“I would let him date my daughter,” coach Kerry Legarra said about Oregon commit Royce Freeman. Not every player can get a compliment like Freeman, but the 2014 Oregon commits are led by players who not only have shown success on the field but also are good young men.

Legarra, who has coached Freeman since he was a freshman, thinks that Freeman is just as good of a person as he is a football player.

“I think he has made a name for himself because of the person he is. He is just as good of a person off the field as he is on the field,” Legarra said.

The nearly 6-foot tall running back who weighs in at 215 lbs. is praised by many for his size, but Freeman considers himself a balanced back. Freeman has the ability, in the eyes of Legarra, to run just as fast in the fourth quarter as he does in the first.

The top-rated Oregon commit is humble with the opportunity to play at Oregon and says he is “100 with them.”

“I am so excited, just to have that opportunity to be apart of Oregon, nonetheless, it makes me excited. It is a dream come true to see people playing on TV knowing I can be there,” Freeman said.

Freeman ran for 2,824 yards on 256 carries for 41 touchdowns in his senior season, according to maxpreps.com.

Dual-threat quarterback Morgan Mahalak is another player who brings more than his playing ability to a university.

“I try to be as well-rounded as possible. That started with my parents,” Mahalak said.

Though Mahalak has the talent to make a name for himself early in his collegiate career, he wants first to earn the respect of his future teammates.

“With Oregon I would just want to earn the guys’ respect before I would do anything. Just work hard and whatever happens, happens,” Mahalak said.

Mahalak is a quarterback who has limited varsity time starting at the position. Jared Goff, the starting quarterback of the California Golden Bears, graduated the year before Mahalak. With only one year of experience starting at the varsity level, Mahalak has so much more to prove.

“I still think he is scratching the surface. He’s got one year of starting experience at the the varsity level and for him to put up the numbers he put up in one season is pretty incredible,” Marin Catholic head coach Mazi Moayed said.

Mahalak threw for 35 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions while rushing for 551 yards in his senior season, according to maxpreps.com.

The out-of-state commit from San Antonio, Texas, Arrion Springs, has given up time to his teammates so they can possibly get the opportunity he was given: to play collegiate football.

“I was already committed so I’ll just let them go out and try to get an offer,” Springs said about his teammates.

The defensive back grew up a USC fan but didn’t think it was the right time to be a Trojan, so Oregon was the “next best thing” for Springs.

“They’re just on fire right now, so I wanted to be a part of that,” Springs said about the Ducks.

Springs has great speed and instincts, but he says that’s not the only thing he will bring next season.

“On the field I am very fast, I am very smart. I know what’s coming up before it happens. I am very physical, which helps at my position,” Springs said.

Arrion Springs knew exactly what he wanted in a college program. Oregon’s facilities and his relationship with the coaches made Springs consider Oregon a “perfect match.”

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Every week, the Emerald sports staff will collect and post its favorite tweets from Oregon athletes, coaches, media, etc. Below are sports reporter Andrew Bantly’s favorites from Wednesday, Dec. 11.

Oregon junior running back De’Anthony Thomas:

ITS GREAT FEELING TO HAVE MY FINALS DONE THAT WAS THE EASY PART NOW THE HARD PART IS GETTING OUT MY BED TO GO TURN IT IN#DATPROBLEMS

— DE'ANTHONY THOMAS (@EATBLACKMOMBA6) December 11, 2013

Oregon sophomore outside hitter Canace Finley:

motion to make the word miniest a thing

— Canace Finley (@canacefin) December 11, 2013

I always try to surprise my mom with what I'm wearing when she picks me up from the airport

— Canace Finley (@canacefin) December 12, 2013

I went with a sweatshirt that says yacht club and leggings I spilled soda on yesterday. it's called college

— Canace Finley (@canacefin) December 12, 2013

Oregon redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Tyler Johnstone:

The main reason I haven't gotten out of bed is because I don't know what I eat for breakfast…

— Tyler Johnstone (@TJohnstone64) December 11, 2013

Oregon junior linebacker Derrick Malone:

Looking harmless, yet extremely dangerous.

— Derrick Malone Jr. (@PoeticSoul__) December 11, 2013

Oregon redshirt freshman quarterback Jeff Lockie:

Dear Eugene snow, You have long overstayed your welcome and it is time for you to go. #CAgrown

— Jeff Lockie (@jefflockie17) December 11, 2013

Oregon sophomore defensive lineman DeForest Buckner:

The frustration I get from playing FIFA….

