Saturday’s game between Utah and Oregon is a must-win for both teams.

The Ducks are coming off their first loss of the season and need to bounce back to keep any sliver of Rose Bowl or national championship hopes in tact. The Utes have lost three straight and need to win two of their final three games in order to be bowl eligible.

Utah quarterback Travis Wilson got off to a great start this year but has struggled in the team’s last three games, combining to complete just 14 of 44 passes (31.8 percent) for 187 yards, with three touchdowns and six interceptions. Wilson still leads the team in rushing touchdowns (five) and is second with 386 yards on the ground. Sophomore tailback James Poole averages only 13.67 carries per game, but has had success when given opportunities, averaging 4.37 yards per tote on the year. Junior wideout Dres Anderson has been Wilson’s go-to target this year, reeling in 37 catches for 742 yards and six scores and has eclipsed the century mark five times this season.

Defensively, the Utes are led by senior hybrid Trevor Reilly. He leads the team in total tackles (78), tackles for loss (14) and sacks (7.5). While Reilly locks down the middle of the field, Utah’s passing defense had little to write home about this year. They’ve managed just a pair of interceptions and allow 239.9 yards per game through the air, both good news for Oregon’s offense.

Speaking of Oregon’s offense, it should be back to old form Saturday after being throttled by Stanford’s defense last week. The Ducks put up season-lows in total points (20) and rushing yards (62) and didn’t do much of anything with the ball until late in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Marcus Mariota was playing through a knee injury and said he’ll play this weekend, but that situation is definitely one to monitor.

Oregon owns Utah in all-time match-ups 18-8 and won the last meeting 31-24 in 2009. This will be the first conference game between the two school since Utah joined the Pac-12 in 2011.

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Oregon and Utah are both coming into this weekend’s game with a sour taste in their mouths. The Ducks’ perfect record was undone last Thursday at Stanford, putting both their national title and Pac-12 championship aspirations in jeopardy. The Utes have lost three consecutive games after upsetting the same Cardinal squad that handled Oregon. Sophomore quarterback Travis Wilson hasn’t been the same signal caller he was early on in the season, and his recent performance has mirrored the team’s. Wilson discussed this weekend’s game as well as things to improve on going forward.

This will be your first game at Autzen Stadium. What are your feelings going into it?

“I’m definitely really excited. It’s definitely going to be a test game. Oregon’s a really good team and we definitely gotta play our A game.”

Are you doing anything in practice to get ready for the excessive crowd volume?

“Yeah, we’re definitely working with crowd noise a little bit and we definitely know it’s gonna be loud. But we’ll be prepared for it.”

Oregon and Utah run similar offenses. Since your defense practices against a fast tempo, will they be at an advantage this weekend?

“Yeah, I mean we definitely have a fast tempo and Oregon’s definitely really known for their fast tempo. But I think our defense will be ready for it and I think they’ll adjust to it just fine.”

You guys need to win two of your final three games to be bowl eligible. What are the biggest things you need to work on to achieve that goal?

“Out of these three we gotta win two, and we gotta make sure we get a win on the road. That’s our next big step and we certainly know we need to come prepared and ready to play.”

Is there any difference in game planning for teams like Stanford and Oregon?

“It’s pretty much all the same every game. We try to add little wrinkles here and there but overall it’s the same kind of thing we’re doing each week.”

You’ve lost three straight since beating Stanford. Has there been a long hangover effect? What’s the biggest reason for the struggles?

“Not playing to our full potential. We just haven’t really been clicking on offense. Our passing game hasn’t really been there, same with the running game. That’s something we have to get corrected and try to make sure we get a lot better at that.”

What about for you personally? After getting off to a good start your performance hasn’t been at the same level over the last three weeks.

“I just gotta make sure I stay focused. I have to prepare the best I can. I’ve definitely had some struggles the past few games but I’m working through them. Just gotta keep on doing the best I can.”

Life after football is different for every gridiron star. Some possess the skills and work ethic to vault themselves to the highest level, to be watched on Sundays by millions around the country. Carson York fit that description, but a series of injuries led him down a different path.

York was one of the best offensive linemen to play at the University of Oregon. He started all 13 games as a redshirt freshman and was a mainstay up front for the next three years. He was named to watch lists, all-conference teams and national all-academic teams while laying the ground work for the best rushing offense in the country.

During the 2012 Rose Bowl, York tore the patellar tendon in his right knee, forcing him to miss the remainder of the game and putting his football future in doubt. A quick recovery enabled him to get back on the field for the beginning of his senior season. Unbeknownst to York, it would be the beginning of the end.

