USC vs Oregon: Ducks Will Jump into No. 2 Spot with Win Over Trojans

After losing to the No. 1 LSU Tigers to open the season, it looked like it would be an up-hill climb for the Oregon Ducks to get back to the National Championship Game for a second straight season. With a win over the USC Trojans, however, it is a real possibility.

LSU remains undefeated, but No. 2 Oklahoma State shockingly went down against the Iowa State Cyclones on Friday night, opening the door for a one-loss team to move up to No. 2. While Alabama is currently ranked No. 3, the Crimson Tide were unimpressive against FCS Georgia Southern.

No. 4 Oregon has cruised since losing by 13 to LSU in the season's opening week. Beating the 8-2 Trojans won't be easy, but if the Ducks can get past USC, then they will likely only need to beat Oregon State and either Arizona State or UCLA in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

USC's potent passing attack piloted by quarterback Matt Barkley will be a challenge for Oregon to stop, but star wide receiver Robert Woods may be unable to play. Regardless, if Oregon's offense plays up to its potential, then there is no reason why the Ducks shouldn't come out on top.

Quarterback Darron Thomas and running back LaMichael James seem to be all the way back from the injuries that plagued them a few weeks back. The Ducks have continued to blow out inferior opponents and rank third in the nation in scoring offense.

The Trojans will be up for this game since they aren't eligible for the Pac-12 Championship or any bowl games. This means that they may view facing Oregon as their National Championship. Even so, I don't believe USC's defense is good enough to keep Thomas, James and co. in check.

USC's defense is only average in terms of points allowed despite the fact that they have had to contend with a pretty weak schedule. Aside from Stanford, the Trojans have yet to see an offense as dominant as Oregon's.

Also, the Ducks proved to be very underrated defensively as they neutralized Stanford and their Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Andrew Luck. Nobody had been able to solve Luck to that point, and while Oregon did allow 30 points, the Cardinal were never in the game.

Some may say that Oregon doesn't deserve a shot at the National Championship since it already lost to LSU. The same can be said for Alabama, though. Ultimately, I think consecutive wins over Stanford and USC will carry a lot of weight in the computers, making the Ducks the team to beat in terms of the No. 2 spot in the rankings.