— DeForest Buckner (@DeForestBuckner) December 12, 2013

Oregon soccer redshirt sophomore defender Kendall Brooke:

How am I supposed to study for my final when Thor is on….

— Kendall Brooke (@KBrooke220) December 11, 2013

Oregon redshirt junior place kicker Dylan Ausherman:

Never thought I would walk outside to 20 degrees and say to myself "wow it feels nice today" #Eugene

— Dylan Ausherman (@DuckPunter30) December 11, 2013

Oregon sophomore wide receiver Dwayne Stanford:

Now hat I'm older I can't remember none of the stuff my mom told me she would tell me about when I got older ha.

— Dwayne Stanford II™ (@DwaynesComeTrue) December 11, 2013

Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415

The Pac-12 announced the 2013 all-conference volleyball honorees on Tuesday, and the Ducks were well represented.

Junior outside hitter Liz Brenner made the All-Pac-12 team for the second straight year. This is her third Pac-12 honor after making the All-Pac-12 Freshman team in 2011. Brenner topped the conference with 4.62 kills/set and 5.28 points/set this season.

Seniors Lauren Plum and Ariana Williams both earned honorable mentions.

Plum, the 2012 Pac-12 setter of the year who’s made the all-conference team twice, was recognized after missing part of the 2013 season due to a foot injury.

The middle blocker Williams earned an honorable mention for the third straight year. Her .343 hitting percentage ranked seventh in the conference this season.

Freshman Amanda Benson dug herself into the Oregon record books this season and was rewarded with a Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selection. Benson not only led all Pac-12 freshmen digs, she also became the leading digger in Oregon freshman history. Benson averaged 4.71 digs/set this season.

The Ducks are set to play Miami in the 1st Round of the NCAA Tournament in Lincoln, Neb. on Dec. 6.

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The 2015 Division I baseball tournament will be the welcoming site of the new flat-seam baseball. Resulting from a lack of offense since the use of BBCOR bats, the Division I Baseball Committee will go ahead with the decision after coaches accepted the standard unanimously.

“When we went to BBCOR, what we found was it took too much offense out of the game,” University of Oregon baseball head coach George Horton said.

Since 2011, when BBCOR was adopted in college baseball, there has been an extreme decline in offense, especially home runs. On the biggest stage in college baseball, the College World Series, home runs have hit a severe low. During the 2013 series, through 14 total games, there were only three home runs hit, the fewest since 1966. Batters also scored the fewest runs in 2013 since 1973, the year before aluminum bats and designated hitters were introduced.

“The college game definitely needs a little bit more offense,” said UO starting pitcher Cole Irvin.

After several months of testing at the Sport Science lab at Washington State University, the change to a flat seam baseball will allow the ball to travel farther because of less drag. When hurdled out of a pitching machine that averaged 95 mph, a 25-degree angle and a 1,400 rpm spin rate, the flat seam ball traveled around 387 feet, 20 feet farther than raised seam baseballs.

Irvin is excited about the rule change.

“I have a lot more run or sharpness to my pitches and I can command that a lot better,” Irvin said. “But there is a lot more from a pitching standpoint that a pitcher might gain, in terms of run and he might get a little more velocity.”

With a flat seam ball, pitchers can better control each pitch, because the lower seams will cause less “run” or “tail” on the ball.

“Being able to have a sharp pitch, like the slider, was very nice especially with that ball (flat seam ball). On the other hand, on curve ball it’s going to come down a lot sharper. Instead of it being more of a loopy strike pitch, it might turn into something that’s sharp strikeout, command-able pitch,” Irvin said.

The Pac-12 conference has had great success in recent years, even with BBCOR bats and raised seam balls.

“The University of Oregon hasn’t won a national championship yet, but our conference, the Pac-12 conference, with BBCOR and the ball the way it is, has won the last two national championships and four out of the last eight,” Horton said.

Low seam balls will allow for more offense and overall fan excitement (except for those fans who love a 2-1 type of game), as well as more excitement for the players.

“I’m ready for the ball,” Cole Irvin said.

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Oregon climbed the the Associated Press rankings this week, moving from No. 17 to No. 14 in the nation after collecting two wins this past week.

Oregon’s last victory was Sunday night against San Francisco when they won 100-82. The Ducks (4-0) jumped three spots from last week in large part due to the handful of higher ranked teams that lost this week. With previously ranked No. 10 VCU losing twice, No. 14 Michigan losing to Charlotte, and No. 24 UNC upsetting No. 3 Louisville, Oregon was able to make the leap.

