Rose Bowl A No-Win Situation For Ohio State

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

BROOKLYN -- I'm no fortune teller, but I already know what people are going to be saying about Ohio State after it plays a very dangerous Oregon team in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.

If the Bucks beat the Ducks, everyone outside Columbus, particularly those in southern states, will say, "Oh yeah, now you win a Rose Bowl when USC has an off year."

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YOUR THOUGHTS: Rose Bowl Prediction?

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If OSU loses, even more people will hurl their weak insults toward the Buckeyes, something in the manner of: "They suck; they can't even beat Oregon."

You know what? Not many teams would be able to beat Oregon this year. That is an excellent football team. I spent a week in Eugene in October and immediately developed a man-crush on that entire football program.

Just because USC had a bad year by its standards doesn't mean the Trojans are suddenly a bad team. Not many people can do to Pete Carroll what Chip Kelly and the Ducks scared up for him on Halloween night at Autzen Stadium. That was a thorough shellacking delivered by an excellent Ducks team.

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I think the Rose Bowl will be one of the most exciting of all the bowls this holiday season. If Ohio State wins, the Bucks can know they beat a very good team and take the momentum into the offseason, and the countdown will commence with immense confidence eight months before their big game against Jacory Harris and Miami.

If Ohio State loses, it won't be because it plays in the Big Ten or because Jim Tressel can't win a big game. It will be because Oregon will have been better on one particular day. One game. One day. A winner and a loser. It's a lot simpler than the many haters allow it to be.

USC at Oregon: The Day In Pictures

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

EUGENE, Oregon -- Last week was a pretty interesting one for me. I had credential requests in at both Oregon and Oklahoma State, but hadn't heard back from either, so I just rolled the dice and booked a surprisingly cheap one-way flight last Sunday for Eugene on Monday.

And just as I pulled my rental car up to the fine folks at Enterprise, hustling into the airport to make my cross-country trek, the Blackberry beeped and it was Oregon University telling me they had no room on the sideline for me for Saturday's game at Autzen Stadium against USC.

And then a day or two later, I checked my Junk e-mail folder and found that my credential request for Texas-Oklahoma State had been approved.

But I stayed in Eugene and hit a practice one day, and took in the town for a few more, and was invited by a nice bartender to buy his extra ticket at face value. So my dude Tim and I hit the game yesterday, and I was lucky to learn first-hand what all the fuss is about at Autzen Stadium. It really was the zoo I heard it was going to be, and add to that the fact that many were rockin' some unusual Halloween looks.

So if you want some USC-Oregon visuals, here are some pictures from the game -- most from 38 rows up -- and more images of UO fans sporting their holiday finest. And of course, check back Monday for an updated Hot Girls of College Football gallery.

Ducks Embarrass Trojans, 47-20

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

EUGENE, Oregon -- Jeremiah Masoli is no doctor, but he seemed to dress up as one on national TV in Oregon's Halloween blowout of visiting USC at Autzen Stadium last night.

With surgical precision, the Ducks quarterback (pictured, right, scoring a first-quarter touchdown) carved up the Trojans defense for 386 total yards and a pair of touchdowns as the home team took control of the PAC 10 race and handed USC its biggest loss of the Pete Carroll era, 47-20.

Masoli passed for 222 yards and a score and ran for 164 more yards and another touchdown as Oregon outscored Southern Cal 23-3 in the second half and improved to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in the conference. The Ducks piled up 613 yards of total offense, including 391 rushing yards.

Redshirt freshman LaMichael James, who took over at running back for LeGarrette Blount after the Boise debacle, picked up 183 yards and a touchdown against a USC defense that was ranked fifth best against the run, allowing only 80 yards a game.

Masoli and James have been leading an offense that's probably playing better than anyone in the country, and Oregon's defense has been no slouch either. The Ducks Saturday night played aggressively and held the high-flying USC offense to 327 total yards.

"It was a real mess for us tonight," Pete Carroll told reporters after the game. "Oregon did everything that they wanted to do."

The Trojans fell to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the PAC 10, beginning the month of November in fourth place in the conference they've ruled for so long.

