The Ducks returned to the practice field looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season as they look ahead to Saturday’s Civil War in Corvallis.  The Beavers are a very different team from the three-win program fielded by Oregon State last season, and a big part of that improvement has been due to the receiving duo of Brandin Cooks and Markus Wheaton, who have been drawing comparisons to a much more high profile receiving tandem.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” said defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti. “They remind me of a (USC) down-the-field throwing team, last time I checked we didn’t do really well in that one.”
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Asked if he would like to comment on the rumors tying him to NFL jobs, Ducks head coach Chip Kelly said simply “no.”
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Jeff Tedford will not return as the head coach of Cal. The Bears were 3-9 this season and struggled mightily in conference play, winning just two games against Pac-12 opponents.
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The Big 10 — which expanded to twelve teams when Nebraska joined the conference — will add two more members by 2014 with Maryland and Rutgers joining the league.
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Oregon’s women’s volleyball team plays is final home game of the regular season tonight against UCLA.  The game pits two of the Pac-12 best attacks against each other in their only meeting of the season.