Georgetown was one of the two teams to beat VCU this week, which helped the Ducks in the polls in terms of strength of schedule because they beat Georgetown back on Nov. 8 in South Korea.

No. 4 Arizona and No. 19 UCLA are the two other Pac-12 teams in the top 25. Arizona State and Colorado also received votes this week.

Here is how the top 10 rank (First-place votes are in parentheses):

1. Michigan State (56), 6-0

2. Kansas (8), 4-0

3. Kentucky, 4-1

4. Arizona, 5-0

5. Oklahoma State (1), 4-0

6. Duke, 5-1

7. Ohio State, 4-0

8. Syracuse, 4-0

9. Louisville, 5-1

10. Wisconsin, 6-0

For the entire top 25 list, click here.

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It’s hard to imagine a better college football weekend than last week’s endings. Remembering No. 7 Auburn’s fourth-down miracle against No. 25 Georgia or USC’s last-second field goal to take down No. 4 Stanford makes college football even more exciting to watch this week.

Besides watching your favorite team play, keep an eye out for these matchups as they will be making and breaking seasons. Here is some advice for how to go about your day:

No. 12 Texas A&M @ No. 22 LSU at 12:30 p.m. on CBS

After a rowdy Friday night, go ahead and sleep in until about 11 a.m. This will give you plenty of time to eat breakfast and shower. But come 12:30 p.m., you’ve got a SEC battle on your TV.

Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M (8-2, 4-2 SEC), will head to Baton Rouge to face LSU (7-3, 3-3 SEC) in a classic SEC West matchup. LSU is one game behind Texas A&M in the SEC West standings and no doubt will be looking to bounce back from its loss in Tuscaloosa to No. 1 Alabama. The Aggies, who average 49.2 points per game (fifth in the country), are trying to get their first win against a ranked opponent this year. Texas A&M will need their high-scoring offense due to the fact that they give up, on average, 47 points per game against ranked opponents.

Prediction: Texas A&M 42 – LSU 30

No. 17 Arizona State @ No. 14 UCLA at 4 p.m. on FOX

Putting your hunger to the side of the epic ending of the Texas A&M-LSU game, definitely go ahead and order a pizza. Your body needs to refuel for the Pac-12 South battle that is about to unfold in Pasadena, Calif.

Arizona State (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12) currently holds the lead in the Pac-12 South, but UCLA (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12) is just a game behind. If Arizona State wins this game, they will clinch the Pac-12 South and play in the Pac-12 championship come Dec. 7. UCLA and USC are both a game behind the Sun Devils and will play each other in the final game of the regular season. Arizona State already beat USC back on Sept. 28 and if they win on Saturday, they will hold tie-breaker advantages over both teams to clinch the division, no matter if they win or lose against Arizona. We could see the winner of this game against Pac-12 North favorite: Oregon.

Prediction: Arizona State 31 – UCLA 27

No. 4 Baylor @ No. 10 Oklahoma State at 5 p.m. on ABC 

As the sun starts to set and your appetite is still overwhelmed from your last meal, a national title hopeful may fall, just like the thought of doing homework instead of watching football. I mean let’s be honest, homework is for Sundays.

In the midst of the Pac-12 battle, get ready to change the channel to ABC to watch the undefeated Baylor Bears (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) head to Stillwater, Okla., to face the Cowboys (9-1, 6-1 Big 12). Not only will this game determine who sits atop the Big 12, Baylor is one of the four remaining undefeated teams in the nation, currently ranked No. 4. A loss to Oklahoma State would no doubt ruin their national championship hopes and could cost them the Fiesta Bowl appearance the Big 12 winner is guaranteed. And guess what, Baylor hasn’t beaten Oklahoma State in Stillwater since 1939.

Prediction: Baylor 38 – Oklahoma State 40

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Many compare Arizona’s spread offense to Oregon’s. They are both run-first-type offenses with talented backs. Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey will present the biggest challenge for the Ducks. He is a powerful, strong and fast running back. Carey, a Tucson, Ariz., native, has already rushed for over 1300 yards and 12 touchdowns.

But the Ducks can’t focus too much on Carey because the Wildcats, like the Ducks, have a quarterback that can run with success in B.J. Denker.

“He is good on his feet and, at the same time, running, so he likes to scatter around a lot and that is one thing we should prepare for,” senior defensive tackle Ricky Havili-Heimuli said after Wednesday’s practice.

Denker has thrown for just one more touchdown (12 total) than he’s ran for, a combination of a successful ground attack and a moderate throwing performance. His 11 rushing touchdowns have come with over 700 yards on the ground this season. In his first full season, the senior quarterback hasn’t shown the success that former quarterback Matt Scott had just last year.

