The Pac-12 conferenced honored five Oregon football players to the All-Conference first team on Tuesday. Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota was one of the players honored and became the first quarterback in conference history to be named to the Pac-12 first-team three times.

Mariota was also honored as the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year earlier in the day.

Along with Mariota, four other Ducks were named to the 2014 first-team All-Pac-12 roster. Offensive linemen Jake Fisher and Hroniss Grasu, tight end Pharaoh Brown and cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu rounded out the awarded Ducks. Grasu and Ekpre-Olomu also earned their third first-team selection along with Mariota.

A handful of players were named to the second-team all-conference team. Running back Royce Freeman, defensive end DeForest Buckner, cornerback Troy Hill, safety Erick Dargan and special teams specialist Charles Nelson composed the Oregon players on the second team. Freeman and Nelson were two of the three freshman on the first and second team.

Defensive end Arik Armstead, wide receiver Byron Marshall, offensive lineman Hamani Stevens and linebacker Joe Walker earned Honorable Mention from the Pac-12 conference.

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The season finale will mark the 118th Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State at Reser Stadium in Corvallis. In recent years, the game’s importance has been overshadowed by Oregon’s national spotlight. But it’s never an easy win for either side, so here’s how the 118th Civil War stacks up:

Offense:

Following Oregon’s 44-10 win over Colorado in what was likely Marcus Mariota’s final game at Autzen Stadium, the Ducks have scored 42 points or more in each of their past six games. They rank at the top of the Pac-12 in points scored (504) and average 45.8 points per game.

Oregon also sits at the top of the conference in total offense and leads the Pac-12 in rushing offense and is third in passing offense behind California and Washington State — two teams that have thrown the ball a combined 528 times more than Oregon. The offensive line looked spectacular against Colorado even with redshirt senior Hamani Stevens moving to center in Hroniss Grasu’s absence.

Second-to-last and only better than Stanford, Oregon State ranks 11th in the conference in offensive scoring. The Beavers have scored 289 points and an average of 26.3 points in their 11 games this season.

One of the biggest problems the Beavers have had this year is establishing the run game. They are only better than Washington State, who rarely runs the ball at all, in rushing yards per game (115.5).

Through the air, they are a middle-of-the-Pac team. The Beavers average 280.8 yards per game, good for seventh best in the conference.

Perhaps the Oregon State offense’s biggest struggle comes on third down, where in the upset win over Arizona State the Beavers were just 1-12. They convert on third down just 31.1 percent of the time, the worst in the conference.

Advantage: Oregon

Defense:

In what appeared to be their most dominating defensive game against Colorado — the Ducks allowed just 226 yards and only 93 yards in the first half — Oregon has appeared to figure things out defensively late in the season.

Oregon is second in the Pac-12 in points allowed, allowing just 23.6 per game. One of the key reasons for their success is an improved pass defense and turnover margin. Redshirt senior defensive back Troy Hill leads the conference with 16 passes defended including an interception, a category that another Duck defensive back leads: Erick Dargan (5). In addition, Oregon has the third-most turnovers this season (22) in the conference.

The Beavers allow 30.2 points per game on average and have allowed 35 points or more in each of their last five games. Oregon State has the second-best pass defense in the conference, allowing 237.3 yards through the air this season on average.

In their huge upset over Arizona State, the Beavers picked off ASU’s Taylor Kelly twice and held him to a QBR of 40.0. As a team, Oregon State has 11 interceptions and six fumbles. The Beavers have also shown to be good in keeping the opposing team from racking up first downs allowing 21.6 a game — fourth best in the Pac-12.

Advantage: Oregon

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There was 13:21 left in the game when Marcus Mariota jogged out to begin Oregon’s drive from its own five-yard line. Mariota handed off the ball to Kenny Bassett for a gain of one yard. Mariota didn’t look to the bench for the next play, instead he jogs to toward the Oregon sideline and meets Jeff Lockie on his way off the field.

“I thought that was a pretty special thing for (Mark Helfrich) to let Marcus do,” Lockie said. “Obviously we’ve grown pretty close over the past three years so it was special to be apart of that…He just said ‘Have fun and do what you’re capable of.’”

