Oregon Football: Ducks Have Much to Gain in Tonight's Matchup Against USC

The Oregon Ducks football team has a great chance to improve not only this year's team, but their team for years to come.

With Oklahoma State's loss last night to the unranked Iowa State Cyclones, there is now a vacancy for the No. 2 spot in the rankings.

Oregon's primary competition is Alabama, currently ranked third.

The Ducks have Alabama beat in their matchup today.

Oregon will take on USC, ranked 18th in the AP Poll, while Alabama scheduled Georgia Southern.

While many SEC schools schedule weaker foes toward the end of the season, Oregon closed up the toughest part of their schedule with away games at Washington and Stanford before returning home to face USC.

If the Ducks can win in a big fashion against USC, then I think that the voters will be much more inclined to rank them ahead of Alabama.

If not, the Ducks still have a safety net to get a rematch with LSU in New Orleans.

The Crimson Tide have their Iron Bowl matchup at Auburn next week—a game where there really are no favorites. Add the fact that the Ducks will have the chance to play in a conference championship game, and the Ducks actually have a much better chance of grabbing the No. 2 spot.

That extra game will give the Ducks more momentum in the eyes of the voters—which in the end is exactly what they need.

In regards to helping out their team in the future, Oregon has several big-time recruits visiting this weekend for the USC game, including former USC commit Arik Armstead.

Here is a list of the recruits visiting this weekend.

Armstead can play either defensive lineman or offensive tackle, and would give the Ducks that physical presence that they need in the trenches.

If Oregon wins big tonight against USC, they gain some big-time recruits and will move up in the polls.

Win-win situation, right?