College football: Around the nation
BY Associated Press
Saturday, November 17, 2012
11/17/12 at 2:44 AM
No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 14 Stanford 7 p.m. Saturday TV: KTUL-8
No. 14 Stanford looks to challenge top-ranked Oregon
EUGENE, Ore. - For the past two seasons it's been the same thing for Stanford: Great expectations dashed by Oregon.
So certainly the No. 14 Cardinal would like nothing better than to derail the top-ranked Ducks in their bid for another shot at the national title.
Last season, Stanford was ranked No. 3 and looking toward its own national championship bid with quarterback Andrew Luck when then-No. 6 Oregon visited Palo Alto and emerged with a 52-31 victory. Running back LaMichael James, who would join Luck's NFL draft class in the spring, ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns.
The year before, Oregon defeated the Cardinal and Luck 52-31 in an early October hurdle that led to an undefeated regular season and an appearance in the BCS title game against Auburn.
No. 17 UCLA vs. No. 21 Southern Cal 2 p.m. Saturday TV: KOKI-5/23
UCLA hosts Southern California with Pac-12 South title on line
PASADENA, Calif. - Los Angeles' annual crosstown rivalry game hasn't been much of a rivalry or much of a game in recent years.
Take last year, when Southern California obliterated UCLA 50-0 for the Trojans' 12th win over the Bruins in 13 years.
Yet that loss changed everything at UCLA when Jim Mora took over and returned the program to respectability.
Much more than Los Angeles bragging rights is on the line when No. 21 USC (7-3, 5-3 Pac-12) crosses town to face No. 17 UCLA (8-2, 5-2) on Saturday.
There's a prize much more interesting than the Victory Bell: The winner represents the Pac-12 South in the league championship game in two weeks.
The Bruins mostly claim there's no thought of revenge, yet it's tough for either team to ignore last season's score.
No. 2 Kansas State at Baylor 7 p.m. Saturday TV: ESPN-25
Klein, K-State head to Baylor with eyes on national title shot
WACO, Texas - Collin Klein and Kansas State are two wins away from almost certainly playing for the school's first national championship.
The second-ranked Wildcats (10-0) are headed to Texas for the second Saturday night in a row. This time they play Baylor (4-5), which is still trying to get bowl eligible after losing its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback to the NFL.
The Wildcats, No. 1 in the latest BCS rankings, know their title dreams will be out of reach if they lose one of their last two regular-season games.
Associated Images:
Collin Klein and Kansas State are two games away from playing for a national title. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
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