Mariota continues on his path to the sidelines. He waves to the fans and gives teammates and coaches hugs and handshakes. The crowd roars “Mar-I-Ota.” Mariota puts on his jacket and gives his helmet to an Oregon staff member. He watches the rest of the game from the sideline. His night was over, perhaps his last at Autzen Stadium.

“I was just kind of looking around at the crowd,” Mariota said. “Autzen is such a special place. I made sure to tell (Jeff) Lockie to enjoy every one of these because it’s so unique and such an incredible place to play…We have such passionate fans that really care about this team and to see that it’s always special.”

The redshirt junior from Honolulu, Hawaii has his name all over the Oregon record books. In less than three seasons Mariota owns the school record in seven different categories. He holds the career records for total offense, passing yards, completions, touchdown passes, total touchdowns, total points accounted for and consecutive passes without an interception.

However his talent isn’t limited to Oregon’s legacy. On Oregon’s first drive of the game he became the fifth player in NCAA history to pass for 9,000 yards and run for 2,000 yards in a career.

Oregon’s 44-10 win over Colorado was over quickly. It became a game where the players saying goodbye could create their final memories.

“It’s still a football game,” Marcus said. “But still you got to enjoy the moment because this is the kind of stuff that is once in a lifetime.”

His final drive didn’t take long, naturally. In five plays Oregon flew 65 yards in just a minute and 39 seconds, culminating in a touchdown pass from the third-year starter to Charles Nelson.

Later in the fourth quarter the game was clearly out of reach and both teams began running out the clock.

The clock hit zero and Mariota was pulled away for a post-game interview with the Pac-12 Network. After his final question he was rushed by Oregon staff to get to the locker room. But his exit wasn’t until Mariota took a moment to say goodbye.

Mariota gently bangs his right fist to his heart three times, then pointing to the student section, thanking them for their support. He approaches the west tunnel and then disappears.

“If this is my last game at Autzen it was truly special,” Mariota said. “It will be one of those things I hold close to my heart and the rest of my life. I can’t thank the fans enough.”

Lockie added similar thoughts about his good friend.

“I think he’s super appreciative of what Autzen Stadium has given him,” Lockie said. “He’s just going out there and playing football every Saturday and the way Eugene and (Autzen) has embraced him, it’s pretty special.”

With at least three more games to go, Mariota won’t be completely finished for Oregon. He hasn’t said goodbye just yet. But for his time spent playing at Autzen Stadium, that remains an unknown.

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Following a bye week and its Pac-12 North clinching win over No. 20 Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah No. 3 Oregon (9-1, 6-1) welcomes Colorado (2-8, 0-7) for its final game of the 2014 season at Autzen Stadium.

Oregon leads the all-time series against the Buffaloes 10-8 and has won four straight.

Here are some pregame notes for today’s game:

Broadcast information:

TV: Pac-12 Networks with Ted Robinson, Glenn Parker and Jill Savage

Radio: Oregon IMG with Jerry Allen and Mike Jorgensen

Satellite Radio: Sirius 139, XM 197

Latest line:

Oregon by 32 points

Mariota’s farewell?

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota will play in likely his final game at Autzen Stadium Saturday against Colorado. The Honolulu, Hawaii native has already thrown the third most touchdowns (92) in Pac-12 history, needing only eight more to pass Matt Leinart (USC, 2003-05) for second on the all-time list. The redshirt junior owns the school records at Oregon for total offense, passing yards, completions, touchdown passes, total touchdowns, total points accounted for and consecutive passes without an interception.

Freeman running into Oregon’s record books

True freshman Royce Freeman needs eight touchdowns to set a new single season record. Kenjon Barner is atop the Oregon list in that category with 21.

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It’s the final home game at Autzen Stadium this year and the matchup features two teams heading in completely opposite directions. Oregon continues to surge as the season concludes, while Colorado is simply trying to remain competitive in its second season under Mike MacIntyre. With that said, the matchup still warrants discussion. Sports staff reporters Andrew Bantly and Ryan Kostecka give insights and predictions for a matchup that appears lopsided on paper. 

Will style be a factor in how Oregon defeats Colorado on Saturday for the College Football Playoff Committee?

