The Ducks and the Sun Devils are the poster boys for the Pacific-10 Conference.
Both teams have enjoyed success in past seasons but are on a downward spiral entering Saturday’s game at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. The parity that has claimed the conference has struck both Oregon and Arizona State this season.
“This Pac-10 is chaotic, filled with talent and upsets every week,” Oregon linebacker Jerry Matson said. “I can’t tell you who the best or worst team is, the bottom five or the top five. I still think ASU is one of the favorites in the Pac-10. They’ve got a lot of weapons.
“You can’t take anyone lightly because there is so much talent. One week somebody beats the No. 3 team, and then we get beat. It’s so up and down so I respect anyone.”
The matchup is between two teams hungry for a win. Combined, the Ducks (4-2 overall, 1-1 Pac-10) and Sun Devils have lost five straight.
Arizona State (2-3, 0-2) has become sluggish offensively in losses to Iowa, Oregon State and USC. Oregon has been slowed in a blowout loss to Washington State and a letdown to Utah.

Both teams are dangerous.
“We’re going to be two rabid animals fighting in this game,” Oregon quarterback Jason Fife said.
The rabid animals both have offenses that could take off at any moment.
Oregon is ranked first in the conference in passing yards with 290 per game. The Sun Devils have slipped to sixth at 252 yards per game.
Memories of last season’s 45-42 Arizona State win sit in both team’s minds. Sun Devils’ quarterback Andrew Walter threw for 536 yards in that game, and Arizona State hung 35 points on the board in the second half for the win.
“That was a huge win for us,” Arizona State head coach Dirk Koetter said. “They were undefeated and ranked sixth in the nation at the time. At that time, no one was able to go into Eugene and win.
“We went in there and had a great day; the kind of game you are in the business for.”
The Ducks don’t want to dwell on that game but need to remember it to make sure it doesn’t happen again. The Sun Devils weren’t supposed to be able to come into Autzen Stadium that game and do what they did.
Now, however, neither team can sneak up on one another.
“I think you’ve got to look at it,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said of last season. “We, as a team, will look at that game. We will say, ‘OK, what did we do right, and what did we do wrong?’”
For the Ducks, the game in Tempe represents a chance to get back onto the right foot.
Oregon has sunk into the depths of despair after the losses to the Cougars and the Utes. The Ducks have been outscored 72-29 in those games.
The 4-0 start that gave way to two straight upsets conjures up memories of last season’s demise.

The Ducks say it is a different team this year, and there won’t be the same kind of slide. Oregon, after all, knows what it takes to pull out of the depths of a losing streak now.
But the question is, will the Ducks be able to?
According to Matson, it’s going to take a total team effort to get Oregon back on track.
“It’s more like all pistons firing at once,” he said. “If you do one single thing, it will never get done. You’ve got to be close to perfect in a lot of things at the same time. You can’t really isolate the problem. Everyone has to carry the weight at the same time. Run hand-in-hand with your teammates, and the job can get done.”
The Ducks will have to do that with little depth at many of the skilled positions.
Cornerback Justin Phinisee is not expected to play because of an injury. The same goes for safety Stephen Clayton, who suffered a concussion several weeks ago. Since it isn’t his first concussion, the Ducks are being careful with his status.
Chris Vincent will return to bolster Oregon’s running game. The Ducks have been slowed in that category during their losing streak. They’ve rushed for almost two-thirds less yards per game than in their first four games of the season.
Still, the Ducks, as Matson said, need their pistons to be firing at the right time and speed for the losing streak to be squashed.
“Everybody’s backs are against the wall,” Matson said. “We all have a loss already. Everybody is fighting tooth and nail because (the Pac-10) has to be separated some time.
“Everybody is kind of feeling the pressure.”