On Wednesday, the Ducks concluded practice by running their two-minute offense. On just their second play during the drill, Masoli hit one of his receivers on a 60-yard catch-and-run play that resulted in a go-ahead touchdown. A few minutes later when Masoli spoke to reporters, he seemed more calm and confident than any player I've seen this year, answering questions thoroughly and sincerely and even sprinkled in a smile or two. It showed on Saturday night during a nationally televised game at Oregon's notoriously raucous stadium, on Halloween, against the seven-time defending PAC 10 champions.

"I was as relaxed as I've ever been in my career," Masoli told the Associated Press after the game. "Even me and LaMike (broke) a couple jokes every so often. It feels great."

The Ducks did seem to benefit from that two-minute workout, not because they they were at any point in a hurry and in desperate need of a late-game score, but because coach Chip Kelly and his offensive assistants dialed up a perfect quick-strike game plan that produced six scoring drives requiring no more than 3:02 for each.

Many felt prior to the game that a USC win would have given the one-loss Trojans much-needed BCS cred in a year when an unbeaten Texas appears headed to a championship-game clash with the winner of the SEC.

Those same observers probably weren't thinking the Ducks, ranked 10th in last week's BCS standings, were capable of dominating one of the sport's elite teams this decade. Oregon has won its share of big games in recent years, but hasn't been able to keep its foot on the gas and finish the season with sustained success. Or in the case of 2007, when quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Dennis Dixon led the Ducks to a defeat of USC but later went down with a season-ending injury.

But now that Oregon seems to be playing lights-out and is focused, healthy, well-coached and recovered from the season-opening fiasco at Boise State, the Ducks should without question be in that title-game conversation. If I had a vote, I'd have no problem at all ranking them ahead of the Broncos, and I'd say confidently that if the teams met again today Oregon would handle Boise State.

Friday Notebook: Wet Footballs, Dez Bryant & Top Coaches

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

EUGENE, Oregon -- After deleting some vulgar comments left below the video I posted of Oregon coach Chip Kelly welcoming USC quarterback Matt Barkley to Autzen Stadium, I noticed a couple of funny comments that did not need to be deleted:

+ 666TheScarecro666 said, "Barkley's gonna piss his pants on Saturday."

+ MJaxsun25 said, "Barkley has been running his mouth and showing his ignorance. Everyone in College Football knows that Autzen Stadium is the loudest stadium in the Country. It set the record. 127.2 decibels. Bring it Barkley."

Other notes for a Friday:

+ I can't remember a weather forecast having the kind of an impact on a game that Saturday's probably will here in Eugene. Most reports I've heard indicate rain during the morning and early afternoon, but the wet weather should move on by kickoff at 5 p.m. PT. And while one would think a wet game would slow down USC's athletes, I think it would actually do more harm to Oregon, whose smaller quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, could have trouble gripping and throwing a damp football. So if the rain passes, the Ducks' chances are improved.

+ I hope Virginia Tech's coaching staff can restore running back Ryan Williams' confidence. The talented freshman has surpassed all expectations filling in as the No. 1 back for the Hokies this year, but his late fumble last night led to North Carolina's game-winning field goal as time expired. Williams has a bright future ahead, and I hope he runs for 200 yards on Nov. 5 at East Carolina.

+ Dez Bryant did not violate any rules with his association with Deion Sanders, but because the NCAA has so many rules, Bryant thought he broke one of them, so he lied to cover a up a dinner he had at the former football star's home. Can you blame him?

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IMAGES: Dez Bryant Gallery

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By all means, punish him, but the NCAA got this wrong like it so often does. If part of its mission is to help its student-athletes, suspend him for two or three games, but not for one full year. It continues to amaze me how out of touch the rich, old, white men in suits are when it comes to doling out discipline. Bryant will get the last laugh, however, when he gets drafted among the top 12 picks in next spring's draft. All the NCAA ensured was that it lost some star power for about eight games this season, including Saturday's huge, nationally televised game against Texas in Stillwater.

