Early Look at #1 DUCKS at BEAVS | PAC-12 Power Rankings

1st, to all my counterpart Duck Nation colleagues & contemporaries (Goodfella, et al),

Congratulations...

w/Oregon Ducks Football Program success, and 
Rising to Consensus #1 Team in College Football

Your Ducks have dominated PAC-12 & College Football for many years running

Even w/season not over (4 Big Ones Left), yet
Oregon named as consensus AP #1 Team earlier today

Nothing short of dazzling

Proud as we are of our school & alma mater, Oregon State Beavers (2012 season especially),

I’m truly envious.

PAC-12 POWER RANKINGS

Home Stretch.
Gonna go ahead & drop in Way-Out-West Power Rankings
(Local Mid-Valley Media Group dozen amateur & professionals)

PAC-12 FOOTBALL Week 11 Games crossed me up a bit
Lost w/Utah & Stanford (albeit a ½ point Beaver Cover) &
Admittedly leaned Arizona State & UCLA Covering, as well

Oregon took a lot longer than expected
To produce our only clear cover of the Conference Games we were sided

Two biggest weekend developments:

1.  STANFORD's 27-23 GRITTY HOME COMEBACK WIN OVER OREGON STATE

Cardinal win PAC-12 North ‘elimination’ Game
Stanford takes down #11 Oregon State, 27-23
Sets up Week 12, PAC-12 North Title Game in Eugene

Cardinal overcame 4 disastrous turnovers
OSU again survived early double-figure deficit (0-14)
OSU couldn’t hold a 2-Score, 2ND Half Lead

Beavers 2ND straight week, persevere after falling behind by double-digits
WEEK 10 vs. AzSt, OSU scored 26 consecutive points to overcome 3-14 hole
WEEK 11, OSU suffered their largest deficit of 2012 Season, 0-14 (1Q)
OSU then mounted a 23-0 scoring blitz to respond w/23-14 lead, Mid-3Q

Nevertheless, an enduring axiom,
‘Gaining 3’s in place of of 7’s; especially dicey for road dog’

Such was case for Oregon State at Stanford in Week 11
Even Beavers 23 Unanswered Beaver points were suspect under further scrutiny

Three of the Beavers 5 Drives stalled deep in SU Territory &
Over Half of OSU’s Drives resulted in FG’s,

Stanford stayed in reach
Cardinal were perfect in Red-Zone,
SU: 4-4, w/all TD’s in Red Zone Saturday vs. OSU

Stanford’s balance was a large key
STAN RB Taylor cutting up OSU’s Front-7 for Over 120 Yds on just 19 Carries
Cardinal were surprisingly proficient on the ground vs. Run-Strong OSU DL

Overall, Stanford outgained OSU by 102 Yards &
Stanford’s New QB Hogan proved to be self-assured after 2 early INT’s
Hogan settled down & in the end, was remarkably efficient
Hitting on 75% of his passes, including the go-ahead late 4Q TD

2 Cruel 2012 losses for OSU | “Two slipped away”

OSU’s 2 Losses by 7 Total Points;
Separating Oregon State Beavers from a perfect, unbeaten 9-0 Season

Though every Beaver game has been relatively close
(Beavers Trailed or were tied in Second Half, more than ½ their Wins)
Two Beaver road losses at Washington and at Stanford
Unspeakably painful here in Beaver Territory

Especially on THE day ‘Nike-U’ anointed #1 Team in College Football?
The “what-if’s” are vivid & palpable for everyone in Beaverland today

2.  OREGON (FINALLY) CONSENSUS #1

Obviously, Bama losing to A&M, essentially sealed Ducks path to BCS-Title Gm
If Oregon takes care of their remaining games:
        1.  Nov. 17: Oregon hosts Stanford for PAC-12 North Title
        2.  Nov. 24: Oregon at Oregon State in Civil War
        3.  Dec 1: Oregon hosts PAC-12 Title Game at Autzen Stadium*
             (w/win at home vs. Stanford)
(*Oregon will host winner of Week 12’s UCLA So Cal)

POWER RATINGS

1. OREGON
Ducks finally reach #1; now w/o need for style points or ‘Help’
The REAL Saturday gem for Oregon came
w/prospects of a Title Game with ANYONE except Alabama
Oregon was reportedly ‘walking on eggshells’
Till Chip Kelly broke the ice;
Informed his team that Alabama had indeed lost, &
Team could openly talk about the taboo subjects, such as:

Oregon will be consensus #1
Oregon will conceivably stay #1 for 2 Months
Oregon will be Odds-on-Favorite to Win the Title

MOST IMPORTANTLY
ALABAMA NOW NEEDS ABUNDANT HELP TO REACH BCS TITLE GAME
This is/was KEY for Oregon
Couldn’t have hoped for a better Oregon outcome than possibly MISSING Tide
Then, Alabama NOT ONLY LOSES…THEY Lose IN MID-NOVEMBER?!