Kostecka — Not this game and not in this situation. The Ducks are expected to beat Colorado handily, so the difference between a 20-point win will be no different than a 40-point win. With that being said, Oregon will have to make sure that it leads from the get go and not let this game be close in any way.

Bantly — I don’t think style is a factor to the Playoff Committee, though there will, no doubt, be some style points involved on Saturday. I think it’s more about how dominant Oregon will be in the win, as it needs to be. It needs to be because anything else shows that Oregon may have a chink in its armor and therefore hurt its playoff chances.

Oregon’s defense seems to be coming into its own. Will this contest versus Colorado provide further momentum for the unit and how many yards do you see the Buffaloes gaining?

Kostecka — Colorado runs the ball pretty well, so the Ducks will have to make sure their defensive line will be up to the task. The more interesting note is Colorado wide receiver Nelson Spruce and his 9.9 catches per game. He’ll be a good test for Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and the secondary. Overall, I think Oregon holds Colorado to sub-250 yards through the first three quarters, but with the substitutes in, Colorado ends up with about 350 total yards.

Bantly — Colorado is a bad offensive team. This should make the secondary of Oregon, which hasn’t been the best this season, look really good. But I think the run is where Oregon might be vulnerable. Oregon allows 162.7 yards defensively on the ground while Colorado’s numbers are about that offensively. But the fact is that Oregon will be dominant against Colorado and should keep the Buffalo stampede under 350 yards of total offense.

What is your prediction and why?

Kostecka — Its tough to make predictions like this when these two teams are heading in different directions. How long does Oregon keep Mariota in the game if the Ducks are flying high? Questions like that make the score difficult to predict, but my guess is, that on senior day, Oregon crushes Colorado by a score of 57-20

Bantly — Oregon 52, Colorado 17. Depending on how long the starters will be in the game, Oregon has the opportunity to score as many points as it wants. I think the defense is going to be playing to keep Colorado off the scoreboard the entire game, as it should.

It’s not often that the opposing team’s mascot summarizes how a game is likely to go. But, this might be the opportunity as the Ducks should stampede like a herd of Buffalo over Colorado. In addition, Oregon fans will say their final goodbye to Marcus Mariota in what is likely his final game at Autzen Stadium.

Here is how Oregon and Colorado stackup:

Offense: 

Colorado:

Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau is a work in progress, like the rest of the team. Liufau has thrown for 2,842 yards and 26 touchdowns this season which are formidable numbers. However the limp in his charge is shown by his 14 interceptions for a QBR of under 65. Michael Adkins II has the majority of Colorado’s carries this season (81) and has gained 398 yards — a 4.9 average. Like the Oregon running backs, Adkins shares time with two other running backs: Phillip Lindsay and Tony Jones. But unlike Oregon, sharing the work load hasn’t been successful. None of Colorado’s running backs average 40 yards or more per game. As a team, Colorado averages 29.8 points and 461.1 yards per game, ranked 10th and seventh best in the conference respectively.

Oregon:

Oregon, on the other hand, has an established offense that shows every sign of scoring quickly and often on Saturday. Mariota has thrown for 2,780 yards and 29 touchdowns, while being picked off just twice this season. He has also ran for 524 yards and 8 touchdowns, averaging 52.4 rushing yards per game — a greater number than any of Colorado’s running backs. But the stampede led by Mariota is never without support. Freshman running back Royce Freeman has become a beast of its own. Just look at the guy. He has rushed for 945 yards for 14 touchdowns, averaging 94.5 yards per game this season. Without center Hroniss Grasu, the Ducks should still have no problem pounding the ball down the field.

Advantage: Oregon

Defense

Colorado:

With Oregon’s offense, a task so great to deal with alone, Colorado’s performances this season don’t put a lot of confidence in their ability to slow down the Ducks. Colorado is second-to-last in points allowed in the Pac-12, giving up 38.6 points a game on average. Perhaps a bigger problem is that it has the worst rush defense in the conference, allowing over 200 yards per game. However, Colorado ranks fifth in the conference in pass defense, allowing 243.1 yards per game.

Oregon:

Oregon’s defense hasn’t been up-to-par of its No. 2 national ranking. But it could look like the No. 1 team defensively in the country come Saturday. The Ducks’ weakness defensively has come through the air this season but this week they’ll be matched against the most inefficient passing team in the conference. The ground game is, perhaps, where Oregon could show weakness. Oregon allows, on average, 162.7 rush yards per game which is just a fraction of a yard more than what Colorado averages in its ground attack.

