The Auburn Tigers jumped ahead of the Oregon Ducks for the No. 1 spot, even though neither team has lost this season. Ironically, Oregon was No. 1 the previous week. There is still another week left in college football and as we’ve seen all year, anything can happen.
Auburn will battle against No. 19 South Carolina on Saturday afternoon for the SEC championship. In order to maintain their position on top of the BCS standings, they must win.
Auburn and South Carolina played earlier this year in Auburn, Alabama on Sept. 25. At the time, South Carolina was ranked No. 13 and Auburn was the underdog at No. 17. Auburn was victorious in this meeting rallying to beat the Gamecocks 35–27.
This time around there’s a lot more to play for—like a conference championship and the possibility of Auburn playing in the BCS National Championship game in Glendale, Ariz.
Auburn quarterback Cam Newton will need another solid game like he produced in September when he was responsible for all five touchdowns against the Gamecocks, rushing three in himself.
At halftime in their September meeting, the Gamecocks were ahead of the Tigers, but couldn’t hang onto the lead. The Tigers are known for coming from behind and winning, something they’ve done eight times this season.
Earlier in the week, Cam Newton was declared ineligible by the NCAA on Tuesday due to actions taken by Cecil Newton, his father, who solicited funds from Mississippi State in order for his son Cam to commit to their university.
Then, after a plea from Auburn University the NCAA reinstated Cam’s eligibility on Wednesday. We are yet to see if this altercation will affect Cam’s play on Saturday or his Heisman Trophy hopes.
Civil War in Oregon
A college football civil war will take place on Saturday in Oregon for the 114th time, when the Oregon Ducks travel 47 miles north to play the Oregon State Beavers. This is one of the oldest rivalries in college football.
The Ducks are playing to win with the opportunity of a National Championship on the line. While the Beavers are trying to keep their post season hopes alive, a win will make them bowl eligible.
Last year’s meeting between these two teams saw a close finish where the Ducks edged the Beavers by only four points, sealing the victory with a field goal in the closing minutes of the game.
The Ducks are a team of resilience, having lost their starting quarterback before the season began and continuing to find ways to win, and win big.
Many look at the Beavers as a team that the Ducks could just roll over, but not Ducks coach Chip Kelly.
“I don’t look at them as struggling,” Oregon coach Chip Kelly said of the Beavers on DucksSportsAuthority.com. “I look at them that they beat a really good USC team two weeks ago, really almost dominated a USC team two weeks ago at their place.
“We always look at what’s the team’s best attributes, not did they have a down game when they played Stanford last week. It’s a good football team with very, very good football players.
“I would argue two of the best football players in our conference are Stephen Paea—he may be the best DT in the country—and Jacquizz Rodgers at running back. So, we know we have our hands full.”
If either the Auburn or Oregon loses it will give the No. 3 Texas Christian a shot at playing for the National Championship. Otherwise they will more than likely face Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.