+ I've reached out to some friends, fellow writers and athletic department people, asking them to rank their top 10 coaches. I'll have a full story on this next week, but you might be surprised to learn that Les Miles and Jim Tressel aren't getting a whole lot of love.

+ Another story I'll push out next week is a Q&A I had on the phone yesterday with Florida strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti. He said it's not Brandon Spikes who rules the weight room in Gainesville. I'll tell you who does in a few days.

Do You Believe Chip Kelly?

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

EUGENE, Oregon -- Chip Kelly says what all coaches say, except unlike most, you actually believe some of the words that come out of his mouth.

Heading into this weekend's heavyweight Halloween tilt with No. 4 USC, Kelly says his 10th-ranked Oregon Ducks are preparing for just another Saturday at the office. But in this case, the office is raucous Autzen Stadium, on Halloween, with ESPN GameDay starting the day and a national television audience concluding it, where the winner will have the inside track to a PAC 10 crown and some serious BCS cred.

"We don't put any more stock into this game as we did the Washington game," said Kelly.

Just once I'd love to hear a coach give reporters what they want, something like, "Oh yeah, this game is huge. We better win this m*****f*****." They never reveal their hands, but we pencilnecks still ask the questions, knowing exactly what the responses will be.

Chip Kelly Welcomes Matt Barkley To Oregon

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

EUGENE, Oregon -- College football observers outside of Southern California grew sick of Matt Barkley before he took his first collegiate snap.

There was so much preseason talk about whether he'd steal away the starting quarterback job after Aaron Corp went down with a knee injury in August. Pete Carroll fell ga-ga and ESPN followed suit, giving USC's next Golden Boy plenty of air time that irked many.

Barkley then gave Trojan haters even more reason to leave anonymous comments in the blogosphere by demonstrating more than confidence after USC thrashed San Jose State in the season opener.

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When asked by a Los Angeles Times reporter if there was anything difficult about his first college game, a 56-3 cakewalk, he smiled and said, "The run up the tunnel at halftime. That was brutal."

The training wheels came off between that game and USC's next one seven days later, a visit to Columbus to play perennial power Ohio State in front of its 105,000 scarlet-sweatered loyals.

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OTHER GREAT CONTENT + GALLERY: The Hot Girls Of College Football
+ DISCUSSION: Who Cares More, Pro Or College Athletes?
+ ARTICLE: Kelly's Early Cincy Years Similar To Huggins'
+ VIDEO: FOX19 Morning Show Appearance
+ VIDEO: VaTech Fan Gets Belligerent On GaTech Fan
+ ARTICLE: Is My Boy Jeff An A-Hole?
+ VIDEO: Tailgate Recipes -- My Mom's Chili
+ QUIZ: Who Are The 30 Thousand Helpers?

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Sports By Brooks wrote prior to that game that "the atmosphere will be nuts. I probably don't even know how it will be. But that won't faze him."

Barkley also once said his team could win "in Alaska in the snow. That's how confident I am in this offense. There can be 500,000 rooting against me."

And this week he's already wondered about the crowd at notoriously raucous Autzen Stadium, where No. 10 Oregon will entertain USC in a heavyweight Halloween showdown that will give the winner the inside track to the PAC 10 championship and a bowlful of BCS cred.

"The energy is going to be awesome and it's going to be a cool atmosphere, especially on Halloween night," Barkley said. "Who knows what their uniforms will be? Probably something crazy as usual."

Barkley then shoved his youthful curiosity aside, and got back to being, well, Barkley.

"I feed off that energy, I feed off that noise," he said. "I love it."

And of course, that's what I asked Oregon coach Chip Kelly about today, and here was his brief reply:

Tuesday Notebook: Eugene, BCS and Sam Bradford

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

EUGENE, Oregon -- I made it.

After waking up Monday in Cincinnati, driving to Dayton, flying to Washington, D.C., flying to Phoenix, flying to Portland and crashing at a hotel there late last night, I drove down picturesque Interstate 5 this afternoon and arrived at my hotel at about 5 p.m. Pacific time.