Advantage: Oregon

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– The Oregon men’s and women’s basketball teams begin their regular season Friday. The women play at 12 p.m. against Utah State and the men’s squad plays Coppin State at 9 p.m. Josh Schlichter of the Emerald had a chance to preview the rest of the Pac-12 conference for men’s basketball.

-Oregon offensive lineman Hroniss Grasu will “miss a couple of games” according to his teammate Hamani Steven. Grasu went down with a non-contact knee injury in the second half when it appeared that his toe of his cleat got snagged on the grass in Oregon’s win over No. 23 Utah.

– The No. 2 ranked men’s team and the No. 3 women’s team of the Oregon cross country program will begin the NCAA West Regional at Stanford on Friday. There are two automatic berths to the NCAA Championships available for the taking.

-No. 10 Oregon volleyball lost to No. 14 Arizona on the road in four sets on Thursday night and lost position of third place in the Pac-12 standings. The Ducks play Arizona State before coming home on Saturday at 6 p.m.

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**Editor’s Note: Heading into the final weeks of the season, staff reporter Andrew Bantly ranks the Pac-12.

1. Oregon Ducks (9-1, 6-1)

There isn’t really any debate about this. Following Oregon’s 31-24 loss to Arizona the Ducks responded with five straight victories, including two on the road against AP ranked opponents – No. 18 UCLA and No. 17 Utah . All while scoring over 40 points in each of those five games.

2. Arizona State Sun Devils (8-1, 5-1)

Like Oregon, since Arizona State’s lone loss to UCLA it has won five straight. Four of those five wins have been against ranked teams and its 55-31 win over Notre Dame was a clear display of this team’s potential. Their three remaining games have the Sun Devils in prime position to meet Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship.

3. UCLA Bruins (8-2, 5-2)

If it weren’t for back-to-back losses against Utah and No. 12 Oregon, UCLA would be higher on this list. Its two wins over the Arizona schools standout but they’re going to need some help if they want to jump the Sun Devils in the South.

4. Arizona Wildcats (7-2, 4-2)

It’s hard to have Arizona this low when one thinks about its game at Autzen, but the fact is that its season can’t be summed up by that lone victory. Following its upset over No. 2 Oregon the Wildcats lost to unranked USC. To the Wildcats credit, they’ve been close in their two losses.

5. Utah Utes (6-3, 3-3)

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the Pac-12 is how good Utah has been, especially defensively. Other than the loss to Oregon, which was totally in part to Kaelin Clay’s goal line fumble, Utah’s losses were by a margin of four total points.

6. USC Trojans (7-3, 6-2)

I’m not sure which loss was the biggest surprise for USC, getting beat by Boston College or losing by the completed hail mary pass from Arizona State. But USC is still very much in contention with one conference game remaining against UCLA.

7. Stanford Cardinal (5-4, 3-3)

To the relief of many Oregon fans, Stanford didn’t bite Oregon for the third straight year. But just because the Cardinal is out of contention its final games against Utah, California and UCLA are still very important to the Pac-12 standings.

8. Washington Huskies (6-4, 2-4)

Washington might be the most consistent team in the conference. To summarize its season: when the Huskies play a bad team they win, when they play a formidable opponent they lose. They’ve got three games remaining, two of which would fall under the “bad team” category.

9. California Golden Bears (5-5, 3-5)

California averages 41.9 points per game, which ranks ninth in the nation. But what it doesn’t do is keep the opposing team off the scoreboard. Though it makes for a fun game to watch, its defense needs work.

10. Washington State Cougars (3-7, 2-5)

To be fair Washington State did what USC, UCLA and others couldn’t: the team beat Utah. But that’s about it. Yet its next game could prove to be its biggest yet, if it can upset No. 9 Arizona State.

11. Oregon State Beavers (4-5, 1-5)

Oregon State’s lone conference win of the year came against Colorado, which ranks right behind them.

12. Colorado Buffaloes (2-8, 0-7)

Sorry Buffaloes, it just wasn’t your year. With No. 4 Oregon and No. 17 Utah as their final two games it wouldn’t be likely that they will improve on their ranking in the conference.