In Oregon’s second game of the 2012 season, York went down and hopped off the field on one leg. His right kneecap had split in half, an injury that would put an end to York’s football career.

“The fibers hadn’t really become functional enough yet,” York said. “The kneecap had to bear a lot of the stress that the patellar tendon normally would and so it just couldn’t bear that weight and it snapped in half.”

When asked about the possibility of rehabbing his knee and making a run at the NFL, York said the decision was fairly easy.

“It was a pretty unilateral decision between doctors and me and coaches,” York said. “There was just no chance that I was going to be able to play at an NFL level by August. It would have been a huge stretch to have been able to play at a Division I level by August.”

York’s teammates went on to have another wildly successful season, capped off by a Fiesta Bowl win. And although he couldn’t contribute on the field, he worked to help those who could.

“Carson definitely was still committed to his team and helping coach up young guys even when he knew he wasn’t going to be able to go back out on the field,” said Nick Cody, York’s teammate at Oregon from 2008-12. “It’s impossible to replace a guy like Carson because of the quality of character and drive he has.”

Now back in Oregon, York recently obtained a job as the program coordinator of the digital sport category at Nike+. York has been successful in the short time since his football career ended and naturally says he misses certain aspects of the game.

“I miss the guys. I miss the camaraderie. I miss what that feels like,” York said. “I don’t think there are many things in life where you can bond so many different kinds of people together behind one unilateral effort where everybody’s working together towards it. It’s a pretty rare experience and I feel pretty blessed to have had it.”

York is as big a supporter as anyone of his alma mater. He regularly attends home games and jokes that it’s nice to be able to sit back and watch outside of the trenches.

“I got to tell you, I think tailgating and watching a football game in the stands might be a little more fun than playing offensive line,” York said. “I’m so proud of these guys. It’s so fun to watch guys that came in as 17 year olds just getting to grow into awesome football players and awesome men. I couldn’t be more proud of all those guys.”

The most recent BCS standings were released Sunday night, with the Alabama Crimson Tide putting some distance between itself and the rest of the pack. The Tide remain atop the standings with a .9958 average, finishing first in nearly every computer ranking. Florida State remains second and on track to face Alabama in the national championship game if both teams win out.

Ohio State climbed to third following Oregon’s loss to Stanford. The Cardinal moved up to fourth and is the nation’s highest-ranked one-loss team. Unbeaten Baylor rounds out the top five, .0071 points behind the Cardinal. The top five ended up just how ESPN’s Brad Edwards predicted on Saturday.

Brad Edwards' Projected BCS standings: 1. Alabama 2. Florida St. 3. Ohio St. 4. Stanford 5. Baylor

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 10, 2013

The Ducks fell to sixth in the standings after dropping their first contest of the season. It’s the 31st straight week Oregon has been ranked in the top 10.

Oregon is No. 6 in BCS Standings, 31st straight week @WinTheDay has been ranked in BCS top 10 #GoDucks

— Andy McNamara (@McNamaraUO) November 11, 2013

Auburn leaped idle Clemson in the standings by the slimmest of margins — .0006 points. Missouri and South Carolina each moved up and round out the top 10.

Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and UCLA all won this weekend and moved up in the standings to 11th, 12th and 13th, respectively. Fresno State kept its undefeated season intact and moved up to 14th. Northern Illinois is the lowest-ranked team without a loss and is ranked 15th.

Michigan State and the surprising Central Florida Knights come in at spots 16 and 17, followed by Oklahoma. The Sooners suffered their second loss of the season Thursday at Baylor. Arizona State narrowly escaped Utah and moved up from 22nd to 19th. Louisville rounds out the top 20.

LSU has three losses but two of them came at the hands of top 10 teams. The Tigers fell from 13th to 21st after getting smashed by Alabama on Saturday. The loss to the Tide was LSU’s fourth straight defeat at the hands of the top-ranked team in the land, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

LSU has lost 4 straight games against AP No. 1 teams since beating Ohio State in the 2007 BCS Championship Game.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 10, 2013

Wisconsin beat BYU and is ranked 22nd.

Miami’s free fall continues. The once seventh-ranked Hurricanes have lost two straight contests and fell from 11th to 23rd in the standings. Texas and Georgia are the two newcomers to the top 25 thanks to losses by Texas Tech and Notre Dame.

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Thursday’s game between Oregon and Stanford obviously has a lot riding on it. The Pac-12 title. The national championship. Individual awards. But the outcome of the game could completely reverse the fortunes of both sides.