Realistically, even though A&M Racked up an astonishing 20-0 lead
The Tide began to get traction on Manzel & the Ags Spread
ONLY ALABAMA (IN OREGON’s collective Mindset)
Has Defensive Speed & schemes to TRULY, POSSIBLY slow ORE Offense
Alabama tackles so well ‘in space’

Now, even though fans & voters still might hope to see Tide vs. Ducks
Wildly remote that 1-Loss Alabama Team could EVER Jump K-State

ND gotta still be on outside, we’d have to conclude (& hope)
Even if Domers’ hammer So Cal by more than 11 (Oregon’s Margin)
Domers vs. Ducks would be Ducks coronation….

WORST of all SCENARIOS?

Baylor somehow pulling 2011 Iowa State-Style Week 12 Shocker
Leaving us w/NOTRE DAME vs. OREGON?
No offense to Jeff Scott / Lou Holtz’es of the College Football Universe,
Yet, Football Fans would have to hope
A 1-Loss Alabama Team would leapfrog Notre Dame after Tide beats UGa
(Might cause hysteria amongst Domer Faithful)
EARLY CAPPING: 11/24 ORE at ORST (CIVIL WAR)
Must add….as a Beaver Fan,
Scenario of a #1 Oregon Team coming to Reser & losing?
Isn’t as far-fetched as folks might think

IF ANY COACH can devise a game plan to disrupt Oregon?
It could be Mike Riley

OSU Staff engineered & implemented Game Plans w/in the last Decade
That took down College Football’s #1 Team (So Cal | Twice)

HOW COULD THIS OSU TEAM 'STAY w/UO'?

1. OSU’s 2012 Defensive Speed

If nothing else, is explosive & truly well disciplined in open-field tackling
I wasn’t convinced of this…till watching OSU DL’s Crighton & Doctor
AT FIELD LEVEL vs. Arizona State
Developing superb leverage on the edges & disrupting ASU’s Spread instantaneously
Crashing the Pocket & not allowing ASU good sight of the Left & Right Tackle Reads

2. Motivation

After BEAVERS LOST to Stanford
OSU’s feint Rose Bowl hopes were dashed
An OSU WIN vs. Stanford (and vs. Cal Week 12)
May have resulted in far less driving force for Beavers; thus, net-negative

OREGON STATE’s vs. OREGON from purely for motivational aspect,
Should be high as ever here in 2012

Had OSU Beat Stanford then Cal,
A BEAVER LOSS to Oregon, whilst sitting at 10-1
May not have changed Beavers destination in that case

In fact, it would have “forced” Beavers into PAC-12 Title Game, also
Losing to #1 Oregon (in that case) wouldn’t set Beavers Back enough to lose Rose Bowl

Follow?

No matter; parenthetically…
OSU NOW enters TWO-WEEKS almost exclusive preparation for #1 OREGON
Mike Riley’s Beavers: 5-1 (ATS & S-U) in Bowls
Further, Riley’s Beavers are 19-5 ATS ‘With Time’

w/OREGON (by their own admission) ‘walking on eggshells’ around Chipper
w/3 of 4 Oregon Defensive Down Lineman OUT or very banged up

THINK OREGON TAKES DELIGHT IN COMING INTO RESER ON 11/24/12?
NEEDING TO WIN TO STAY #1 IN BCS-TITLE GAME?
A WEEK AFTER FACING #14 STANFORD?
A WEEK BEFORE HOSTING #15-ish UCLA? (or #20-ish SC ..again?)
BEING SO BANGED-UP DEFENSIVELY?
FACING BEAVER TEAM W/ANTAGONISTIC, SPREAD-TESTED GAMBLING DEFENSE?

(Of course, Chipper would tell us, Hell yes, bring it on)

Oregon has been unstoppable Offensively…so it may not matter one small bit
I have a suspicion it MIGHT & WILL matter at some point over next 3 Weeks
That occurrence might as well be in Corvallis on November 24, 2012

I seriously LIKE the Oregon State side ‘texture’
Of the Civil War Game as from Beaver Fan AND EVEN MORE, as a Handicapper

Just sayin….

PAC-12 POWER RANKINGS THRU WEEK 11

1. OREGON 
AP #1 Ducks, Even w/Defensive injuries, w/Bama loss, UO arguably Nat’l Title Favorites

2. STANFORD 
Edge to Cardinal based on HTH over UCLA

2. UCLA 
Virtual Tie; Finally Ranked AHEAD of SC in AP, heading into Cross-Town Rivalry

4. OREGON STATE 
What-If’’s galore; '3’s instead of 7’s, Two Rd L’s by 7-Total-Pts keep Beavs from 9-0

5. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 
Spoiler. Underachieving Trojans have faint heartbeat

6. WASHINGTON 
Not convinced Dawgs have turned any corners, even 6-4 w/toughest Schedule in PAC-12

7. ARIZONA 
On the upsurge, Pass Defense too poor to get Cat’s in Upper Tier

8. ARIZONA STATE 
Slipping away under duress of harsh back ½ of Schedule

9. UTAH 
Regrouping Utes once again cannot muster Offensive punch w/Freshman QB

10. CALIFORNIA 
Unmitigated underachievement & inconsistency should cost Tedford his Job

11. WASHINGTON STATE 
Turbulent & WINLESS PAC-12, Yr-1 for dangerously loose-lipped HC Leach

11. COLORADO 
CU only W: Wild comeback at Wzu | Buffs are 'Rock-Bottom, Hot Mess' in need of makeover


W-O-W