deep threats at the wide receiver positions with Robert Woods and Marqise Lee, and the Cardinal didn't. Like the Cardinal, USC also has a prototype NFL quarterback in Matt Barkely. The Ducks will have to contain and stop the Trojans passing game if they want to win this game. Woods and Lee are as good as they get, and both are a threat to score touchdowns whether they catch short passes and have to make plays with their legs or catching the deep ball. The Trojans are 23rd in the nation in passing offense, 28th in total offense, and 4th in sacks allowed. Basically, they have a great offensive line and they like to and are good at throwing the football.USC's offense is great, however, this game will decided by whether the Trojans defense can handle the speed and play-making ability of Oregon's offense. In particular, for the Trojans to upset the Ducks at home, they will have to stop the Ducks run game. Statistically, the Trojans are great at stopping the run and are ranked 8th in the nation giving up only 100.40 yards on the ground per game. However, upon deeper scrutiny, the statistics are misleading. If you glance over USC's schedule, they have only faced one great running back in Chris Polk of the Washington Huskies. I expect the first half to be a good game with the Trojans keeping it close. However, in the second half, Oregon's Heisman Trophy Hopeful, LaMichael James, and crew will take over by wearing out the thin USC defense.Once the Trojans start getting tired, their defense won't be able to handle Oregon's speed. The Ducks are favored by 14.5 points for a reason. For USC to win this game, they have to contain Oregon's team speed on offense. I don't think the Trojans have a chance!USC vs Oregon: Can the Trojans handle the speed of the Ducks?
Currently, the Oregon Ducks are ranked #4 in the BCS behind #3 Alabama, #2 Oklahoma State, and #1 LSU. Directly behind Oregon is Oklahoma at #5 and Arkansas at #6. The following is basically a few notes to consider when voting on this poll:Oregon lost to #1 LSU TigersThe best game left on Oregon's schedule is in this week's game of the week versus #18 USC Trojans.Bama plays an FCS opponent this week, which should hurt them some in the BCS computer rankings.Bama will most likely not play in the SEC Championship Game, and hence, they most likely won't win the SEC Title.Oklahoma will play Oklahoma State in the last game of the seasonArkansas will travel to Baton Rouge to play LSU in the last weekend of the regular seasonIf Arkansas beats LSU, then there will be a tie between three one-loss SEC West teams. The SEC decides chooses a divisional representative in this scenario by checking the BCS rankings. If any of the three teams are within five spots of each other, then the SEC Western Title is given to the winner of the heads up match between the two highest ranked teams.As you can see, there is a great possibility of total anarchy occurring this season. The question is, however...Can the Oregon Ducks get to the BCS National Championship Game?
Heisman Trophy Hopeful, LaMichael James, has been the Oregon Ducks most explosive weapon this season accounting for over 30% of the total offense. James leads the nation in rushing with an average of 170.4 yards per game and is tied in second place for punt returns with an average of 19.33 yards per return. He has already accounted for 1,148 yards and touchdowns. This weekend against the Arizona State Sun Devils, however, the Ducks will have to play without James after he suffered an elbow injury in Oregon's last game versus Cal. The injury is not season ending, but we do know he can't play against ASU Saturday. The Ducks have great depth at the running back position with Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas, who are both already major contributors to the Ducks offense. They will need them and quarterback Darron Thomas to fill James shoes. ASU's defense is not terrible, but hasn't been great either this season:Arizona State Defensive StatisticsTotal Defense: 41; 349.00 yards given up per gameRush Defense: ranked 40; 119.67 yards rushing given up per gamePass Defense: ranked 75; 229.33 yards passing given up per gameScoring Defense: ranked 24; 19.50 points given up per gameVontaze Burfict is a player the Ducks will need to know where he is located on the field at all times...and I would say AVOID HIM! The guy has been a beast so far this season with 29 tackles, 4 sacks, and an interception. The linebacker will be looking to wreck havoc in the Ducks backfield, and is capable of doing so if not accounted for by the offensive line. The Sun Devils offense is led by six foot eight quarterback Brock Osweiler. For the season, Osweiler has completed 142/213 passes (66.7 CMP%) for 1,677 yards, thirteen touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also scored two more touchdowns on the ground. The leading rusher for ASU is Cameron Marshall with 102 carries for 420 yards and eight touchdowns. Their leading receivers are Gerell Robinson and Aaron Pflugrad with 26 catches each. The Ducks defense has been shaky after losing so many players from last year:Oregon Ducks Defensive StatisticsTotal Defense: 83; 404.60 yards given up per gameRush Defense: ranked 86; 173.80 yards rushing given up per gamePass Defense: ranked 76; 230.80 yards passing given up per gameScoring Defense: ranked 45; 22.60 points given up per gameASU's offense can score points and are averaging 35.33 a game. The Ducks defense will have to step up and get off the field. They can't just expect the offense to be able to outscore the Sun Devils. The offense is going to be great, but without James they won't be as explosive. Barner and Thomas are absolutely great players, but they neither have the experience nor can they carry the leadership role of James. Autzen Stadium in Eugene, OR at night - Thomas Boyd/The OregonianCurrently, the Ducks are favored to win by sixteen points. The game is in Autzen Stadium at night and I feel confident Barner and Thomas will fill in the void just fine in this game, but I don't think the Ducks can cover the spread without James. He means to much to this team. Can the Ducks win without LaMichael James?
