UO NOTES: Ducks are highest ranked one-loss team in BCS

By Jason Vondersmith

The Portland Tribune, Nov 2, 2009, Updated Nov 2, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

Jeremiah Masoli notes another Oregon touchdown in Saturday's win over USC.

L.E. BASKOW / THE PORTLAND TRIBUNE

No matter whether they saw the game, highlights or simply the score, anybody who came across the Oregon-USC result had to be impressed with the Ducks – to the point where the 7-1 team has to be considered national championship contenders, linebacker Casey Matthews said.

"But we can't live in the past," he adds. "We need to be ready for Stanford."

The Ducks (7-1, 5-0 Pac-10) play the Cardinal (5-3, 4-2) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Palo Alto, Calif. Oregon leads Arizona (5-2, 3-1) by a game and the Cardinal and three other teams by two games in the Pac-10 standings.

The Ducks are the highest ranked one-loss team in the BCS poll – eighth, behind unbeatens Florida, Texas, Alabama, Iowa, Cincinnati, TCU and Boise State.

"We think we're a national-caliber team, but that's not for us to decide, it's for the BCS and the AP," safety T.J. Ward said.

Indeed, good point, the Associated Press media poll does not factor into the BCS rankings and, in theory, could decide its own national champion; the Ducks are ranked seventh in this week's AP poll, ahead of Iowa.

• The UO coaches continue to stress to players to keep their heads on straight.

After the Washington win, defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said: "Right now, we're guaranteed to be 6-6."

After the 47-20 USC win, head coach Chip Kelly said: "We could (finish) 7-5, and that's it, we're in the middle of the season."

Except, taking Kelly's game-by-game approach literally, the Ducks could be 7-2, if they lose to Stanford. That's it.

QB Jeremiah Masoli says the Ducks will be a target against Stanford, Arizona State, Arizona and OSU in the final four games and "I wouldn't have it any other way/"

• Kelly said he has met with Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott, who attended the USC game, and that the status of suspended running back LeGarrette Blount will be evaluated this week. When Kelly announced that Blount could be re-instated, he said the player's return could come against Stanford. "Whether it is a day, two days, three days, four days, I don't have any idea on that," he said, of any decision on Blount.

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