“I think Matt Scott is little bit further along in that type of system (at this point last season),”  head coach Mark Helfrich said. ”He’s played in that system since probably junior high school.”

Though Denker has struggled in the Arizona system, Helfrich thinks he has shown a lot of improvement since the early weeks of the season.

“He is just getting better and better and looks a ton more confident in the system,” Helfrich said.

However, the Arizona offense is likely to rely on running back Ka’Deem Carey as they have all year. Averaging over 150 yards per game, Carey has been dominant.

“He’s versatile, he’s tough, he’s powerful,” Helfrich said. ”He’s shifty, he’s a complete back that grabs your attention. So hopefully that will just ramp up our need to gang tackle, to wrap and even more so, just do your job.”

Helfrich expects there to be a lot of energy this upcoming Saturday. With the combination of hosting a No. 5-ranked team, senior day, being at home and trying to respond after being shutout by Oregon last year, the Arizona Wildcats don’t need much more motivation to beat the Ducks.

“They’ll be fired up and dialed up,” Helfrich said. “Senior day playing against our guys and coming off a shutout (last year against Oregon), you always want to redeem yourself.”

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Injuries are an athlete’s biggest rival. They can knock athletes down, ruin careers, painfully wreck dreams and alter mindsets. But for Brynne Konkel, injuries have just been a learning experience on situations she can’t control.

A small-town girl from Elk Grove, Calif., Konkel found a love for soccer that would lead her to play college soccer. From a young age, Konkel was always able to focus on the fun of soccer rather than be overwhelmed by the competitive nature of the sport.

“You guys just don’t get it,” her father, Brian, remembered Brynne saying at 12 years-old, “I am not here to win games, I’m just here to have fun with my friends.”

The competitive aspect of playing at Oregon wouldn’t cause her to forget why she played soccer: to have fun.

In just her first two-a-day practice of her Oregon career she rolled her ankle and was sidelined for two months. Her ankle would never fully recover, reshaping what was sure to be an outstanding career at Oregon. In just her first collegiate game, Konkel scored a goal and had two game-winning goals her freshman season. But things would not play out the way Brynne intended. Her ligaments were completely stretched out in her sophomore year and the bones were hitting together. Doctors told her surgery was required.

“That was a very big disappointment in my life,” she said about learning she needed surgery.

She would touch the field in just 27 matches in her first two years, and was a starter in 13 of those games. As half of Konkel’s career was already over, frustration and dissatisfaction would haunt any athlete at this point.

But not for Brynne. Her forward-looking attitude would not let these uncontrollable things get to her.

In her junior season she rolled her ankle again, putting her back in a cast. When she was scheduled to go back on the field, she would be accompanied by a pain that she never felt before. She remembers playing in practice and she felt her bones hitting together every time she cut on the field.

“It was terrible. Even when I walked I could feel it,” Konkel said. In time, Konkel was recommended not to play soccer again. ”That was the most difficult time in my life.”

Brynne would miss her senior season, the season that every player looks forward to the most. “That was very hard for me. Because senior year everybody says is the best year, because you’re more relaxed. You’re having fun,” she said.

When she had to approach her teammates whom she no longer would be playing with, it all sank in. In tears, she broke the news.

“It was probably the most embarrassing moment of my life,” Konkel said.

Through this unfamiliar transition where soccer would no longer be the center of her life, Konkel went to her parents for advice as she always did.

“They (her parents) sat me down and told me that there are more things to life than soccer. It was a learning experience, and I learned a lot from soccer. You got to move on,” Konkel said.

For Brynne, moving on didn’t mean separating herself from her teammates, her closest friends.

“I wanted to stay with the team because, of course, I love the team. And it was my senior year and I wanted to stick around,” she said.

Brynne became the video coordinator, which not only allowed her to stay around the familiar grounds; it also allowed her to slowly transition from a student-athlete.

“That was very weird for me. I was always stressed over soccer, I was surrounded by soccer, that was my life. And the fact that I didn’t have to do it was a weird thing. It does put a lot of pressure off, which I like. But now that I am just a student and not an athlete anymore, it’s a whole different type of stress,” Konkel said.

Brynne started writing to take up the time she spent playing soccer. After just a couple of years, Brynne has written a science fiction novel that her dad looks forward to reading.

“She amazes me because no matter what she puts her passion in, she is really good at it,” he said.

As her parents raised her, Konkel always maintained a positive attitude that has gotten her through the toughest times of her life.

