Oregon Is 23-Point Favorite Against UCLA
No. 12 UCLA (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) at No. 2 Oregon (7-0, 4-0), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Line: Oregon by 23.
Series record: UCLA leads 39-26-0.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Oregon is the only undefeated team left in the Pac-12 but faces its toughest tough two-week stretch with ranked opponents in No. 12 UCLA and No. 9 Stanford. While the Ducks are ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25, they're ranked No. 3 in the BCS standings behind Florida State. The Bruins hope to rebound from a 24-10 loss at Stanford last weekend, their first of the season.
KEY MATCHUP
Oregon's hyperdrive offense against UCLA's defense. The Ducks rank second nationally with an average of 643 yards of total offense and 332.4 yards rushing. QB Marcus Mariota is responsible for 363.4 yards of total offense a game. The Bruins rank in the middle of the conference in rushing defense, allowing opponents six rushing touchdowns and an average of 147 yards per game on the ground.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
UCLA: QB Brett Hundley, who completed 24 of 39 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown last weekend against Stanford, but also threw two interceptions -- including one with a little more than 2 minutes remaining that led to a Stanford touchdown
Oregon: RB De'Anthony Thomas, who is expected to return against UCLA after missing the last three games. Thomas injured his right ankle after he slipped on the opening kickoff of Oregon's 55-16 victory over California on Sept. 28. The junior, who was considered a Heisman candidate before the season started, has rushed 338 yards rushing and six touchdowns.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Ducks hosted the Bruins in the 2011 Pac-12 Championship Game, winning 49-31, but the two teams haven't met in a regular season conference game since 2010. ... UCLA last beat the Ducks in 2007, winning 16-0 at the Rose Bowl. The Ducks were ranked No. 9 at the time. The last time the Bruins won at Autzen Stadium was in 2004. ... Mariota needs 141 more rushing yards this season to match Jeremiah Masoli's Oregon quarterback record of 1,386 set in the 2008-09 season. ... Mariota has not thrown an interception in 197 attempts this season, and has an ongoing Pac-12 record with 265 passes without an interception, dating back to last season's loss against Stanford.
