Curse of the Duck Lifted? Ducks, Mellow Yellow Uniforms, Upset Michigan 21-20

After four grueling quarters of Pac 12 football, the Oregon Ducks and their coach StuBucksman celebrated in the locker room. The Ducks, despite being ranked #8 in the BCS entering the game, had been struggling all season and their Coach was on the hot-seat. But, it's amazing what a victory can do.

With the win, Oregon moves into first place in the Pac 12 North, and barring any upsets in its final four games, the Ducks should be set to rematch USC in Hawaii for the Pac 12 title. Surprisingly, after the game, Oregon announced it had offered Coach Stu a 1 year contract extension and praised the coach for sticking with his team in the face of adversity and the dreaded "curse of the duck."

"This team fought hard tonight," said a weeping Coach Stu after the game. "We were down at halftime and even into the 4th quarter, but we pushed through, took a 1 point lead and held on for a huge win. Ducks Fly Together!"

The game was played in front of a capacity crowd in Eugene, and the Ducks wore their Mellow Yellow uniforms for the first time in Stu's tenure. The tacky, yet classy look may have been the winning edge in the game. "We dubbed this the Banana Bowl, with all that yellow on the field, and I'm glad our yellow prevailed today," said Coach Stu.

With the win, Oregon vaulted to #3 in the BCS, and should the Ducks win-out, they will have somehow found themselves in the BCS title game. Oregon still has to play #15 Washington in week 13, and should they win that game, would play #2 USC for the conference title.

The BCS rankings, Coaches poll, and AP Media Poll this week are topsy turvy. The only thing that is consistent between all three polls' Top 6 teams is #1 Florida State (the unanimous #1 in all polls) and #6 Alabama, who still has a chance to get into the BCS title picture if they can upset #4 LSU this week. Based on projections, these 6 teams are still in the national title picture, but you can't count out #7 Texas or #8 Michigan, each with only 1 loss.