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After nearly two years in the Philippines, Hamani Stevens walked into his home for the first time. His knees couldn’t hold the weight of the moment. He dropped down and began to cry. He couldn’t believe how fortunate he was.

“It all caught up to me at once,” Hamani said. “I couldn’t help but cry with joy and sadness that the people I was spending time with for the last two years may never get the chance to experience a life like I have.”

On his way home from the Ontario Airport in June 2011, Hamani stopped by In-N-Out and ordered a four-by-four — a burger with four patties and four slices of cheese, plus toppings. It was his first meal since arriving from the Philippines. He saved it until he got home. Sitting at the dinner table with his parents and his four brothers, he took a bite. Again, his emotions got the best of him.

“To have that amount of food for one person, I felt really guilty,” Hamani said. “I couldn’t believe how well we have it here. To have that right there and thinking that that could be someone’s meal for the week.”

This was the moment when his mom, Telekaki, realized Hamani wasn’t the same son she said goodbye to over a year and a half ago.

“I knew I had a changed child in my home,” Telekaki said. “I was so grateful.”

A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hamani grew up about 30 minutes away from any major highway in the small town of Hemet, California.

“You have to go out of your way to get to Hemet,” Hamani said.

Hamani, like many, “had to be with the trend,” according to Telekaki. New shoes and up-to-date electronics were some of the things she remembers him asking for.

 “He didn’t realize how other people have gone without,” Telekaki said. “Life is more than just wanting.”

A four-star recruit out of high school, Hamani was stuck between the decision of attending Oregon or UCLA — about a 12 and a half hour difference from Hemet.

Hamani chose Oregon and the coaches of Oregon knew that a spiritual mission trip was still a decision Hamani had yet to make.

“The coaches and everyone (were) so nice and so kind,” Telekaki said. “That was one of the things we’d asked about.”

When he arrived to Oregon, his youth showed.

“He was immature,” offensive line coach Steve Greatwood said. “Not very disciplined, didn’t really understand the work ethic and the preparation it was going to take — as a lot of freshmen are.”

In 2008, Hamani redshirted his freshman year. Ahead of his second season, he began to consider a mission trip, which he hadn’t planned until that point. To complicate things further for Hamani, there was a chance he could start in the 2009 season under new head coach Chip Kelly.

“At first I wasn’t going to go on a mission when I first came over here,” Hamani said. “I was just going to keep playing football. I just decided to take the mission instead.”

As the 2009 Oregon football team was beginning its season, Hamani was on his way to the Philippines. He wouldn’t return to the United States for 21 months.

Before Hamani left, he had just a couple of months to prepare at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah for the Philippines and most notably, their language: Tagalog. They gave him the basics before he was to get “thrown into the fire.” Hamani saw it as an opportunity to “sink or swim.” Hamani chose to swim.

“I totally immersed into their culture,” Hamani said.

Hamani spent about two months in each location he was placed and at every site he met new “companions.” These companions were other Latter-day Saints on their own mission and together they served the community.

“Any chance we could do good in the community, we were doing that,” Hamani said. “From helping someone lift something up to rebuilding a house.”

One memory that stands out to Hamani was the opportunity he got to help a man build a new home. The name of the man isn’t something Hamani forgot: Francisco. However the spelling is a mystery unsolved.

“We were walking around trying to find someone to talk to, and we talked to him and asked him if he needed help with anything,” Hamani describes years later.

Francisco told Hamani and his companions what he needed.

“I thought he was joking,” Hamani said laughing. “But he actually wanted help from us to build his house so we were like, ‘Sure, why not?’”

The plan for the house was simple, nothing too architecturally complicated. They stacked cement blocks around the foundation and did whatever Francisco asked.

“Having someone to live off our work and labor is a good thought to think about,” Hamani said. “He was so grateful and his whole family was so appreciative of what we did.”

After they built the house, Francisco’s kids were allowed to create a mural of whatever they wanted on one of the sides of the house, but Francisco didn’t let his workers walk away unattributed.

“He asked us to sign our names on his house,” Hamani said. “I thought that was pretty cool, somewhere out there my name is on somebody’s house.”

