BCS Rankings and Pac-12 Football: Why Oregon Will Beat Stanford and USC

Considering that the Ducks lost their first game of the season, Oregon has come on strong since. With seven consecutive wins after losing to the top-ranked team in the nation, the squad many counted out is surging back with a vengeance.

Strong wins over Arizona, Cal and Arizona State in consecutive weeks have given the Ducks the rights to a tie with undefeated Stanford on top of the Pac-12.

After destroying Washington State at home yesterday, Oregon must now travel to Washington and finally visit Palo Alto for the biggest game in the Pac-12 this season.

With RB LaMichael James and QB Darron Thomas both returning from injuries, Chip Kelly and company have more than a fighting chance against Stanford. Owning one of the most potent offenses on this side of the Mississippi, the Ducks have all the potential to finish the year in Pasadena.

Two large monsters from the south will challenge Oregon, but a strong offensive performance along with a dangerous defense will leave the Ducks on top of Stanford and USC this season.

Nov. 12 @ Stanford

Two weeks from now, Oregon will travel down to Palo Alto for a battle between two Top 10 teams. The Ducks will take on the Cardinal in what will be the biggest Pac-12 game this season, winner taking the Pac-12 North. 

Stanford is a great squad run by Heisman candidate QB Andrew Luck. His potent passing attack has accrued over 290 yards per game through the air as well as 24 touchdowns total on the year. The rushing game hasn't suffered though, putting up 215 yards per game and also 24 touchdowns.

The Cardinal puts up just under 50 points per game and just over 500 yards of total offense, making them very dangerous. Oregon, however, is led by QB Darron Thomas and RB LaMichael James, both coming off injuries. Even without these two for a short time, the Ducks offense continued to produce. This team has put up over 320 yards rushing per game with 22 touchdowns, easily outdoing Stanford on the ground.

In the air, though, Oregon is much weaker, only accumulating 215 yards per game and 21 touchdowns.

Overall, Oregon is a stronger, more potent offense, racking up over 530 yards total offense per game and scoring just over 48 points per game.

Defensively, Stanford seems the much stronger team. It only allows 17 points per game and 330 yards. Even with Oregon's strong rushing game, the Cardinal doesn't even allow 85 yards on the ground per game. Additionally, the passing game is deterred to 245 yards per game, just above what Oregon usually throws for. 

On the Ducks side, they allow just 20 points per game and just under 390 yards. They are much better at defending the run, holding teams on average to 160 yards per game. Passing-wise, Oregon allows 225 yards in the air per game. 

Oregon has the advantage here, though, for a reason. Stanford has failed to play any tough teams this year, only facing one ranked opponent in No. 25 Washington. Oregon, however, has taken on No. 1 LSU and No. 21 Arizona State.

With the experience of two strong offensive weapons in James and Thomas, the Ducks take out the undefeated Cardinal in a high-octane game.

Oregon 48 Stanford 45

Nov. 19 vs USCJust after taking on Stanford in Palo Alto, the Ducks get to travel back to Oregon to face the USC Trojans. With a win over the Cardinal, this will be Oregon's last real test before heading into the Pac-12 Championship game.

Offensively, Oregon again has the advantage. USC only scores 32 points and 430 yards per game. Additionally, its pass offense is strong with just under 290 yards per game. However, the rushing game is somewhat lacking, only putting up 185 yards per game.

The Ducks and their super fast offense is much more potent than the opposing Trojan offense.

On the other side of the ball, these two teams are much more even. USC allows just 26 points and 376 yards per game. The Trojans only allow 100 yards per game on the ground and just over 270 in the air, making them slightly weaker than the Ducks.

USC has two losses on the year, both to ranked teams within its conference. The Trojans will retain another after they visit Oregon, allowing the offense to run rampant all over them. The Ducks will walk in with no conference losses and leave the same way.

Oregon 42 USC 31

Conclusion

The Ducks will walk away this season as the first Pac-12 Champion, winning their second consecutive championship (Pac-10 last year). They are destined to end up in Los Angeles for the Rose Bowl, facing a bigtime Nebraska team.

After seeing injuries to two great superstars and an opening season loss to LSU, this team surging back is exactly what Chip Kelly needs to keep his team on course for future success.

Watch out for Oregon over the next couple of years as it continues to produce some of the best squads in the nation.