If you don't think No. 2 Oregon (8-1, 5-1) is on upset alert for Thursday night's Pac-10 game at Arizona (4-6, 3-4), with the Ducks -12 on WagerWeb.com, then you haven't paid attention to recent history.
*-The revenge factor: Last season, Arizona came to Autzen Stadium and handed the Ducks their only home loss of the year, 37-10, on six turnovers that led to 23 Wildcat points. This will be a motivating factor in the Ducks' preparation this week, according to Oregon coach Mike Bellotti.
"Anytime you lose a game and you play poorly and you turn the ball over six times ... there's a lot of motivation in that regard,"he said. "And because it was in our house too."
In fact, Ducks QB Dennis Dixon threw four interceptions in that game, costing him his starting job temporarily. Now the guy is a Heisman candidate, perhaps the favorite.
*-In each of coach Mike Stoops' first three seasons at Arizona, the Wildcats have beaten a Top 25 team in Tucson.
No. 18 Arizona State went down 34-27 in November 2004; the Wildcats ripped No. 7 UCLA 52-14 in November 2005; last November, it was Arizona 24, No. 8 California 20.
"Playing Oregon, where they are at, it gives you a big stage,"Stoops said. "The national hype you get because of Dixon being a Heisman Trophy candidate (and) they are pushing for a championship. I think it gives us a chance to show what we are all about too."
*-Though the Ducks have been ranked as high as second before, in the media and coaches' polls, they have never been No. 2 in the BCS ratings, where they are now. And the No. 2 ranking in The Associated Press poll has been a curse so far this season. Southern California, Cal, South Florida and Boston College each suffered their first loss while ranked second. For the first three, the loss came in their first game at No. 2.
"I'm sure we have a lot of Ohio State, West Virginia and especially Oklahoma fans rooting for us,"Stoops said, referring to some of the teams behind Oregon in the BCS standings.
The good news for the Ducks heading into this game is the health of Dixon.The senior, who has thrown for 2,074 yards with 20 touchdowns and rushed for 549 yards and eight scores, is back practicing at "full go"after suffering a bruised thigh and a mild knee sprain in Oregon's 35-24 win over Arizona State. He is expected to be ready to start Thursday night. Dixon and the nation's fifth-ranked offense are averaging 41.7 points during a four-game winning streak.
"He is doing all the things necessary of a Heisman candidate,"Bellotti said. "He's winning football games.
He's leading his team."
Defensively, however, Oregon is last in the Pac-10 in pass defense, including allowing 16 TDs through the air. And Arizona's Willie Tuitama leads the Pac-10's top passing offense. Tuitama has thrown for 3,145 yards with 24 TDs and nine interceptions on 64.1 percent passing.
"Tuitama is one of the most accurate quarterbacks out there,"Bellotti said. "They're going to spread you out and throw the ball down the field as much as they can and obviously we need to do a better job against the pass."
Arizona also has won its past two games, scoring 82 total points, quieting speculation that Stoops would be fired at season's end. But the Wildcats need to sweep their final two games to have a shot at their first bowl bid since 1998.
"Our team is playing well right now,"Stoops said. "We are playing at home. Our kids played well against them last year and played well against them the last two years. Those are things our kids buy into."
"We don't have anything to lose,"Stoops said.
The lowdown: Oregon is 13-19 all-time against Arizona and had won seven straight before last season's home loss. ... Oregon is 9-8 against the Wildcats in Tucson and has won the last five games between the two sides in the desert. ... The Ducks will be without starting middle linebacker John Bacon, who will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. ... Both teams come off a bye week, but Oregon has too much to play for to have a letdown. With Dixon healthy, a two-touchdown victory shouldn't be difficult, meaning the Ducks will cover.
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