I’m sure there are die hard Duck fans that are looking at ESPN this morning, perhaps at the Pac 12 Standings are noticing something different. Oregon(22-6, 11-4 Pac 12) is tied with UCLA at the top of the conference, and we haven’t played the Civil War yet against Oregon State(13-5, 3-12 Pac 12).  No, this is not a typo.

Feb 27, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Solomon Hill (44) reacts during the game against the Southern California Trojans at the Galen Center. USC defeated Arizona 89-78. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The USC Trojans took it to Arizona on Wednesday night, the Wildcats came out flat and may have been caught looking ahead to their weekend matchup with UCLA.  Arizona may have also lost their shot at a high seed in the NCAA Tournament and most likely will fall to the #3 seed or lower of the Pac 12 Tournament. When it comes to the conference resume, Arizona is starting to  get some holes punched in it. UCLA has already beat the Wildcats once this year already back on January 24th.

Tied with UCLA atop the Pac 12 standings Oregon faces Oregon State who comes to Eugene Thursday night for the Civil War at Matthew Knight Arena. It’s Senior Night and several Ducks will be playing their final game in front of the home crowd including  Tony Woods, E.J. Singler, Carlos Emory and Arsalan Kazemi. The ceremony celebrating these players will happen after the game.

Earlier this week Dana Altman announced that Freshman Dominic Artis is closer to a return, he will likely make an appearance against the Beavers. If the Ducks get a victory, they will be a game up on UCLA and a game and half up on Arizona heading into next week.

Oregon closes out the Pac 12 Regular season on the road against Colorado(Thursday, March 7th, 6pm ESPN2) and Utah(Saturday March 9th, Pac 12 Network 11:30am)

Oregon Ducks This Week:

Utah Defeats Northern Colorado, 41-0

It was a huge opening win for the Utah Utes which showcases the defense on the scoreboard, but the offense showed up as well. The biggest star for the Utes came in the form of running back, John White. White rushed for 119 yards on 24 carries. He also had a five-yard touchdown run in the last seconds of the first half. Jordan Wynn started at quarterback for Utah. He recorded 200 passing yards on nineteen completions. He threw for two touchdowns (both of them to Jake Murphy). Joe Kruger capped off the night with a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown. Utah could be a huge surprise team in the Pac-12 this year.

BYU Defeats Washington State, 30-6

Aug 30, 2012; Provo, UT, USA; Washington State Cougars head coach Mike Leach (center) talks to his players during the second quarter against the Brigham Young Cougars at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

The first game of the 2012 season was not kind to Mike Leach as he began his campaign with the Washington State Cougars. The best word to describe the Cougar offense in their season opener would be sluggish. Their offense could not score a single touchdown and they had a net rushing yard total of negative-five yards. Jeff Tuel started the game at quarterback for WSU and threw two interceptions. The star for BYU was quarterback, Riley Nelson. Nelson recorded 285 passing yards on twenty-five completions and two touchdowns.

UCLA Defeats Rice, 49-24

Just like in the Utah game, this game was all about a Pac-12 running back. Jonathan Franklin had a tremendous game in the UCLA opener against the Rice Owls. Franklin rushed for 214 yards on fifteen carries, and three touchdowns. Two of his touchdowns were 70+ touchdowns. The redshirt freshman, Brett Hundley, started the game at quarterback for the Bruins. He recorded 202 passing yards on twenty-one completions and two passing touchdowns. Hundley also opened the scoring for the Bruins with a 78-yard touchdown run. Most importantly, this win in the first for Jim Mora as head coach of the UCLA Bruins.

Arizona State Defeats Northern Arizona, 63-6

The post-Brock Osweiler began in Tempe as the Sun Devils took on the Lumberjacks. Taylor Kelly took over as the new starting quarterback for the Todd Graham-era. He recorded 247 passing yards on fifteen completions, and he threw for one touchdown. The best word to describe Kelly’s perform is efficient. Marion Grice also had a big day for ASU as he rushed for 107 yards and had three rushing touchdowns. ASU’s defense was great as well as they knocked out Northern Arizona’s quarterback and leading rusher in the first half.

The main storyline of the day was new coaching era beginning in the Pac-12. It worked out for some and it did not work out for others.

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