UCLA Oregon – Syndication Server

Analysis of Oregon’s blowout of UCLA, and what it means for USC

Oregon is better than UCLA. We know that much. What else do we know about these teams and the state of play in the #Pac12, including #USC? Let’s talk.

This game was not close. It wasn’t close midway through the second quarter. It wasn’t close at halftime. It wasn’t close in the third quarter. It wasn’t close in the fourth quarter.

As soon as Oregon grabbed a 24-10 lead over UCLA midway through the second quarter, it never led by fewer than 11 points. It led by at least 15 for nearly all of the game’s final 35 minutes. This was a comprehensive victory by the Ducks, who threw the ball and ran the ball exactly the way they hoped. They did whatever they wanted. They dominated on fourth down. They controlled this game and left no doubt about the final outcome.

Let’s make sense of this result and what it means for USC on various levels:

USC’s position in Pac-12 championship race just got better — thanks, Oregon!

The #Pac12 race looks very different after @Ducks_Wire’s Oregon team beat UCLA. Let’s go through the paths for USC after the Ducks dumped the Bruins.

It’s not as though USC needed Oregon to beat UCLA to have any chance of winning the Pac-12. A victory by UCLA would not have closed the door by any means. There was certainly a roadmap for the Trojans regardless of the outcome of UCLA-Oregon on Saturday afternoon.

However, now that Oregon has defeated UCLA, the outlook for the Trojans is clearer and — on balance — better.

The value of Oregon beating UCLA for USC is that the Trojans do have more paths to the Pac-12 Championship Game. They had paths with a UCLA win, but they have more paths thanks to the Ducks’ victory.

Let’s map out some of the dynamics of the new Pac-12 race:

Trojans Wire goes on YouTube show to talk Pac-12 officiating controversy and UCLA-Oregon showdown

Our #USC show at the @VoiceOfCFB featured a chat with @ZacharyCNeel of @Ducks_Wire and @TonyBruin of @LastWordOnCFB before the Oregon-UCLA clash.

There is certainly a lot to talk about in USC football and Pac-12 football during a week in which the Trojans will not play. While USC takes a breather and tries to get its top players healthy for the stretch run, there is no shortage of interesting material to kick around in the Pac-12.

USC-Utah was a thrilling and controversial game with a lot of intense emotions during and after the contest. People are still talking about that game and all the big plot twists which unfolded in Salt Lake City.

Now, though, the scene shifts to Eugene for the big Oregon-UCLA game. It’s a clash of two top-10 teams. It’s a battle between Chip Kelly’s current employer, the UCLA Bruins, and his former employer, the University of Oregon.

Trojans Wire went on Mark Rogers’ show at The Voice of College Football to discuss USC-Utah. We asked two guests — Tony Siracusa of The Last Word on College Football, and Ducks Wire editor Zachary Neel — about the big battle between UCLA and Oregon. It’s a loaded show:

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Rapid-fire Q & A on UCLA-Oregon; get answers to all your important questions on Bruins-Ducks

We asked tons of questions to @Donald_Smalley of @Ducks_Wire about UCLA-Oregon … but each answer is no more than two words. Let’s play the lightning round!

UCLA-Oregon is almost here. We’re two days away from kickoff at the time of publication on Thursday morning. You need to be following our friends at Ducks Wire for complete coverage of Bruins-Ducks, this top-10 showdown involving Chip Kelly and his former employer.

You have probably noticed that Ducks Wire editor Zachary Neel helped us cover the larger world of Pac-12 football with a midseason check-in on a number of different topics. Now that the midseason items have been posted here at Trojans Wire, we’re shifting into full UCLA-Oregon mode.

With USC not playing a game this week, our attention is focused on Eugene this Saturday. We’re going to share Ducks Wire’s articles on the game while also posting some reaction stories of our own, plus our normal Sunday rankings of the Pac-12 and some comments on the championship race in the conference, which USC will be a part of until the very end of the Pac-12 season.

We asked Ducks Wire analyst Donald Smalley a large number of questions about UCLA-Oregon. We asked Don to limit his answers to two words for every question, so this will be a very quick read, but it will help you identify the players and storylines you need to monitor during Saturday’s huge game in Autzen Stadium:

Midseason Pac-12 football report: Offensive MVP

The midseason Pac-12 offensive MVP resides at UCLA … which is why this weekend’s Oregon test is so huge in the conference on many different levels.

Who is the 2022 Pac-12 Offensive MVP through seven weeks? We talked to Ducks Wire about our midseason Pac-12 awards.

This is what we wrote:

Right now it’s either Dorian Thompson-Robinson or Zach Charbonnet. The answer will depend on — most likely — the USC-UCLA game on Nov. 19.

Oregon’s offense is putting up huge numbers. Emphatic victories over UCLA and Utah could elevate Bo Nix in this conversation. USC obviously has Caleb Williams and Travis Dye in the discussion.

Troy Franklin of Oregon also has to be considered.

Those six players are all in the hunt, and they will all have the big showcase games needed to catapult them up the board.

I don’t think anyone outside these six players has a chance, but I also don’t think any of these six players should be written off.

If Franklin, for instance, has a 200-yard receiving game against a suspect UCLA secondary, he could supplant DTR as the Pac-12 Offensive MVP. It’s a fluid race. Right now, the two best UCLA skill players lead the chase, but Caleb Williams will get a say in the argument one month from now.

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USC fans are naturally inclined to root against UCLA, but it’s an urgent task this week vs Oregon

It’s a @Ducks_Wire – Trojans Wire #Pac12 alliance! We explain why it’s in #USC’s interest to have Oregon beat UCLA. It’s more than just hating the Bruins.

Our friends at Ducks Wire will be covering the UCLA-Oregon game all week. ESPN College GameDay will be in Eugene. It’s a really big game for Oregon and UCLA, but also a big game for USC, which will take the week off and scout the Ducks and Bruins on film.

You will want to follow Ducks Wire’s coverage of UCLA-Oregon game week, and then the actual game on Saturday afternoon in Autzen Stadium. Since USC isn’t playing, we are in a position to share with you a lot of Ducks Wire’s insights and reportage.

We want to start UCLA-Oregon week by discussing one obvious point of interest for USC fans: Which team should the Trojans root for, relative to Pac-12 Championship Game scenarios and odds?

Let’s dive in:

Oregon prepares for UCLA showdown and ESPN ‘College GameDay’ while Trojans take the week off

It’s a huge week at @Ducks_Wire, which is preparing for the massive UCLA-Oregon #Pac12 game. Follow Ducks Wire all week. We’ll cover this game as well.

The USC Trojans are on a bye week after a gut-wrenching loss to Utah in a game filled with plenty of controversial calls.

Lincoln Riley and his team will sit back and watch this weekend, and the biggest game of the entire college football slate is UCLA facing Oregon.

There is plenty to like about UCLA-Oregon, and with “College GameDay” coming to Eugene, buckle up (h/t Don Smalley of Ducks Wire).

“Coincidentally, the Ducks’ next opponent, a 6-0 UCLA team, also had a bye and is the beneficiary of the miseries of the Trojans and Nittany Lions. The Bruins are now ranked No. 10,” Smalley wrote.

“It’s perfect timing for both the Ducks and the Bruins with ESPN “College GameDay” selecting their upcoming game at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 22. The matchup turns out to be a game of the Pac-12’s two best teams and might be just Game 1 between these two powerhouses.”

“Win or lose, both teams control their own destinies to reach the Pac-12 title game in Vegas with Utah coming to Eugene later in the season and UCLA still having to play the Trojans.”

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