Come Saturday in Pullman, Washington State couldn’t care less about Oregon’s now defunct national championship dreams — the 10th-ranked Cougars are in the hunt for themselves.
And a win over the former fifth-ranked Ducks wouldn’t hurt their chances.
Oregon (6-1 overall, 3-1 Pacific-10 Conference), on the other hand, is looking to get back on track after a 49-42 loss to Stanford on Saturday, ending a four-year-old, 23-game home-winning streak.
“Sometimes when you shoot for the stars, feelings get hurt,” Oregon wide receiver Keenan Howry said. “We’re still shooting for No. 1, there’s no point to play for anything less.”
Head coach Mike Bellotti’s team led the Cardinal 42-28 in the fourth quarter, but consecutive blocked punts helped Stanford score 21 unanswered points to seal the win.
In the Bowl Championship Series poll released Monday, Stanford (4-1, 2-1) was ranked right behind Oregon at No. 14.
“The most important thing is not what happened (against Stanford), where we got knocked down,” Bellotti said. “It’s whether you get back up or not.
“I have a lot of faith in this group of kids. I think they’re resilient, I think they’re tough and courageous.”
With the Cougs, ranked 10th in the BCS, Arizona State and No. 5 UCLA are on the horizon in the next three weeks, the Ducks still have a shot at playing in January, albeit not the coveted Rose Bowl, barring a miracle.
Best-case scenario: Oregon’s greatest hope, it appears, would be the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz. With the national championship in Pasadena this year, the Pacific-10 Conference champion, assuming it’s not one of the top-two teams in the BCS, will follow in Oregon State’s footsteps and play in the desert on New Year’s Day.
That means the Ducks would, of course, have to win their last four games, including a bout in Los Angeles with the Bruins, who are ranked third in the BCS poll released Monday.
If the Ducks win out, Stanford — which plays UCLA this weekend — and Washington would have to lose one of their remaining games.
Should they falter in one of their remaining contests, the Ducks could probably count on another trip to either, in order, San Diego for the Holiday Bowl, El Paso for the Sun Bowl or to the new Seattle Bowl.
“The national title is always a goal, and when you lose it, you reevaluate your goals,” Bellotti said. “Now, our goal will be to go to the Fiesta Bowl, or whatever the highest bowl is that we can go to.
“My goal is, and always will be, to win the national title. It just looks as if it will have to be pushed back a year now.”
Worst-case scenario: The Ducks lose out, and if they’re lucky, pack their bags for the Las Vegas Bowl, which this year plays host to the Pac-10’s fifth-place team on Christmas day.
But don’t bet on it.
The problems: Besides Washington State and UCLA, the only remaining undefeated teams in the Pac-10, the Ducks should have some concerns about their defense, which is ranked ninth in the Pac-10.
To their credit, the Ducks’ defense was worn down Saturday after being on the field for more than 35 minutes against Stanford.
“We just didn’t make the plays we needed to make,” linebacker Kevin Mitchell said after the loss. “We were on the field for quite a long time. The defense has got to come out and make a stop … we just didn’t wrap up.”
The key: Joey Harrington must continue to be solid and the defense must cut down on the big plays. But most important, Oregon’s special teams must play fundamental football in order for the Ducks to have a shot at a BCS bid.