Oregon vs Oregon State: Ducks Will Rout Hapless Beavers En Route to Pac-12 Title

The No. 10 Oregon Ducks may have blown their chance to play for the BCS National Championship by losing to the USC Trojans by three points last week, but their BCS bowl hopes aren't over by a long shot. Provided they beat the Oregon State Beavers this week, the Ducks will play for the Pac-12 Championship.

A win is an absolute must as a loss would send the No. 6 Stanford Cardinal to the title game. The Ducks are a half-game behind the Cardinal in the Pac-12 standings currently, but own the tiebreaker by virtue of their easy win over Stanford a few weeks ago.

The Ducks will have to come out on top in an always-difficult rivalry game against Oregon State in order to face what looks to be UCLA or Arizona State for the Pac-12 title, but the Beavers have struggled mightily this season to the tune of a 3-8 record.

With that said, the Ducks are clearly the superior team and also have the benefit of hosting Oregon State. The Beavers are just 82nd in the nation in scoring defense as they allow over 29 points per game, which is a recipe for disaster against the explosive Oregon offense.

The Ducks haven't scored fewer than 34 points since a Week 1 loss to the No. 1 LSU Tigers and it doesn't seem likely that their streak will be snapped against the Beavers. Quarterback Darron Thomas should give Oregon State headaches all day, as should the dominant running back tandem of LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner.

Even some of the nation's better defenses have been unable to figure out the Ducks' spread-option attack, so there is no reason to believe that the Beavers will. With that said, though, Oregon simply cannot afford to take this game lightly in the least.

The Ducks fell just short of winning the BCS National Championship last season, so it would be very easy for them to look past a three-win Oregon State team, especially with the Pac-12 Championship Game on the horizon.

Head coach Chip Kelly must make sure that his team is fully aware that a loss on Saturday knocks them out of contention completely. While it is understandable that the Ducks are probably let down about failing in their national championship bid, the season would still be considered a success with a Pac-12 title and Rose Bowl appearance.

Ultimately the Beavers don't have the playmakers on offense to hurt the Ducks or the playmakers on defense to stop Oregon's offense. Provided the Ducks play the way they have on offense all season long, a trip to the Pac-12 Championship Game is all but guaranteed.