Oregon-USC: Disrespected Ducks Dismantle Trojans in Attempt to Nab No. 1

The Oregon Ducks will have a chance to prove they deserve the No. 1 spot in the BCS rankings when they take on the USC Trojans. Online Sportsbook BetPhoenix has the Oregon Ducks listed as 6.5-point road favorites over the Trojans heading into this game.

Oregon dismantled UCLA in their last game as they dominated on offense and put up 60 points against the lifeless Bruins. Even though they won and Oklahoma lost, the top spot in the BCS standings was awarded to Auburn after their win over LSU. Now they will attempt to make a case for the top spot when they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Trojans.

The Ducks have won seven of the last 12 against the Trojans, including a 47-20 thrashing last Halloween at Autzen Stadium, but this will be a different team than the Ducks faced last year.

The Trojans are now under a new coaching staff led by Lane Kiffin and they have a new approach to the way they play football.

The Trojans rely more on quarterback Matt Barkley and it has paid off as the young signal-caller is putting up some great numbers on the year. Barkley has completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 1,869 yards and 20 touchdowns against four interceptions.

He leads a Trojan offense that is averaging 37.4 ppg and 494.0 total ypg. The Trojans have lost two games on the season, but they have been by last-minute field goals. They have a strong team on both sides of the ball, but it will be a tough task to ask them to stop an explosive Oregon offense.

LaMichael James (161.8 yards per game) still leads the nation in rushing, and should be considered as a leading Heisman candidate. Darron Thomas is a stellar signal-caller that has completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 1,539 yards with 17 touchdowns against only five interceptions. Oregon leads the nation in total offense (569.1 yards per game) and scoring offense (55.1 points per game) and in short they are one of the best in the country.

On defense, USC is yielding 24.3 ppg and 402.4 total ypg and the majority of the scores they allow are through the air. This is where they fall short when comparing to the Ducks. The Trojans linebackers are big, but not quick, and they will not be able to contain the Ducks speedy threats.

The Ducks are 13-6 against the spread (ATS) in their last 19 games following a win and 20-8 ATS in their last 28 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game.

The Trojans are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games following a win and 5-11 ATS in their last 16 conference games. Not getting the top spot in the BCS rankings is a blessing in disguise for the Ducks. It will allow them to stay focused and play with purpose when they face the Trojans this weekend.

The Ducks win and cover the number this weekend against the Trojans.

Oregon (-6.5)

Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews and predictions. Feel free to contact Matt at [e-mail]