On the Docket: Oregon-Oregon State

Where: Oregon

When: Thursday 7:30

Why it matters: Because it has everything a college football game will ever need. It’s one of the most heated rivalries in the nation, and this year it is the de facto Pac-10 Championship Game. The winner of Thursday night’s game will clinch the conference title and secure a spot in the Rose Bowl opposite Ohio State.

Neither team has been to the Rose Bowl in quite a while. This will be the first time since 2001 that a team not named USC finished on top of the conference.

Oregon comes in with a high-powered offense, led by the ground game combination of Jeremiah Masoli and LaMichael James. The duo has accounted for 1929 yards rushing this season and 23 touchdowns.

The Beavers feature an outstanding running game of their own, led by sophomore Jacquizz Rodgers. Rodgers is averaging 5.5 yards per carry while racking up 1313 yards in his first 11 games.

Just because the two teams rely heavily on the running game during this era of pass-happy spread offenses, don’t think they both can’t light up the scoreboard.

Oregon is seventh in the country in scoring at 37.7 points per game, while the Beavers are 21^st with 32.4.

Oregon State has the more productive passing game with senior quarterback Sean Canfield. With Canfield under center, Oregon State is averaging 291 yards passing per game.

Oregon State also boasts the best run defense in the Pac-10, holding opponents to 98.5 yards per game.

The Ducks have had mixed results against superb running backs this season. On Sept. 26, Oregon held Cal’s Jahvid Best to 55 yards on 16 carries in a 42-3 win. Last month against Stanford, Toby Gerhart gashed the Ducks for 223 yards and three touchdowns. The Cardinal shocked Oregon 51-42.

Against teams that like to run the ball, the Beavers have fared remarkably well. They beat Stanford 38-28 and California 31-14. All three of their losses have come to teams that have a passing-oriented offense (Cincinnati, Arizona, USC).

Player to watch: Jeremiah Masoli’s performance is the key to this game. If he is able to throw the football with any success, the Ducks should celebrate late Thursday night.

If Oregon State is able to crowd the box with seven or eight defenders and play the Ducks’ running game, it will be a tough game.

Masoli has been one of the most clutch players this season, and hasn’t received nearly enough credit for it. He led the fourth-quarter comeback against Arizona two weeks ago, and also came up with huge drives in wins against Purdue and Utah.

He has played his best in the spotlight, so expecting him to play well against the Beavers is not far-fetched.

Who has the edge? If this were a neutral field game, I would take Oregon State in a heartbeat. I love the underdog in rivalry games, but because its at the “Autzen Zoo” in Eugene, it’s hard to give the Beavers an edge. On paper, Oregon State surprisingly matches up very favorably with the Ducks.

However, Chip Kelly is a better in-game coach than Mike Riley, even in his first year on the job. He’ll have an excellent game plan to score lots of points.

Also, Masoli is far more experienced than Canfield in atmospheres like the one this game will have. This game is literally too close to call.

Prediction: Oregon 41, Oregon State 37

Five teams with the most to lose

Here it is: the final Saturday of the 2009 regular season is upon us. With this final weekend come nail-biting rivalry matchups that pose the potential to alter the college football landscape.

On Saturday there is only one game featuring ranked teams, Utah at BYU.

Nevermind that factoid, ladies and gents; instead, be wary of the underdog adversaries chomping at the bit to ruin someone’s season.

Five teams will step on the field Saturday with little to gain on the national stage, but so much more to lose.

1.    LSU (vs. Arkansas, 7:00)

In a single two-minute span, the Tigers’ program toppled the first domino in a stack that has yet to cease falling yet. Les Miles has gone from the “Ice Man” of coaching to the “worst coach to ever win a national championship” in some circles.

If LSU beats Arkansas Saturday night, it’s business as usual for Tiger fans, but you can bet they’ll still be fuming over the circus that was the LSU sideline in the final seconds of the Tigers’ loss to Ole Miss last week.

If the Hogs knock off LSU, it will put the stamp on an official late-season choke job by Miles and his team. The man who two years ago was begged by the fan base to stay in Baton Rouge would be boiling in water hotter than a Cajun grill outside Tiger Stadium on a Saturday afternoon.

Although its highly unlikely that Miles’ job is on the line this weekend, you never know what a tough loss to the rival Hogs could stir up in the Bayou.

