Good Luck Ducks, Week 11: Revenge

Oregon tries to put last season's nightmare behind them in their bid to remain undefeated.

This is it. You thought last game was it, but this is really it. Ever since the game winning field goal sailed through the uprights last year, clinching an upset Stanford win over Mighty Oregon, this day has been circled on all of the calendars. Oregon will face another undefeated team today in what will strengthen the winning team's position in hopes of playing for the national title. This game won't decide the Pac-12 North title necessarily, but it will put one team in the hotseat with the number of undefeated college football teams dwindling by the week.

Oregon hopes to put last year's nightmare to rest for good tonight. Stanford frustrated their high powered offense for four quarters and an overtime period. Oregon's kicking game was put to the test for one of the only times in the Chip Kelly era, and if it comes down to kicking again, Oregon is likely in real trouble. Even though this is a road game, it may not end up being quite that close. The Ducks hold the nation's longest road winning streak (18) and quarterback Marcus Mariota is quietly separating himself from the rest of the pack as the nation's best college football player. Can Kevin Hogan and the big tough baddies at Stanford really contain Mariota's Ducks? De'Anthony Thomas has had nearly two additional weeks of rest while Byron Marshall has emerged as the conference's top running back.

I have confidence that Oregon will get it done tonight. Last year's team was ill-prepared for a low scoring, close fought battle. If it comes down to one of those games, it will be exciting (and nerve-wracking) to watch. However, I'm not sure that there's a team out there that can contain this year's Ducks model for four quarters the way the Cardinal did last season. Oregon's rash of recent turnovers are a concern, as is the Ducks D-Line. When the dust settles, I believe Oregon will recapture the #2 BCS ranking this week.

Oregon's defense forced 5 Stanford turnovers in their last meeting in Palo Alto.

Game time is 6:00 PST in Stanford with national coverage on ESPN. Go Ducks!