Examiner.com Round Table Game of the Week: No. 4 Stanford vs. No. 7 Oregon

Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal host the Oregon Ducks in a pivotal game in the Pac-12 North this weekend. Stanford comes in to the game with a perfect 9-0 record and the Ducks have lost just one game this season, to top-ranked LSU in the season opener. Stanford looks as though they have been a bit vulnerable lately while the Ducks continue to be clicking on offense. Who has the edge this weekend and who has the better Heisman showcase performance, Luck or Oregon’s LaMichael James?

Max Price, Oregon Ducks Examiner: At the beginning of the year, I had no doubt that Oregon would win this game. No offense was more primed and more well-oiled than the one Chip Kelly has in Eugene. But ever since Darron Thomas injured his left knee against Arizona State, he hasn’t looked the same. He sat out for a game, and then was benched at halftime in his return (against Washington State!). This past weekend he completed just 13 of 25 passes against Washington, and I question his ability to get the job done right now. Oregon depends on him to keep their running game operating smoothly, but it’s going to be incredibly hard to run the football with success if there isn’t a threat of him passing.

Meanwhile, Luck and Stanford have looked a bit uneasy themselves. And they haven’t faced a team of Oregon’s caliber, whereas Oregon has already faced LSU. And while the game against USC was exciting and everything, it shouldn’t have been that close. I’m not sure you could come up with a better matchup right now on paper, especially with the amazing performance Oregon’s defense had against Washington this weekend. I’ll stick with Oregon’s running game on November 12, with the Ducks beating the Cardinal, 38-27.

Gerald Nicdao, San Diego Sports Examiner: Look at the numbers and you’ll expect an ole fashioned shootout in Palo Alto on Saturday. And while Stanford (at 48.2 points per game) and Oregon (at 46.0 ppg) are one-two in the Pac-12 in scoring, I doubt that either team will even get that close to those numbers. I’m not saying we’ll see a repeat of the snore that was LSU-Alabama, but if you’re expecting to see Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck to be throwing for over 400 yards and four scores and the Ducks’ LaMichael James to be running for over 250 yards and three scores, you’ll be disappointed.

I expect both teams to try to play ball control offense and keep the opposing team’s offense off the field. And if that is the case, Stanford has the edge. The Cardinal is the best team in the Pac-12 in time of possession. Stanford has held the ball on average of 33:17 in every game. Oregon, on the other hand, is on the opposite spectrum in the conference. Because the Ducks have such a quick-strike, big-play offense, they see the ball on average of 23:52 in every game.

If Stanford—behind the power running game of Stepfan Taylor, Tyler Gaffney and Jeremy Stewart—can hold onto the ball, impose their will on the Ducks defense and keep Oregon’s offense off the field, then I see a Cardinal victory Saturday night.

Add to that the fact that Stanford has the Pac-12’s most physical defense (the Cardinal have given up just 324.0 yards per game and just 18 touchdowns, both conference bests). The last two times the Ducks have played a defense as physical, they lost—in the BCS title game against Auburn and against LSU in the season-opener.

Stanford doesn’t need Luck, but it has him if the team needs him.

The Cardinal roll onto its 10th win of the year and put itself in position for a possible berth in the BCS title game.

Jordan Caldwell, Utah Utes Examiner: While Andrew Luck may have a great game that Heisman voters will look back on and LaMichael James is an outstanding running back, this game will be all about Stanford’s ability to run the ball. With all of the success Andrew Luck has had, people forget that Stanford is a run first team. They have the ability to control the ball and give Oregon’s offense minimal chances.

Stanford’s defense can hang with the Ducks as long as the offense keeps them off of the field. It will be a tight game until the offenses get going in the second half and in a close game, I will take Andrew Luck to come through in the end. Stanford wins 37-34.

Rich Kurtzman, Colorado State Rams Examiner: Until the Sanford Cardinal is knocked off, and until Andrew Luck shows chinks in his armor, they have the edge. Stanford has enjoyed blowouts of 54, 44 and 41, and their closest game came in the triple overtime win against No. 20 USC two weeks ago. Luck is straight-up amazing, throwing for 2,424 yards, 26 touchdowns and only five interceptions give him an astronomical 174.1 rating, which is fifth best in the nation. While this may be a close game of offensive powerhouses, Stanford will win 48-41.

Sean Jackson, Ohio State Buckeyes Examiner: The winner of this game could be a prime candidate for a spot in the national title game. In what should be an excellent offensive showcase the defenses will be the deciding factor. Andrew Luck doesn’t make many mistakes and their balance on offense could give the Ducks some problems. This game will raise Andrew’s stock even more (if that is possible) and give the Cardinals an inside track to the title game.

Stanford 34 Oregon 30

Troy Hyde, Iowa Hawkeyes Examiner: I am not sure Stanford has really been that vulnerable. The only game that may have been in doubt was USC and that was a road game. Road games are tough in college football, so playing not at your best in that situation is acceptable if you win. I like Stanford in this game because of Luck and because they have played really well at home. But this game is going to be super close and super competitive. I would not be surprised if Oregon pulls off the upset, but right now I am picking Stanford to win 45-39.

Kevin McGuire, National College Football Examiner: Am I the only one who thinks that if this game is going to be a shoot out that Oregon has more weapons in their arsenal? Don’t get me wrong, Andrew Luck is an elite college football player but look at the other side of the sideline. Oregon has the dynamic running back LaMichael James playing at a high level with Kenjon Barner able to give him some breaks. The Ducks have a more than adequate Darron Thomas at quarterback with De’Anthony Thomas as a primary target.

My point here is that if I need an offense to come up with a key offensive play in this game in the clutch, I’m going with the Ducks! Oregon’s up-tempo offense is so well orchestrated by Chip Kelly that it is difficult to defend against, especially for a first-year head coach such as David Shaw. The only team to defeat Oregon this year has been LSU (word is they are pretty good) and the Ducks, to me, have never backed off from being the team to beat.

Staff Predictions (season record)

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