The Ducks are Closing In

Ranked #10 in the BCS, a place no one believed they would achieve when the season started -- and especially after the massacre at the hands of USC -- the Ducks are two wins and a couple of losses away from one of the BCS bowl games. Here's how that would work.

Obviously they need to win out, and with a trip to Washington State -- winless in the Pac 10 -- and the home game against OSU, they should do that. Even without Kellen Clemens. Dixon and Leaf have their first game out of the way and look like an effective two-headed QB. With Whitehead's great running and catching, and their receiver corps, the Duck offense should provide more than enough points against both WSU and the Beavers. And the way the defense has picked up the pieces in the past month, I find it hard to believe either of those teams will have nearly enough offensive production. The Ducks D, led by Ngata, just gets better and better. And after the hell he suffered as a freshman, it's great to see Aaron Gipson have a standout senior year.

The two losses may be tougher to come by. Oregon needs someone above them to lose. There are plenty of candidates. Ohio State is not at championship form, and every game against Michigan is a big risk. Georgia and LSU have tough games remaining, and all it takes is for a couple of them teams above UO to lose just once, and the Ducks should climb to at least #8. And that would be good enough for one of the top New Year Day games. Mike Belotti won't win coach of the year -- that'll go to Joe Paterno, and probably rightfully -- but the quality results he's gotten every year he's been head coach (we'll just pretend 2004 did not happen, for a lot of reasons), prove that however much ink others may get, there's no one we'd rather have here in Oregon.