With Oregon being a Civil War victory away from marking off its 10th win of the year, it comes as no surprise to see Duck fans keeping their eye on other scores around the nation. Oregon is in the hunt for a Bowl Championship Series game but is in need of upset wins by other teams in order to climb the rankings. Aside from Saturday’s showdown with the Beavers, the following games weigh heavily on travel arrangements for the Ducks this post-season.
 
No. 7 Virginia Tech (8-1, 5-1) at Virginia (6-3, 3-3)
It has been a wild race to the conference championship game this season in the newly remodeled Atlantic Coast Conference. The new kids on the block from Blacksburg, Va. trail fellow ex-Big East member Miami in the Coastal Division, but have their eye on nabbing an at-large bid to a BCS game in January.
The Hokies have little chance of leap-frogging the Hurricanes and finding their way into the ACC title game. Virginia Tech still holds a comfortable lead over other BCS contenders including one-loss UCLA and Alabama. If the Hokies win out, they should join the post-New Year’s Day party, considering they trail only BCS conference front-runners, but not if their rivals from Charlottesville, Va., have anything to say about it.
The meddlesome Cavaliers host Saturday’s game for the Commonwealth Cup. They upset both then-No. 4 Florida State and No. 24 Georgia Tech earlier this year at home.
 
No. 8 Alabama (9-1, 6-1) at No. 11 Auburn (8-2, 6-1)
The Alabama Crimson Tide is also favored and on the road for rivalry week in this Southeastern Conerence match-up. Their in-state rival Auburn hosts the 70th annual Iron Bowl, which the Tigers have won the past three years.
After last weekend’s heart-breaking loss to LSU, Alabama is suddenly in danger of missing out on the SEC championship game, but still has a BCS bid in their grasp. It leads Oregon by two spots in the BCS rankings.
Either team from the Yellowhammer State can claim at least a share of the SEC Western Division title with a win Saturday. Pending an LSU loss to Mississippi this weekend, berth in the conference title game is on the line as well.
 
No. 9 Ohio State (8-2, 6-1) at No. 17 Michigan (7-3, 5-2)
Two of the Midwest’s most heated rivals square off Saturday as the Big Ten Conference’s Michigan hosts Ohio State in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Buckeyes trail Penn State in the Big Ten standings, but like the Hokies, they are vying for one of the two at-large bids awarded by the BCS.
Michigan and Ohio State are riding a collective winning streak of nine games. The Wolverines are hungry to get revenge on their rivals at “The Big House” Saturday in light of last season’s match-up when the Buckeyes handed them their second loss of the regular season in Columbus, Ohio.

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