Oregon Outlasts Oregon State: The Ducks won the Civil War game and the Pac-10 championship with last night’s win over Oregon State. The game was a bit more of a shootout than the Ducks wanted, but they still made it to the promise land with their relentless ground game. A ground game that got a boost from a surprising face, RB LeGarrette Blount. Blount was suspended for most of the season after his infamous punch after Oregon’s loss to Boise State in week 1, and last night was his first action since that game. Oregon capped off a great regular season that now leads them to a tough Rose Bowl matchup with Ohio State.

Pens Cruise Again: The Pittsburgh Penguins won their third straight game, and six of their last seven to remain atop the Eastern Conference tied with the Washington Capitals with 40 points. The Penguins have outscored their opponents 17-6 during their three game stretch, and now have the league’s best record with 20 wins. Star Center Sidney Crosby has paced the Pens with 7 goals during the three games. Which now places him second in the league in goals scored and third in Points.

Celtics Win 6th Straight: The Boston Celtics took down the Spurs last night in a 90-83 battle for their sixth straight win. Boston is now tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference with the Orlando Magic. The Celtics are winning with one of the most balanced attacks in all of basketball with five players averaging double figures, and Rasheed Wallace chipping in 9+ off the bench. Boston is on a hot streak right now and they will look to keep it up tonight against the Thunder in Oklahoma City.

Jets Win, Sanchez Hurts Another Knee: The Jets outlasted the Buffalo Bills last night to improve to 6-6, keeping them somewhat in the playoff picture. Their defense was dominate, especially Darrelle Revi, who shutdown Terrell Owens all night. The Jets offense had no trouble running the football, and Mark Sanchez managed the game extremely well. While he was only 7-15 and threw for just over 100 yards, he didn’t throw an interception, which has been his biggest problem so far. Sanchez did make one mistake in the third quarter when, fighting for extra yards he dove head first instead of sliding. Sanchez came up hurt on the play and left the game. While he get the first down, Sanchez made a risky mistake, one week after hurting his other knee by not sliding. If it was a different situation I might have given Sanchez a break, but the coaching staff obviously wants you to slide (I mean they didn’t bring in Joe Girardi for a photo op) so you got to do it. The Jets were up by 6 at the time and the defense had been pretty stingy. Punt the ball away and live to play another series. The Jets and Sanchez need to hope this injury doesn’t linger. Sanchez is still a raw product, he needs as much work in practice and games (though part of me thinks he’s too raw to be starting on a team with playoff aspirations) as possible. He can’t develop if he’s injured and on the sidelines. Maybe this week the Jets will bring in a Slip ‘n Slide for Sanchez to practice on, because they need to teach him how to protect himself.

This year’s Civil War game has more on the line than just the pride of the state of Oregon, as the winner will take the PAC-10 championship and their ticket to the Rose Bowl. This rivarly always gets heated, and the Beavers will want redemption after losing 65-38 last year (and their ticket to Pasadena). The stakes are higher this year, as the Rose Bowl is on the line for both teams. So who has the edge tonight?

The easy answer is the Oregon Ducks, they are the higher ranked team and are at home. But Oregon knows full well not to take the Beavers for granted, so this game will be settled by the players on the field. As loud and as passionate as the Duck fans can get, I don’t see them getting into Beavers quarterback, Sean Canfield’s head. What will get into his head is the Oregon defensive front seven, particularly DE’s Kenny Rowe and Will Tukuafu. They should be able to get good penetration against Oregon State’s offensive line. The Ducks will need to rely on pressure to help out their young secondary against Canfield. The Ducks defense will have their hands full against the Beavers running game and Jacquizz Rodgers. Rodgers is as good as any back the Ducks have faced all season (which is saying something in the PAC-10). Stopping the run has been a mixed bag for the defense, as some running backs they’ve shut down completely and others have had a field day against the Ducks. If Oregon can at least slow down Rodgers, then they should be able to come away with a victory.

On offense the Ducks have their own young running back LaMichael James who has been running all over opponents this season. James, along with quarterback Jeremiah Masoli lead an impressive Ducks spread attack. James and Masoli are as good as any other 1-2 running attack in this country. Masoli can also beat teams through the air when necessary, making smart decisions when he does put the ball in the air. In addition to being a great runner and a good passer, Masoli brings one other tool to the spread attack, deception. Masoli sells the option fake as good as any quarterback in the country. Half the time the camera man (to say nothing of the opposing defense) is following the running back, while Masoli is ripping off a big gain on the other side of the field. Given their run focus, the Ducks don’t have the impact talent at receiver that other teams have (though they do possess good depth), but they do have one pass catcher that has given opposing defense’s headaches all season, tight end Ed Dickson. If it is 3rd down or the Ducks are in the Red Zone, look for Dickson to be the target. And don’t be surprised if he ends up making a big play. Dickson has been sure-handed all season for Masoli and the Ducks, and always finds a way to get open. He should be a big challenge for the Beavers defense that lacks the athleticism needed to cover him.

With Canfield, Jacquizz Rodges, and WR James Rodgers (Jacquizz’s older brother), the Beavers have the weapons to score every time they have the ball. Unfortunately, they lack the supporting cast and offensive line that will allow them to score at will. While I expect Oregon State to put up their fair share of points tonight, I think they will be stopped or turn the ball over on a few crucial drives. All in all though, offense isn’t the Beavers biggest concern, except when it comes to how their defense will stop the Ducks offense. Oregon State has struggled against the outside rush this year (an Oregon specialty), and doesn’t have the secondary to man up against the Ducks wide receivers or Dickson. I think Oregon State will keep it close early, but I’d look for the Ducks to pull away with a 42-31 victory.