I can tell the Canon 50D is going to be busier this week than my liver was last week. Great to see old friends in the Queen City, sure, but equally certain is how badly I need a break from all that fun, and signs point to such relief here in this sleepy pocket of the very scenic Pacific Northwest where I know exactly nobody.

Efforts to secure a credential for Saturday's USC at Oregon game have been shut down, but the investigation into a reasonably priced single ticket is pending. Not only will this game likely decide the PAC 10 champion, but it's Halloween and the fans at Autzen Stadium are notorious party people, so keep your eyes open for some good imagery this weekend.

Until then, it looks like I'll get some post-practice interviews Wednesday, but before I get that far, here are some other tidbits to consider this week:

+ Many are talking about how a USC win makes it a serious BCS National Championship game contender, but you know what? I'll say the same about the Trojans' opponent Saturday. Oregon is No. 10 in the BCS rankings, and beating Pete Carroll's highly ranked USC gang would shoot those Ducks squarely into the mix, and very deservedly so.

+ Wouldn't it be funny to see Oregon leapfrog ahead of Boise State in the BCS standings?

+ Iowa, Cincinnati, Boise State and TCU are the second-tier contenders for a spot in the BCS title game. Those entirely in control of their destiny include Florida, Alabama, Texas and most likely LSU and possibly USC. I think Florida or Alabama might actually need to lose twice for one of those second-tier squads to jump ahead. That means that heading into the last month of the season, no fewer than seven and maybe as many as nine losses are needed among the elite names currently among the Top 10 for, say, Iowa or Cincinnati to earn a trip to Pasadena. Such a feat would be just as dramatic than what happened down the stretch in 2007. But don't expect that scenario to materialize. I still think it's going to be Florida and Texas, though I'd prefer to watch Florida and USC.

+ Please stop with the second-guessing of Sam Bradford. Too often we hear the TV pretties talk about the importance of staying in school to get that education, if not to at least enjoy the college experience. Bradford did exactly that, and now Todd McShay, who I typically like, leads the pack of those repeatedly broadcasting the disappointing truths about millions of dollars lost. Tyler Hansbrough came back twice when experts thought he was ready for the next level, and the only reason people don't rip him is because he didn't get hurt. Don't go hindsight and blast a kid barely out of his teens for wanting more school. Bradford knows his decision to stay will cost him in the long run, but he'll still be a good NFL quarterback.

Cal's Tedford Seems Tired Of Tedious Oregon Inquiries

By JOHN P. WISE 
One Great Season

BERKELEY, Calif. -- I spent a few hours at Cal's Memorial Stadium today, and boy will that be a great place to watch a college football game.

Shoot, it would be a great place just to take a nap.

Anyway, inside the stadium is where Cal coach Jeff Tedford speaks at his weekly media luncheon on Tuesdays, and the reporters who gathered there still were asking questions about Saturday's embarrassing 42-3 loss at Oregon.

It's clear that Tedford wants to focus on what's ahead -- a team called USC -- and forget about last weekend's surprising blowout loss.

Below is the video of Tedford reacting to yet another Oregon question, and below that is just a rough, minute-long pan shot of the tree-covered hills behind the east side of the stadium, then shots of San Francisco off in the distance to the west.

Blount Drama

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It seems every on-air football personality at ESPN agrees unanimously how despicable LeGarrette Blount's behavior was after Oregon's loss at Boise State.

YOUR THOUGHTS: Blount's Punishment Fair?

While some, like Desmond Howard, make sure to point out that Boise's Byron Hout provoked him, San Francisco Chronicle writer Vittorio Tafur takes his argument a step further.

Tafur wrote, and I fully agree, that while Blount should indeed be suspended, the running back also is being penalized for getting in such a clean shot to Hout's chin, and did so in the moments after a nationally televised game. Had Blount not connected so crisply and/or had it been done in front of merely a regional TV audience, the season-long punishment would have been less severe.

Tafur continued that coach Chip Kelly's swift and severe ruling certainly keeps the spotlight off a poor coaching performance in Oregon's season-opening loss to the Broncos. Read the rest of the piece here.