Another week, another Top-10 victim to Oregon and its hallowed Autzen Stadium.
First there were the No. 6 UCLA Bruins. The Ducks crushed them, 29-10, on Sept. 23.
Then there were the No. 6 Washington Huskies. Oregon outplayed them, and captured the 23-16 win on Saturday in front of 46,153 fans — the third-largest crowd in Autzen Stadium history.
And now there are the No. 9 Oregon Ducks.
After beating two of its highly-ranked Pacific-10 Conference rivals in back-to-back weeks, Oregon jumped 11 spots in The Associated Press poll — as well as right into the thick of the Rose Bowl race.
Oregon beat its Northwest rival for the fifth time in seven games, and sent many visiting Husky fans back home to Seattle in a bad mood. Oregon fans, however, have begun to sense a faint hint of roses in the air.
“We can’t look too far ahead because there’s a lot of football left to be played,” Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington said.
From here on out, each game gains importance, especially the Civil War contest at Oregon State on Nov. 18. Student tickets for that game at Reser Stadium go on sale at 9 a.m. today at the Casanova Center near Autzen. Tickets can only be purchased in person and cost $24.
If Oregon keeps this up, that could be the game that determines The Rose Bowl.