DG on PX - The Boise State-Oregon Conundrum

Sure, Oregon crushed USC, but voters who rank Ducks ahead of Broncos are out of touch with reality.

EUGENE, Ore. – What about Boise State?

For all the other questions sure to come from Oregon’s 47-20 shellacking of USC, the worst loss under Pete Carroll by a mile, it all comes back to that opening Thursday night.

The Broncos took the Ducks to the woodshed the exact same way the Ducks dismantled the Trojans. Transitive property be damned, is Boise State 38 points better than USC?

Probably not, even on its best day. If the two were somehow matched up in a bowl game, USC would be favored by one to two touchdowns.

Is a beat down of the best program in college football this decade enough to vault Oregon ahead of Boise State? Right or wrong, that’s what will happen when the polls come out Sunday.

They will likely take the No. 5 ranking in the BCS that USC brought into Autzen Stadium.

Oregon must now be consider a most viable challenger to play in Pasadena should Florida, Alabama or Texas slip up before year’s end with an explosive offense that improves by the game, a tenacious no-name defense and sound special teams.

“We’re on a seven-game win streak and we’ve beat some quality teams and this was a statement,” Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews said.

But what about that 19-8 loss? How do the voters balance that result against the Ducks’ roll?

“I don’t know,” Matthews admitted. “I’m not too sure.

“It will definitely keep getting brought up, but it was a long time ago. In the past.”

The voters will justify it that way. This Oregon team would have beaten that Boise State team, they’ll say. This Oregon team would beat any Boise State team.

It’s a garbage argument. This Oregon team wouldn’t exist if not for what happened in week one.

If LeGarrette Blount doesn’t get suspended, redshirt freshman running back LaMichael James doesn’t rush for 183 yards and a touchdown – James’ fifth game of 100-plus yards this season.

If Boise State doesn’t control the clock for 42:32, Oregon’s defense doesn’t limit USC to 327 yards.

If Chip Kelly doesn’t have his first coaching crisis in his first game, his team doesn’t respond like this.

Which brings us to the other question ranking a close second behind the Boise State-Oregon conundrum: where in the world does USC go from here?

It wasn’t just the worst performance in the Carroll era, the Trojans were almost historically bad. The 613 yards allowed were the second-most in school history. Only Notre Dame in 1946 was more prolific.

The USC defense, which had shown cracks in tight games against Notre Dame and Oregon State, completely broke against Oregon’s dynamic spread attack. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and James each topped 100 yards rushing.

The rebuilt front seven was exposed, never getting any pressure on Masoli or controlling the line of scrimmage. Standout safety Taylor Mays was caught out of position time and again.

They had no answers and it was obvious to everyone.

“After halftime, you could see it on their faces,” Masoli said. “They stopped talking, stopped communicating.

“As an offense that’s when you know you’re rolling.”

In short, everything we knew – or thought we knew about a Carroll team – was wiped away in 60 stunning minutes at Autzen Stadium.

Kelly was able to teach his team a lesson after the Boise State loss, now it’s Carroll’s turn.

“They’re going to pat you on the back,” Kelly said. “It was a closed hand the first week, an open hand this week.

“It can change like that.”

As for Boise State, Kelly was more evasive in his answer.

“We’ll pick our heads up after Dec. 3 and see where we are.”

Masoli was a little more direct.

“I’m not even worried about Boise.”

Unfortunately, neither are the voters.