A Pasadena Boquet

It came down to a kick. Not just any kick but a kick that came after a missed PAT. What?!? Yeah, a missed PAT. Kahut better be thanking his lucky stars the the OSU Beavs' coach Mike Riley even game him a chance at redemption. Not since Linfield was playing for a national championship have I been so nervous about a college football game. I knew Kahut was going to blow the PAT. In Dave's words it is the NW curse. Teams from the state of Oregon just know how to shoot themselves in the foot...and then, Kahut kicks a 25 yard field goal as time expires for the 19-17 win over Arizona in the desert. Kahut's kick also set the table for one of the most storied Civil War games between Oregon State and Oregon in the history of the 100+ year series. So much for the curse...for now.

The only problem facing the Beavs run at a Rose Bowl rematch with the Nittany Lions is the voodoo hex Pete Carrol put on the Pac-10's leading rusher and likely offensive player of the year, Jaquizz Rodgers. The quiz show has taken his licks this year but during the Beavs' second possession on a rutine run to the right, he lowers his shoulder *POP* and he has a minor dislocation. Out for the game. Out for the Civil War? That remains to be seen.

Last year, Dennis Dixon, a Heisman candidate and offensive juggernaut for Oregon, goes down with a torn ACL two games before the Civil War and the Ducks loose at home to the Beavs for the first time in something like a decade. Could the cancellation of the quiz show cost OSU its trip to Pasadena? I think not.

Saturday, there is talk that ESPN's College Game Day could be in Corvallis. Tim and I will be drinking some wine en route to the game, he in yellow, most like his obnoxious yellow fleece number that he busts out to imitate Big Bird, and me in my orange and black. Dave's little brother Adam will no doubt be huddled over his crimson and yellow Carrol shrine hoping for the Ducks to take back the Platypus trophy but his prayers are only falling on deaf ears. God is a Beaver fan and Mike Riley channels Jesus on a daily basis. Riley is a nurturer of talent, just ask Dwight Jaynes. And, he is not just saying so because he has to sell papers (unlike Canzano, who has jumped on the bandwagon and is slapping the reigns), he is now just a blogger.

The Ducks are a formidable opponent but they don't stand a chance, even if the Beavs are without Quiz and starting Canfield. It starts with defense and the mighty Corvallis Crusaders got some. If the Ducks quarterback Masoli even tries to the throw the ball, pick city, and the Beavs have enough team speed to contain the Ducks running attack. Not even the best defense in the conference, USC giving up only 225 yard/game could contain the Beavs, who put up 341. Oregon State, by the way, is the 11th ranked defense in the country. The Ducks...do you really want to know? Ok, 73rd, giving up a whopping 375 yards per contest. Yikes!

Beavers win this Civil War by double digits.

If you asked me if the Beavs are the best team in the Pac-8 (sorry Washington schools, you didn't make the cut), I would say no but do they deserve to go the Rose Bowl? An emphatic yes! It's been 44 years since the Beavs spent New Years in Pasadena. If the Trojans wouldn't have overlooked a then 1-2 Beaver team, we wouldn't be having this conversation and the Rose Bowl would have turned into an at-large bid as the Trojans would go on to win the BCS Championship FedEx Bowl in Florida. However, if the cards fall right, USC could still sneak into Florida but for now the cards are stacked in favor of the Beavs and Eue de le Roses Rouge is in the air.

Can they beat Penn State on a neutral field? The way Riley has shepherded his team up until this point makes be believe that he can walk on water, so yes, the Beavs got a shot.