2.    Miami (vs. South Florida, 3:30)

Every time the Hurricanes seem to get back on track after a tough loss, they falter once more. After a tough loss at North Carolina, Miami rebounded with a strong finish to a 34-16 win over Duke.

Now Miami faces a tricky test in its final regular season contest. If all signs aren’t pointing straight towards a Hurricane flop, they’re leaning that way.

The game has little to no implications on Miami’s postseason fate.

This is South Florida’s first shot at Miami since 2005, and only the second meeting of the two ever. This is the first time the teams have gotten together since the Bulls’ emergence as a legitimate threat on the national stage.

The Bulls already knocked around Florida State in a 17-7 win in October, and are salivating at the chance to go 2-0 against the big boys in the state. Can you spell r-e-c-r-u-i-t-i-n-g t-o-o-l?

Basically, the Bulls have the world to gain from a win, while Miami has nothing. If Randy Shannon is worth the $2 million on his annual paychecks, he’ll find a way to motivate his team to reach its first nine-win season since 2005.

3.    Georgia Tech (vs. Georgia, 8:00)

Like Miami, the Yellow Jackets’ holiday destination won’t be decided by their game this weekend. For Tech, it’s about taking a tighter grip on the state of Georgia with another victory of the Bulldogs. Last year, it was Tech shocking the Bulldogs 45-42.

It may not be as much about what Tech would lose in this game, but more about what they would fail to gain.

Along with greater recruiting power in the area, the Jackets could force some turmoil in their rival’s program. Mark Richt is already on thin ice with Georgia boosters, and an embarrassing loss to the in-state rival Jackets is not exactly the remedy.

A big win by the Yellow Jackets on Saturday evening would make it even harder to remember how just two short years ago, the Bulldogs ruled everything in the Peach State, while Tech was a mere afterthought. All because a little old coach from the Naval Academy brought his antique offense to play with the big boys.

4.    Clemson (vs. South Carolina, 12:00)

This is a momentum game for the Tigers. South Carolina is a decided underdog at home, but a worthy opponent nonetheless. The Gamecocks are the type of team that will require a strong effort from Dabo Swinney’s squad to come out on top.

If Clemson manages to impress in a big rivalry win, they could very well go into Tampa next week and knock off Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game. The Tigers have been a team to ride momentum as far as possible for many years now, and 2009 is no different. They have caught fire at the right time; now it is simply of matter of how long they can keep burning.

A loss to the hated Gamecocks would be hard to recover from in a week’s time. Clemson needs one final confidence-booster before the conference title showdown next week. The only problem is a loss would be a confidence-demoralizer. It’s a must-win of the most unique kind this Saturday.

5.    Washington (vs. Washington State, 6:30)

Was it really two months ago when Washington was one play away from being 3-2 after playing Notre Dame? Instead, the Irish escaped with the overtime win over the Huskies. Washington rebounded the next week to beat Arizona 36-33, and have not tasted victory since.

Steve Sarkisian, once the taste of the town in Seattle, is now back to square one with his program. The Huskies sit at 3-7, 2-5 in the Pac-10 with two games to play. Three of their losses have come by a touchdown or less.

Right now, the Huskies are a clear example of a team that just does not know quite how to win yet, which is understandable, after last year’s 0-12 debacle.

As Sarkisian gets players more tuned to his style, and flat-out more talented, those close losses will turn into wins, and 3-7 will turn into 6-4, which will then turn into 8-2.

All of that being said, much of the optimism surrounding the Washington program remaining after this four-game skid would vanish with a loss to the pathetic Cougars.

Washington State has one of the worst defenses in America, and its hard to imagine them beating any team from a BCS conference. This is still an intrastate rivalry game, though, which means anything can happen.

If State stunned the Northwest with a win, it would bring Sarkisian and the Huskies crashing down to rock bottom. The nice thing is they are quite familiar there, but nobody can honestly say they saw it coming after the red-hot September they enjoyed.

Words of wisdom for Washington: save yourself the misery and take care of business Saturday afternoon.

Reveling in Rivalry’s Reverie

I don’t get it.

As school ceases operations for Thanksgiving, my teachers seem to have forgotten the word “break” follows “Thanksgiving” in the term. Now I have papers, projects, and tests to be ready for as soon as “break” is over.

