Arizona State-Oregon: Ducks Seek Inside Track to Pac-10 Title

A week ago, the Oregon Ducks proved they were legitimate Pac-10 contenders with a 24-17 win over the USC Trojans.

The going doesn’t get any easier this Saturday, with undefeated Arizona State visiting Autzen Stadium.

The two teams’ general profiles would seem to favor Oregon. The Ducks are known for jumping out to quick leads. The Sun Devils have a tendency to fall behind early.

That said, Arizona State also has a habit of coming back in the second half—but Oregon has responded well to late challenges from Stanford and Washington.

The Ducks' best bet is to open up the offensive playbook and take some shots downfield. Last week, USC routinely left third receiver Aaron Pflugrad uncovered deep—but conservative playcalling kept Dennis Dixon from trying his luck.

If Oregon’s offense builds an early lead and executes well in the second half, the defense need only stiffen enough to slow down ASU.

But at the level the Sun Devils are executing, that will be easier said than done.

Two things do work to Oregon’s advantage. First, their potent return game should help the Ducks win the field-position battle—if they can avoid the turnovers that hurt them against USC and Cal.

Second, if Rudy Carpenter’s thumb gives the ASU QB trouble on long balls, the Oregon D will be in much better shape.

The two most consistent teams in the conference meet this Saturday, and look to be well-matched in most areas. It should be a great game—but Autzen will be rockin’, and that'll give the Ducks the boost they need.

Prediction: Oregon 38, Arizona State 35

Conference Calls

UCLA laid another inexplicable egg in Pullman last week, and could be in trouble against an Arizona team coming off an inspiring comeback win in Seattle.

I hesitate to make any prediction involving the Bruins...but will predict a Wildcats win as the improving team beats the squad on the slide.

Stanford has come back to earth after their BCS-busting upset of USC, and Washington is one loss away from being ineligible for a bowl.

This is another tough call, but I’ll take the desperate team to win—as opposed to the team whose season is already a success by Cardinal standards.

USC has to be disappointed with their two losses before December—but the Trojans are still on track for a bowl, and their defense is too quick to allow a depleted Oregon State team to score enough to win.

Cal has seen its dreams of a championship fall to ruin, and Washington State will be happy just to win a conference game this year. With home field advantage and more overall talent, the Golden Bears will finally right the ship.