On the other side of the globe Hamani’s teammates were still playing football. He missed Oregon’s first Rose Bowl appearance since 1994 and Hamani was still connected through emails with his mom. However, when Oregon went 12-0 in 2010, Hamani was on edge. He didn’t know if Oregon had made it to the BCS National Championship. When he finally got the word from his mom, he couldn’t believe it.

“I was in shock and disbelief that they could make it that far,” Hamani said. “I definitely was being impatient and really wanted to find some kind of TV or satellite station so I could tune-in and see what was going on.”

Unfortunately, he couldn’t and he missed the game.

“I was lucky enough to be at a country where football wasn’t that big and I wouldn’t be distracted or tempted to feel regret that I didn’t stay.”

Nonetheless, while Hamani was on his mission he was able to stay committed to working out for his return. In fact he had been working out his own way, without a gym.

“I had to do my own workout routine,” Hamani said.

The strength of the US dollar allowed for supplies to be cheap. So Hamani “filled a cylinder with cement mix and put the bar into it, waited for it to dry and did that to the other side.”

To his surprise, when he arrived back home he was just as strong as he was when he left.

“Luckily, those cement blocks paid off for me,” Hamani said.

In his first year back as a redshirt freshman, Hamani played in eight games including the Pac-12 Championship Game. He is now a key force of the offensive line, starting in each of the past 22 games for the Ducks.

“Since he’s come back he did a lot of growing,” Greatwood said. “I think it has really worked out for the best.”

Still, when things aren’t the best, Hamani remembers the poverty he saw during his mission. He is reminded that just having a home, food and clothing means “you’re living good.”

It has been over six years since Hamani began his career at the University of Oregon. Now with just three games remaining in his final regular season, Hamani is near the end of another mission. There is no doubt he will leave Oregon a better man than when he came. For that reason, another mission successful.

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It’s way too early.

With four more games remaining, including Stanford around the corner and No. 18 Utah on the road in the following week, Oregon’s remaining schedule is no cake walk. Sure, the Ducks are expected to win out the season. Heck, they were supposed to win every game they had on their schedule and look what happened. But it’s not just the Ducks, every team’s season across the country is way too early to judge.

Oregon was ranked No. 5 on Tuesday, Oct. 28 by the College Football Playoff Committee behind No. 4 Ole Miss, No. 3 Auburn, No. 2 Florida State and No. 1 Mississippi State. But what will it be ranked next week?

Who knows where No. 1 Mississippi St. will be? They have a great argument at this point beating then ranked No. 8 LSU, No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 2 Auburn, but the Bulldogs still have No. 3 Alabama and No. 7 Ole Miss left on the schedule which will no doubt affect the SEC West team attending the SEC Championship game. So, again, who really knows?

Oregon’s offensive coordinator Scott Frost said after practice on Monday that he “could care less what the committee’s rankings are right now.”

“I trust those people,” Frost said. “There are some awfully smart people on that committee, they’ll make the right decision. To be honest I feel like it’s kind of pointless to come out with it now. So many games still have to be played, we’ve got a tough slate ahead of us. Teams ahead of us have a tough slate ahead of them. Teams behind us have tough games. People can talk about it right now but it really doesn’t matter until that last one.”

Every Tuesday until Dec. 2 the playoff committee will make their rankings a performance, as they did on Tuesday. But it won’t be until Dec. 7 when it actually matters. Yes, it makes for great ratings and excitement, but it really just makes more work for the committee as well as more speculation on what will happen. And there is no progress that can be made through speculating.

In fact what then happens is more distraction. Already college football is obsessed with who is ranked and where they stack up, and now there is just another poll. Yes it will be the important poll when it is all said and done, but for now, it’s meaningless and just another distraction from the actual play on the field.

What the committee should do is release one, all important ranking. As the NCAA does with the NCAA Basketball Tournament. One release at the end of the season provides America with everything it needs to know: Who’s in and who isn’t. It would also avoid any controversy that will no doubt occur based on the committee’s preliminary rankings.

The reason it would allow controversy is because, unlike the NCAA, the playoff committee ranks its top 25, instead of just the four playoffs spots. So when it comes down to their final decisions, it likely will be controversial because of all the changes that are no doubt ahead.

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