Following the game versus Arizona State, Chip Kelly was being interviewed by Erin Andrews. In the middle of the interview, he turns towards loud fans behind him celebrating the win and tell them to "shut up" for disrupting the interview. Was he wrong to do that?
Last season, the California Golden Bears held the Oregon Ducks offense to its fewest points (15) and fewest total yards (317) in Strawberry Canyon, CA. This year, the Bears will try to do it again, but this time they must travel to Autzen Stadium in Eugene, OR. The Ducks offense is once again putting up ridiculous numbers. Since the LSU game, LaMichael James has been on a roll. He currently has the fifth most rushing yards with 613, but is first in yards rushing per game at 153 yards. However, last year against Cal, James was only able to gain 91 yards on 29 carries for an average of only 3.1 yards per carry. If it weren't for a 64 yard punt return by Cliff Harris, the Ducks may have lost the game. Hopefully this time the Golden Bears don't play sissy football and fake injuries like soccer players. That still leaves a sour taste in my mouth. THIS IS FOOTBALL, A MAN'S SPORT!Ducks Retro Uniform vs CalStat Comparison of Both TeamsCalifornia Golden Bears Season Statistics Through Week FiveRushing Offense - ranked 50; 161.00 rushing yards per gamePassing Offense - ranked 22; 295.25 passing yards per gameTotal Offense - ranked 25; 456.25 total yards per gameScoring Offense - ranked 15; 39.50 points per gameRushing Defense - ranked 9; 78.25 rushing yards given up per gamePass Defense - ranked 79; 236.00 passing yards given up per gameTotal Defense - ranked 27; 314.25 total yards given up per gameScoring Defense - ranked 55; 24.25 points given up per game Oregon Ducks Statistics Through Week FiveRushing Offense - ranked 6; 299.50 rushing yards per gamePassing Offense - ranked 59; 234.25 passing yards per gameTotal Offense - ranked 6; 533.75 total yards per gameScoring Offense - ranked 1; 52.00 points per gameRushing Defense - ranked 93; 181.25 rushing yards given up per gamePass Defense - ranked 44; 208.25 passing yards given up per gameTotal Defense - ranked 77; 389.50 total yards given up per gameScoring Defense - ranked 59; 24.50 points given up per gameAutzen Stadium in Eugene, ORThe Bears seem to have the rushing defense to slow the Ducks uptempo spread offense like it did last year. If they can take away the Ducks rush game, then they can pull off the upset. However, this is unlikely to happen in Autzen at night. The Ducks are favored by 24 points, and though I think they will win, I doubt they will be able to cover that spread. The Bears should be able to slow James down enough to keep the game close, but it won't be enough!Go Ducks!