As was the case last year.

At the beginning of the night on Nov. 17, Oregon was ranked second in the BCS, two games away from playing for a national championship. Stanford was No. 13 and needed to win out to have a shot at playing in the Rose Bowl.

Midway through the night, No. 1 Kansas State suffered its first loss of the season, paving the way for the Ducks to take over the top spot and all but buy their plane tickets to Miami.

By the end of the night, Oregon’s otherwise proficient offense slowed to a near halt, mustering a season-low 14 points against Stanford’s elite defense. The Ducks missed two field goals. The Cardinal made one. Oregon’s perfect season was no more. Fortunes were reversed.

The implications of Thursday night’s game will be similar. Oregon has a legitimate shot at playing for a championship but needs to finish the regular season undefeated to get there. Five other teams have yet to lose, and with four weeks to go before conference championship games, it’s unlikely that all of them will falter.

Stanford can lose and still make the Pac-12 title game, but a win would give them an outside chance at playing in Pasadena again — this time for the national championship. If Stanford beats Oregon, it will move up from fifth to at least fourth, possibly third, in the BCS standings. With a little help, the Cardinal could back their way into the title game.

If Oregon wins, it will almost certainly leapfrog Florida State in the standings and be a shoo-in to play for it all in January, provided it wins each of its remaining games. Marcus Mariota will have a signature victory to boost his Heisman résumé. If the Ducks lose, they’ll likely end up back in the Fiesta Bowl, watching Stanford play in Pasadena one way or another, as the Cardinal take control of the new-found rivalry and reign supreme as kings of the Pac-12.

We won’t know the final outcome until Thursday night, and no fortune teller will be able to predict it.

Follow Madison Guernsey on Twitter @guernseymd

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.

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With their biggest game of the season coming up Thursday night, the Oregon football team has been planning for No. 5 Stanford this weekend. Wide receiver B.J. Kelley talked about the upcoming game, his bye week and a secret talent he displays on Vine.

On his bye week and practice:

“Bye week was pretty good,  just stayed off the legs as much as I could,” Kelley said. “(We’ve been practicing) just blocking, you know. Maintaining our right routes, pretty much the same game plan as we had last year. Just gotta execute.”

On Stanford’s defense:

“(It’s) nothing that we can’t handle, really,” Kelley said. “We’ve just gotta make our right blocks, stay on our right assignments and we’ll be good. Just gotta maintain our leverage when we’re blocking and we’ll be good. Stanford tries to scare us and tell us they’ll run over our receivers but all our receivers are up to the blocking challenge so we’re looking forward to it.”

On his secret talent:

“The earthquake,” Kelley said. “Yeah I can still do it. I don’t really do it as much during the season because I don’t want to risk injury, but I just do it for fun sometimes.”

Watch Kelley do the earthquake here.

Last Saturday in Eugene was a busy one. Hundreds of fans gathered on campus to attend College GameDay during the wee hours of the morning and made the walk to Autzen a few hours later to witness the Ducks defeat UCLA 42-14.

With the Ducks on a bye this week, Saturday should be spent recovering after consecutive nights of Halloween shenanigans — or drinking heavily.

Here’s how to spend your perfect Saturday.

Morning

Sleep in and make a greasy breakfast. Nothing tastes better after a night of bobbing for apples and trick-or-treating (’cause that’s what kids do now-a-days, right?) than a heaping portion of hash browns, eggs, sausage and toast accompanied by a glass of orange juice. There’s not much to watch as far as college football is concerned until 12:30 when in-state rivals Michigan and Michigan State face off in East Lansing. If sports aren’t your thing, cuddle up and watch a movie. It’s supposed to rain all day, so pile up the blankets and turn on a classic. Maybe “The Breakfast Club,” or “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” if you have the proper accompaniment.

Afternoon

No. 18 Oklahoma State and No. 15 Texas Tech face-off at 4 p.m. That game’s a perfect time filler until 5 p.m., when the college game of the week between No. 7 Miami and No. 3 Florida State kicks off. The Florida showdown is huge for the Seminoles and could temporarily vault them to second in the BCS standings with Oregon idle. In the spirit of Halloweekend, halftime would be an appropriate hour to kick off the festivities of the night. Perhaps a nice autumn seasonal brew to get things going, like New Belgium’s Pumpkick pumpkin ale.

