Cal vs. Oregon: Can Darron Thomas and Ducks Score Points on Bears' Defense?

For the second season in a row, No. 9 Oregon finds itself in a bear fight with Cal. The Ducks went into the locker room at halftime down 15-14 after struggling to punch the ball into the end zone and allowing the Bears to march up and down the field.

What's Gone Wrong?

The Ducks have looked anything like the dynamic offense that blows out most opponents. Once again, the Bears have been physical at the point of attack, standing tall against the vaunted Oregon offense after surrendering two touchdowns in the first three drives.

Meanwhile, Oregon just can't seem to keep Cal from putting itself in position to score. Luckily for the Ducks, the Bears have settled for four field goal attempts, connecting on three of them. The Ducks must be careful to keep Cal out of scoring range in the second half, lest the Bears make good on last year's near-upset in Berkeley.

What's at Stake?

Oregon is trying to play itself back into the BCS National Championship picture and has done a good job of doing so after losing to No. 1 LSU in Week 1. A loss at home to Cal would set the Ducks back considerably, both in their pursuit of BCS glory as well as in the race for the Pac-12 North. With No. 7 Stanford whipping opponents left and right, Oregon has little, if any, room for error in its pursuit of a third straight post-New Year's bowl berth.

Upset Potential

This one scores a seven out of 10 on the upset scale. The Bears came within two points of pulling off the upset over the Ducks in 2010, so this score is no fluke. That being said, the Darron Thomas-LaMichael James Oregon teams have a habit of putting together second-half comebacks. 

How Will Voters React?

Voters certainly wouldn't react well to any Oregon loss, especially after seeing the Ducks get demolished by two SEC opponents in 2011. Most voters probably don't know much about this year's Cal team, either, and losing to a low-profile team is never a good thing when you're in the Top 10 in the polls.

Will Oregon Come Back?

Odds are, the Ducks will come back strong. Cal's defense isn't exactly shutting down Oregon's offense, per se. After all, James put up 166 yards rushing in the first half on 'em. The key to any comeback rests on the arm of Thomas and the hands of his receivers, who have combined for just eight completions on 19 attempts.

Who Benefits Most From Oregon's Collapse?

The big winner here would have to be Stanford. With Oregon already sporting a blemish in the loss column, the Cardinal would then have a clear path to the Pac-12 Championship Game.

That is, assuming Andrew Luck can pull out a win over the Ducks at home this season.