It would seem as if the University of Oregon football team controls their destiny. With only four games remaining on their schedule the Ducks should be able to run the table in the Pacific 12 Conference. With an undefeated regular season in the books the Ducks would be a clear cut favorite to advance on to the BCS national championship game. The Pac-12 would be represented in the national championship and would reap the benefits that come from that. The one thing keeping the Ducks from representing the Pac-12 in the BCS championship, the Pac-12 itself.
Teams such as Oregon State and USC who are the leaders in the conference and were highly ranked are making it hard for Oregon to earn the respect of the nation. With USC losing to Arizona and Oregon State losing to Washington this past week, the Ducks chances of earning this respect were thinned.
When the first BCS rankings were released the Ducks stood alone in third only following undefeated SEC powerhouses Alabama and Florida. Since then the Ducks have dropped to fourth and been passed up by Kansas State and Notre Dame. When Florida lost to Georgia this weekend the Ducks were in position to move up and fill in the number 3 spot of the ranking but instead they were passed up by Notre Dame who was coming off a big win over Oklahoma.
The amazing thing is that even as the Ducks keep winning they are moving backwards in the eyes of the BCS committee. Oregon can’t control how their opponents play against other foes, so when a major upset occurs in the conference the BCS hopes of the Ducks takes the hit.
This week the Ducks have a chance to earn back some respect from the nation by winning against USC. A win this weekend should be worth a lot more, but Oregon can thank the Arizona Wildcats for diminishing the respect of USC.
It may be too late for the Ducks BCS chances. If Notre Dame and Kansas State finish the season undefeated then Oregon will be left out of the national championship. The Ducks have to hope for someone to knock off Kansas State. And it is guaranteed that when USC plays Notre Dame on November 24th no one will be cheering more for the Trojans than Oregon.
Fans love the upset in college football and rally behind the underdog. But upsets lead to one thing: the death of BCS hopes.