Evening

If your plan is to continue acting ghoulish, eat a big dinner before it’s too late. Splitting a pizza with friends always does the trick, but if you’re on a budget, whip up some pasta and a salad with french bread on the side. The college football night will be wrapped up by then, but basketball is here. The Blazers and Spurs open Portland’s home season at the Moda Center at 7 p.m. With the game playing in the background, it’s time to get dressed up in whatever costume idea you have left. Bring your flashlights and pumpkin baskets and bundle up, it’s gonna be a chilly one.

Night

Find a Halloween party and enjoy the night with friends, family, and anyone else. Enter a costume contest, eat some candy, consume alcoholic beverages (responsibly) and have a great end to Halloween weekend. If the first two nights of scariness tired you out, watch a Halloween movie and gorge yourself with sweets.

Whether you spend the day relaxing or celebrating, have a fun, spooky, and safe perfect Saturday.

Follow Madison Guernsey on Twitter @guernseymd

The Oregon men’s basketball team will complete their exhibition schedule Saturday afternoon against Point Loma at Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks won their first exhibition game over Northwest Christian 99-59 this past Sunday and will look to fine-tune some things before traveling to South Korea for their highly anticipated season opener against Georgetown.

The Sea Lions hail from San Diego, Calif. and will travel to Eugene for their first and only exhibition game of the season. The team struggled to a 5-21 record last season, last place in the PacWest Conference.

Oregon’s first exhibition game featured the debut of eight new Ducks and was highlighted by the play of transfers Joseph Young (Houston) and Jason Calliste (Detroit), who led the team in scoring with 20 points apiece. Young added five steals and Calliste didn’t miss a shot from the floor, shooting 6-for-6 and 3-for-3 from distance. Returning sophomores Dominic Artis and Damyean Dotson had quiet nights, and head coach Dana Altman said he wanted to “get things worked out” and get the newcomers acclimated.

Two areas of improvement to look for are rebounding and turnovers. The Ducks allowed NCU to grab 15 offensive rebounds on Sunday, and even though they had more total rebounds, Oregon needs to reduce the success of opponents on the offensive glass. Oregon also had an even assist-to-turnover ratio, something to work on going forward against better competition.

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It’s the question everybody’s asking: Will Marcus Mariota leave Oregon for the NFL draft after this season? As expected, nobody’s getting any answers.

The redshirt sophomore has catapulted himself beyond elite QB status and into the conversation of best collegiate signal caller. He’s progressed in every aspect of the game and never seems to be rattled. He embodies everything NFL scouts look for in a professional quarterback. He’s racked up 2,281 passing yards on just 225 attempts, with 20 touchdowns through eight games this season — all of them wins by at least three possessions. The most impressive stat for the Hawaii native is represented by an empty zero, which in this case is the best number possible. Mariota hasn’t thrown an interception this season, a number only two other qualified quarterbacks match, and they’ve attempted 129 passes combined.

With Mariota playing his best football for perhaps the best Oregon team in school history, here are pros and cons to him entering the 2014 NFL draft.

Pros:

High draft stock:

Mariota is currently listed as the second-best draft prospect according to CBS Sports and will likely leapfrog Teddy Bridgewater if he wins the Heisman trophy, or better yet, a national championship. Mariota has a legitimate shot at achieving both feats and would likely be selected early in the first round regardless. There’s always that other factor — he would get paid.

Quarterback deficiency:

There are at least six NFL teams with losing records that need to draft a quarterback. Mariota would have a chance to step in and help a team right away as the starter, continuing his progression without missing a beat. With teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings near the bottom of the standings and in desperate need of a quarterback, Mariota would have a good chance at being selected with a top-five pick.

Pro/con:

Uncertain entrants:

Each of CBS Sports’ top-four quarterback prospects have at least another year of eligibility and are anything but a lock to forego the rest of their collegiate careers and go pro. If all four of them leave college, it could change Mariota’s draft position. But it also may not.

Cons:

Potential for growth:

Although it may not seem like it, Mariota can get even better. He could set records, collect accolades, win championships and be a no-doubt number-one pick. He says he doesn’t care about individual achievements, but who wouldn’t want to be known as one of the best college quarterbacks of all time?

Future unknown:

Injuries are always a part of the game, and next season could derail Mariota’s pursuit of a professional career if he were to get hurt. There are plenty of other things that can happen, too. Mark Helfrich and Scott Frost could both get better job offers and split, potentially changing the offensive layout entirely. The offensive line could have injury issues and deplete itself, leaving Mariota less protected and susceptible to turnovers and injuries. He could sell autographs to Johnny Manziel and get suspended indefinitely by the NCAA. Not likely, but hey, stranger things have happened.

Follow Madison Guernsey on Twitter @guernseymd