Some facts: Two weeks into the season, Oregon -- Pac-10 leader last year in rushing, total and scoring offense -- currently ranks dead last in the conference in rushing, passing, pass efficiency and total offense, and next-to-last in scoring. Arguably the Ducks' best player coming into the year now resides in perpetual infamy. Badly needing to redeem the opening night catastrophe at Boise State, they were outgained by almost 100 yards last week, at home, by Purdue, in a game the Ducks couldn't have won without returning two fumbles for touchdowns or stopping a late two-point attempt to tie.That makes two bad-to-sketchy efforts in a row, with only one realistic chance to salvage something resembling preseason expectations before Cal comes in to kick off the Pac-10 schedule next week. This week, in short, is the ideal time for a delicious, comforting cupcake to gain some traction and ward off impending doom. Instead, they get the team riding the longest winning streak in America.
So is it strange to think that Utah, possibly the most stable, consistent program in the country at the moment, has as many questions coming in as Oregon, which could be on the verge of becoming a basketcase? Maybe. But to put away doubts about their own preseason issues -- including the loss of a three-year starter and conference player of the year at quarterback; six of seven first team All-MWC picks; three leading receivers; 60 percent of the team's total yards from scrimmage; and an All-American kicker/punter who was 11 for 11 on field goals in four wins decided by a field goal or less -- the Utes had to blow their own early patsies, Utah State and San Jose State, out of the water. Instead, they've been merely competent (the score against San Jose at the start of the fourth quarter was 7-7) in pedestrian wins, and the questions will persist into one of the toughest road dates on the year.
Both the Utes and Ducks have some reason for optimism on offense: Oregon's running game found its footing again last week without LeGarrette Blount, piling up 193 yards on the ground with three different players averaging more than six yards per carry, while junior college transfer Terrance Cain is off to a fast start after narrowly winning Utah's quarterback job. But all of that preliminary success has been against bad teams, and bad defenses, in particular -- for two teams with a lot to prove, that doesn't prove much.
But Saturday will, in both directions: The winner still has a chance (with apologies to Dennis Green) to be who it thought it was, moving on into their respective conference schedules with visions of the top-20 and possibly a darkhorse BCS bid intact; at the very least, this kind of win assures them of some respectability. The loser slinks away virtually guaranteed of landing in a second or third-tier bowl game, with the added uncertainty of losing one of the key, winnable games that can make the entire season -- especially for Utah, since a loss to Oregon would be much more cause for concern at this point than anyone expected two weeks ago. Such is the fate of September: Only one team can be brought to earth.