This is severely ruining my rivalry week plans. Don’t those teachers know this is the week where local legends are made? When “the band is on the field!?” When backup quarterback becomes Stephen McGee, the guy who beat those dadgumm Longhorns? When five foot-nothing quarterback becomes Doug Flutie, Heisman Trophy winner?

Awesome. Now I have to do all this work in three days, so I can enjoy my turkey and football in peace. Thanks a lot, teach.

Here’s a look at the best rivalries reuniting this weekend. These might not be the best games of the week, just the most tradition-rich games on the slate. Professors be damned, I’ll be watching every minute of them.

Auburn-Alabama, Friday 2:30 (CBS)

The Iron Bowl is a game every kid in the state of Alabama grows up playing in his backyard. I guarantee you an eight-year-old Julio Jones stood in the street snagging passes from Andrew Zow. He also doubled as touchdown machine Shaun Alexander, bruising through the Tiger defense.

Jones is one of the lucky few that gets to live out his dream on Friday in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Every single resident of the state feels this game’s impact; ask anyone and they’ll tell you this rivalry lasts 365 days a year. No matter the stakes, bragging rights is always tops on the perks of winning this game.

Beyond that, this year’s game has the intrigue of Bama’s undefeated season being on the line. Auburn has revitalized its offense this season under coordinator Gus Malzahn, and will surely have a few tricks up its sleeve for this game. The Tigers would love nothing more than to end the Tide’s national title dreams before they even get to Atlanta for the conference championship game.

Oklahoma State-Oklahoma, Saturday 12:30

The Cowboys have not felt victory in this game since 2002, when they knocked off the eighth-ranked Sooners for perhaps the biggest victory in the Les Miles era. This game dates back nearly a century, and lately has featured some of the best offensive players to play college football.

This year is a chance for payback for the Cowboys. The Sooners are crumbling down the stretch with losses to Nebraska and Texas Tech in the last three weeks. Oklahoma State has surrendered over 35 points to the Sooners five times in the last seven years. This year, Oklahoma’s has practically been playing with its backups due to injuries across the board. That means it is State’s chance to turn the tide on its hated rivals and dish out the punishment.

Arkansas-LSU, Saturday, 7:00 (ESPN)

This is usually the Friday afternoon delight, but now has moved to Saturday night. The theme of this game in recent years has been upsets. Just last season, a struggling LSU’s still had dreams of a New Year’s Day bowl game, only to lose 31-30 to sub-.500 Arkansas.

In 2007, Darren McFadden dominated the Tigers as the Razorbacks had seemingly ended LSU’s hopes of a national championship (oh that’s right, the BcS still managed to fit the Tigers into the title game).

In 2006, 9-2 LSU went into Fayetteville and ruined 10-1 Arkansas’ outside shot at a national championship. Casey Dick went 3-for-17 passing that game, and Hog Nation still has out a search party for his capture (Arkansas would go on to lose to Florida the following week anyway. Dick’s stat line? 10-for-22 and two interceptions).

So, if history is any indication, the Razorbacks have a great shot at handing the Tigers two losses in as many weeks in Baton Rouge. Les Miles is already starting to hear the grumblings of the alumni after forgetting the concept of time, trying to spike the ball with one second left on the clock in a 25-23 loss to Ole Miss. If the Tigers do indeed fall again, it may be all she wrote for Miles.

Georgia-Georgia Tech, Saturday, 8:00 (ABC)

Clean, old-fashioned hate. What a moniker for a game, right? Well, the only thing the Yellow Jackets have hated this decade is being owned in this series by the Bulldogs. Paul Johnson put an end to the program’s misery, toppling Georgia last season 45-42.

That win in 2008 was a surprise. In one short season, the tables have turned in regards to who owns this state. Johnson has the Jackets standing at 10-1 and ranked seventh in the country. Mark Richt is just trying to make it through the season with a 6-5 record at the moment and calls from the donors for his termination.

After giving up 28 second-half points to Kentucky last week, Georgia has little hope of stopping the force that is the Jackets’ triple option attack. Johnson should just about be able to name the score in this one, theoretically. But don’t underestimate the power of Georgia’s players to rally around their coach one last time in the program’s most important annual game.