In week four, the Oregon Ducks will be chasing their 13th conference win in a row when they go to Tuscon, AZ to play the Arizona Wildcats. The Ducks recovered from their opening season loss against the LSU Tigers by blowing out two straight non-BCS opponents in Autzen Stadium in Eugene, OR. The Ducks uptempo offense is led by Darron Thomas at quarterback and LaMichael James as the feature back. After a slow start, James had 204 yards on only 12 rushing attempts and three touchdowns against the Missouri State Bears. Freshman De'Anthony Thomas has also developed into quite the play maker so far early in the season. He has 170 yards rushing and 153 yards receiving for three touchdowns. Stats Comparison for both teamsOregon Ducks Statistics through Week ThreeRushing Offense - ranked 8; 261.00 rushing yards per gamePassing Offense - ranked 31; 278.67 passing yards per gameTotal Offense - ranked 6; 539.67 total yards per gameScoring Offense - ranked 5; 50.67 points per gameRushing Defense - ranked 107; 214.33 rushing yards given up per gamePass Defense - ranked 10; 145.00 passing yards given up per gameTotal Defense - ranked 62; 359.33 total yards given up per gameScoring Defense - ranked 51; 22.33 points given up per game Arizona Wildcats Statistics through Week ThreeRushing Offense - ranked 116; 55.67 rushing yards per gamePassing Offense - ranked 5; 364.00 passing yards per gameTotal Offense - ranked 54; 419.67 total yards per gameScoring Offense - ranked 92; 21.67 points per gameRushing Defense - ranked 84; 173.00 rushing yards given up per gamePass Defense - ranked 111; 300.33 passing yards given up per gameTotal Defense - ranked 111; 473.33 total yards given up per gameScoring Defense - ranked 83; 28.00 points given up per game Arizona Stadium in Tuscon, AZThe Ducks are favored by 15.5 points on the road at night in Tuscon, AZ, and I think they are going to crush the Wildcats. Arizona is struggling on both sides of the ball, but what is most damning for them is they are ranked 111th in total defense. The Ducks are going to score a lot of points in this game and because Arizona's offense is inept; they probably will easily beat the spread. The atmosphere at night in Tuscon might cause some early miscues, but this Ducks team has too much for the Wildcats to handle. The only hope for the Wildcats is for senior quarterback, Nick Foles, to have a career game. On the season, Foles has completed 95 passes out of 126 pass attempts for 1,049 yards, seven touchdowns, and zero sacks. Foles has also been sacked seven times already this year. If his line can give him time to find open wide receivers, Foles can hit them. However, covering the pass is the strength of the Ducks defense, so I don't think Foles will be able to find his rhythm.The Ducks win big this week!
The 2011 Rose Bowl will feature the Oregon Ducks versus the Wisconsin Badgers. This is the first of several polls...simply put, who wins the 2011 Rose Bowl?
The first PAC 12 Championship Game will be held on Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 8:00 PM ET when the UCLA Bruins travel to Autzen Stadium in Eugene, OR to play the Oregon Ducks. The Bruins are 6-6 and are coming off a 50-0 blowout loss to their main rival, the USC Trojans. UCLA has been far from stellar this season, and even suffered an embarrassing loss to the non-BCS Houston Cougars in week one. On the other hand, the Ducks have had a pretty good season. To some Oregon fans, this season might be somewhat of a letdown. Last year, the Ducks were undefeated in the regular season but lost to the Auburn Tigers in the BCS National Championship Game. Many, if not most, Ducks fans were expecting to make it back to the big game again, but had their dreams shattered after losing to the LSU Tigers in week one. The winner clinches a bid to go to the Rose Bowl to face the winner of the Big 10 Championship Game. As 30½-point favorites, is there anyway the Ducks can actually lose to the Bruins? Seriously, does UCLA have any shot at pulling the major upset?UCLA Bruins vs Oregon Ducks Who wins the 1st PAC 12 Championship Game?
Check out the videos below and then decide who has the hottest girls, the USC Trojans or the Oregon Ducks?Related Polls:USC vs Oregon: Can the Trojans handle the speed of the Ducks?Does either Oregon or Alabama deserve a rematch versus the LSU Tigers?Are the Oregon Ducks better than the Alabama Crimson Tide?Is LaMichael James back in the Heisman Trophy Race?Did Andrew Luck lose the Heisman Trophy versus Oregon?Can the Oregon Ducks get to the 2011 BCS National Championship Game?
Larry King
March Madness
Natasha Fame Leslie
Ryan Seacrest
Sanu Dellafiore
John Armstrong
Fred Hanna
Georgia Hester
