Andrew Luck and Stanford's Secret Weapon Against Oregon

The hype machine is in full gear for Saturday’s highly anticipated Pac-12 clash between unbeaten Stanford and the 8-1 Oregon Ducks. ESPN's College GameDay will be on campus for the game, a first for Stanford, which is ranked fourth in the current BCS poll. Oregon is seventh, according to the BCS. This showdown may decide the Pac-12 and has proverbial BCS implications.

(By the way, does BCS stand for Better Choose SEC? Or is that just paranoid thinking?) 

Stanford has Luck. Andrew Luck. And maybe the best OL and TEs this side of the NFL, along with a four-headed monster at RB—Stepfan Taylor, Tyler Gaffney, Anthony Wilkerson and Jeremy Stewart.  And, the Wes Welker-esque Griff Whalen at WR. 

Oregon has a vroom-vroom, viral offense, featuring QB Darron Thomas, RBs LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas and wide receiver Josh Huff. Oh, and those technicolor uniforms.

However, there are some not-so-obvious wild-card factors that could favor Stanford. 

First, Stanford Stadium, where the playing surface is natural grass. Oregon has played only one other night game this season on natural grass, back on Sept. 24 at Arizona. And that night, the Tucson temperature at kickoff was a blistering 90 degrees and the stadium grass was likely dry and fast.

Next, there's the 5 p.m. kickoff. 

What difference does a November night game make? 

Could be plenty. First, unlike the Ducks’ visit to Tucson, game-time temperatures for this Saturday in Palo Alto are forecast to be down in the 50s, and heading lower as the game progresses, with some chance of rain.

And, a little-known fact about the playing surface at Stanford Stadium: It’s below ground level. Almost 30 feet below ground level. So, rain or no rain, after sundown, at 30 feet below ground level, the natural grass will. Be. Damp.

A wet grass field can help Stanford, as its offense relies heavily on the power running game and pinpoint play-action passing of Luck to his TEs. 

In contrast, the skittish Nike-clad Ducks, who like to swoosh and dart around the field like a pinball machine, would much prefer a dry, fast track. 

Sorry, not gonna happen. May the better nighttime, cold weather, wet grass field team win.