Saturday in Tucson, the Arizona Wildcats will play host to Oregon in a huge Pac 10 conference showdown with the Ducks needing a win to ensure their spot in the Rose Bowl against Big Ten Champion Ohio State.
At 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference, the Ducks are the only team left in the Pac 10 with only one loss in the division. A win against the rival Wildcats would send Oregon to Pasadena, however, Arizona can nail down a spot at the "Grand-Daddy" of them all by winning their final three games.
NCAA odds makers are calling the Ducks the favorite coming into this one. The Vegas line is sitting at, Oregon -6 with the total in the game set at 57.5.
Arizona is 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Pac 10. The Wildcats are one of three teams with two losses in the conference; Stanford and Oregon State being the other two. Arizona holds the tie-breaker against both of them, so by winning out they will end up in Pasadena.
"We know we've got to win to stay in the big picture," Arizona coach Mike Stoops said. "There's a lot of football to be played, but pretty much it'll be over if we don't win on Saturday."
To do that, the Wildcats are going to have to contain Oregon's sixth ranked rushing attack. Freshman LaMichael James has been the catalyst for the Ducks. James has racked-up just shy of 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns so far in 2009.
James is not alone. Junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has run for nine touchdowns and is the Ducks second leading rusher. He has also thrown for 11 touchdowns while leading an offense that averages 37.1 points per game.
Arizona may not be able to keep up with the Ducks.
Take Oregon and give the 6 points on the road.