Why Oregon's road to BCS title game is tough

Why Oregon's road to BCS title game is tough

Hold your applause but Ross Cockrell Youth Jersey this, as you likely know, is the final season for the notorious Bowl Championship Series. OK, you can go ahead.

Now that you have that out of your system, we address what you probably see on Sunday when the first BCS rankings of the season are released. We never played their reindeer games; we always cheated and gotten the jump with Jerry Palm replica which helped make him so popular and in demand that he now works for CBS Sports. If only their graphics people had resisted the urge to better Jerry site and just left it alone.

Anyway, with a major showdown upcoming today, here are a few takeaways from Jerry rankings which are damned close to the real thing. Nebraska; 25. Michigan; 28. Michigan State; 29. Wisconsin.

Worth mentioning: As dim a view as Harris and Coaches poll voters take of the Big Ten, the computers like the league even less. If it were strictly up to the computers, nobody but Ohio State from the B1G would be in the top 25. 2 on Sunday. But that means nothing. Palm has assured me Oregon computer and pollster strength will eventually carry the Ducks back into the No. 2 spot as long as they remain unbeaten.

It not a skip in the meadow for the Ducks. After an expected homecoming walk over against Wazoo today in Eugene, they have UCLA at home next week, then a bye, then a trip to Stanford for a Thursday night ESPN game on Nov. 7. (More on the Bruins and Cardinal in a sec.)

If they get by that, the Ducks still have to clear pesky RichRod at Arizona in Tucson, the always nutty Civil War at home with Oregon State and their dark horse Heisman candidate Sean Mannion, then a Pac 12 playoff against the South winner. Not easy. If Oregon makes it through that, they deserve a trip to Pasadena for the national title game on Jan. 6.

Which brings us to the semi showdown in the Pac 12 with UCLA at Stanford (3:30 ESPN2). The Bruins have a really good QB who hasn gotten much pub in Arizonan Brett Hundley. They must not only travel to Palo Alto this week but Eugene next week. If they can just split, then beat Arizona State on Nov. 23 in the Rose Bowl, they are realistically a cinch for the Pac 12 South title which probably means another shot at Oregon or Stanford in the conference title game.

I think it going to be very hard to beat the Bruins twice. Maybe they aren the most talented team in the Pac 12, but they could sneak up on everyone including the Ducks or Cardinal when it counts most.

For Oregon, it might well mean the difference between a shot at Bama and someone like Florida State or Ohio State or even Texas A getting the Tide instead.

Finally, remember what I said to you Penn State fans a few weeks ago about not needing to feel too badly about the loss to Central Florida? That the Knights might have the best QB Penn State would see all season, not to mention a great shot at a BCS bowl bid?

Following last night 38 35 road win at Preston Brown Jersey American Conference favorite Louisville (on the Cardinals homecoming, no less), the 5 1 Knights now are in the driver seat for a deserving trip to the Orange Bowl. Their only loss was 28 25 to South Carolina. Their only road games remaining: at 0 6 Temple and at 1 4 Southern Methodist.