“Of course I would take it back in a heartbeat if I didn’t roll my ankle. But you can’t be negative about things you don’t have any control over. That’s what I learned through my parents and learned to be positive anyway I can,” she said with a smile.

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After losing to Stanford less than two weeks ago, Oregon has found new life in terms of the Pac-12 championship game. The loss to Stanford gave Oregon the opportunity to control their own destiny for the first time since before the loss to Stanford. No. 5 Oregon now holds a half-game lead over the No. 9 Cardinal, and the Ducks have two conference games left to play. Stanford has just one, against Cal.

As fans were given plenty of time in between the Oregon and USC games, Ducks fans who were able to watch both games are now refueled with excitement, making the loss to Stanford seem less destructive than it once did. While it’s exciting for Ducks fans, the season isn’t over. The “Win the Day” mentality is still how the football team goes about their schedule. As Oregon fans were celebrating, the Oregon football players and coaches didn’t react to the USC win with as much cheer. Their focus is still on Arizona.

Quarterback Marcus Mariota opened up on what and where he was when he saw the Trojans triumph over, then fourth-ranked Stanford. Watching the game with his dad, Mariota noticed excitement around him from fans.

“I was watching the game at Red Robin with my dad and to see the community just get excited and for me personally, to get excited to have that opportunity to possibly play in the Pac-12 Championship is huge,” Mariota said.

But Mariota soon followed by saying, “We can’t overlook things, we can’t slip up and try to just look past Arizona. Our focus is here today and getting ready for Arizona.”

After the win over Stanford, USC has allowed Oregon to determine their own destiny, but the players and coaches state that nothing has changed in the mindset of the team and they’re strictly focused on Arizona.

“Obviously our guys know what happened and again it’s further evidence to handle our business,” head coach Mark Helfrich said. ”Every week in this conference, with very few exceptions, is a dog fight.”

Mariota commented on what kind of competition awaits them this Saturday.

“Those guys (Arizona) are warriors out there and we have to be prepared,” Mariota said. “It’s not easy to play down in Arizona, they’ve got a huge crowd that is going to be loud and it’s going to be a crazy atmosphere, so we have to be prepared.”

The scenario is now set. If the Ducks win out they will play in the Pac-12 Championship game. If they win, they could play in another Rose Bowl. One of the biggest bowl games in college football would make any player happy and excited, but for running back De’Anthony Thomas, it isn’t all that big of a deal.

“It’s not a big deal at all,” Thomas said. “I feel like we already won a Rose Bowl so I feel like it’s whatever.”

Thomas later talked about on the impact it will have on the younger players.

“It’s a good experience for the guys who haven’t been on this team and it’s a great opportunity for them to experience it and go out there and have fun,” Thomas said.

Marcus Mariota practiced with a brace on Monday but continues to work with trainers to get fully recovered. He is unsure if he will be in a brace this weekend at Arizona.

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The Oregon soccer team has struggled all year scoring goals, but when they headed down south to play USC on Friday they came out hot.

In just the fourth minute, the Ducks were on the board after a breakaway goal from Kristen Parr. Parr is now tied with teammate ShayLee Miner with the most goals on the team with three. Though she has been an offensive leader all season, she led the team with seven goals last season. It would be the only goal Oregon would tally against USC, though, as they eventually fell by a final score of 2-1.

USC stunned the Ducks when Katie Johnson scored in the 79th minute. The Ducks were winning for 75 minutes in regular time, but Johnson’s late goal would send this Pac-12 contest into overtime. Though leading for so long during regular time, the Ducks failed to keep and maintain possession after Parr scored the opening goal.

The Trojans kept momentum and scored less than a minute into the first overtime period to end the game. In the 99th minute, Trojans forward Kayla Mills found space on the right side and shot the ball toward the far post and into the back of the net.

Oregon finished with just nine shots compared to USC’s 30. Bri Pugh was held in check, taking only two shots with one on goal. USC also had seven corners while Oregon just had one, which is something that Oregon has typically had success with all season long.

Oregon finished last year 0-5-0 on the road against Pac-12 teams. This year hasn’t been an improvement. With an 0-4-0 record on the road in conference games this season, the Ducks had their best chance to get a win, or at least a tie, against USC. The Trojans, who are last place in the Pac-12 heading into this weekend, had just one Pac-12 win before they ousted Oregon.

The Ducks are now 4-10-3, 2-6-1 on the season. They will play UCLA on Sunday, Nov. 3 before heading to Oregon State for their last regular season game of the year on Nov. 7.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3