No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 5 Stanford – Trends and keys to the game

The Oregon Ducks can move closer to a possible BCS Championship game appearance when they visit the Stanford Cardinal. Oregon, third in the BCS rankings is battling Florida State for the second spot while Stanford sits at fifth place and looking to move up in the rankings.

Pay per head services remember that Stanford beat Oregon 17-14 in overtime last season in a game where the Ducks managed just 198 rushing yards on 40 carries, including Marcus Mariota’s 77-yard dash. Mariota rushed for just 12 yards in his 11 other carries. If Oregon runs the ball the way they have this season they should beat Stanford like they did in 2010 and 2011 but if Stanford can stop the run as they did last year, the Ducks will have to rely on Marcus Mariota’s arm.

Stanford has to control the ball and the clock to keep the Oregon offense on the sidelines, which means that running backs Tyler Gaffney and Anthony Wilkerson are their key players in this game.

Oregon is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings, but the teams have split the last four. The Cardinal have won 13 consecutive home games, which is the third-longest active streak in the nation but they’re 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games against the Ducks. Oregon is 11-0 ATS in their last 11 games as road favorite and 10-2 ATS in their last 12 conference games.