Oregon and Stanford clash Thursday night in a battle for Pac-12 supremacy. The outcome carries heavy weight for both sides — bragging rights, an inside track to play in the Pac-12 championship game and a possible BCS national title appearance.

Here are the players to watch.

Oregon:

Marcus Mariota (QB) — Oregon’s quarterback has been the best in the country through eight games this season. The sophomore has thrown for 2,281 yards and 20 touchdowns against zero interceptions and carries the country’s fifth best QB rating (178.49). He’ll be looking to avenge last year’s loss to Stanford in which the Ducks lost by three in overtime. And by the way, that was the last time Mariota threw an interception.

De’Anthony Thomas/Byron Marshall (RBs) — The Ducks’ running game has flourished without their starting running back, but after having several weeks to recover from an ankle injury, Thomas should be good to go Thursday night. Thomas played against UCLA but didn’t look like himself, totaling just 31 yards on 10 carries. Marshall has averaged close to seven yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns in the last five games and figures to be heavily counted on once again regardless of Thomas’ health, so that’s a situation to keep an eye on.

Stanford:

Henry Anderson (DE) — Stanford’s defense took a major blow when it lost defensive end Ben Gardner for the season, but the Cardinal can take a minor sigh of relief. Defensive end Henry Anderson will return to action for the Cardinal Thursday night. The senior suffered an injury in week two and hasn’t played since, but was huge in Stanford’s victory over Oregon last season with eight tackles and a sack. Josh Mauro, who had been playing in Anderson’s position, will shift to Gardner’s end spot. Mauro has been one of Stanford’s best defensive players this year, racking up 37 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks and one interception.

Tyler Gaffney (RB) — Stanford’s senior running back has been one of the best in the country thus far. His 886 yards and 12 touchdowns have filled the void left by Stepfan Taylor, who carried the load for the Cardinal the last three seasons. Gaffney isn’t the receiving threat Taylor was, but he’s just as dangerous on the ground, having rushed for 100 or more yards in five out of eight contests and finding the end zone in seven games.

Oregon and Stanford:

Alejandro Maldonado/Matt Wogan/Jordan Williamson (PKs) — You can’t talk about last year’s game between these two schools without mentioning the kicking. Oregon has used the kicker-by-committee approach, rotating Maldonado and Wogan on extra points and primarily using Maldonado on field goals. Maldonado has connected on two tries from 29 yards out, made a 34-yarder and missed both 37 yard attempts on the season. Wogan converted his only field goal attempt of the year, a 38-yarder against Tennessee. Williamson hit the game-winner in last year’s matchup and has made nine of 12 field goals this season but has missed Stanford’s last two games with a leg injury. He’s expected to play Thursday and handle field goal and extra point duties.

Follow Madison Guernsey on Twitter @guernseymd