UCLA at Oregon

The first Bowl Championship Series Rankings have come out and I'm sure the Oregon Ducks feel slighted. The Ducks were positioned at No. 2 despite a perfect 6-0 record and an offense that is averaging 54.3 points per game (64 per game at home), producing no less than 42 points in any game. The Ducks have hung 570 yards per game on their opponents. On top of that, they have held opponents to just 16.3 points per game. I believe they will be out to show America that they are in fact the best team in the country. QB Darron Thomas suffered a shoulder injury last game, but has had an extra week to heal and is expected to play here. If he can't go for some reason, backup Nathan Costa has put up better numbers, albeit in limited duties. The Ducks’ powerful offensive line has allowed just two sacks the entire season, opening up holes for LaMichael James to scamper for 868 yards on 7.6 yards a carry. The Bruins beat up on Texas by a score of 34-12 on the road. For this UCLA gets credit. But, Texas actually outgained the Bruins in that game, but was done in by five costly turnovers. Looking at their Pac-10 games against Cal and Stanford, the Bruins were outscored 70-7. Their offense is not very good and although the defense is decent, they aren't stopping a motivated Ducks team in this one. The Ducks are cashing in as big chalk now at 20-8 ATS as a favorite of 10.5 or more. I'm backing the Ducks to deliver what the BCS is demanding of them - a big time blowout.