This game is so big, the Gameday Gang is traveling across the country to check it out. The atmosphere in Eugene will be electric. The stadium only holds 43,000 (they are expanding it), but it gets very loud in there. The fans are so close to the field, they could eavesdrop on the sideline strategy discussions. The decibel level is important and will have an impact on UCLA, but more on that later.

UCLA is playing better than any team in the country (leading the Pac-10's return to respectability) and Oregon has been the winningest team in the Pac-10 over the last several years. The winner will have the early lead in the Rose Bowl race. However, there are subplots to this game.

First, several Oregon players have a chip on their shoulder. Why? Because there are several Ducks from Southern California who got dissed by UCLA when they were in high school. For example, Oregon WR Keenan Howry went to UCLA football camps and wanted to play there, but UCLA thought he was too small (5-10) and never offered him a scholarship. He's gone on to become one of the top receivers around (UCLA coach Bob Toledo admitted they goofed).

Second, there is a little bad blood between the coaching staffs. Toledo fired Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti a couple of years ago when Aliotti held the same position at UCLA. Cade McNown was trying to lead the Bruins to the national championship, and Toledo publicly criticized Aliotti and the defense. Aliotti was made the scapegoat for a young Bruin defense. Aliotti is an excellent coach with a great reputation; the criticism was unjustified. The wounds are still there, although Toledo and Aliotti don't discuss the matter publicly. Also, UCLA offensive coordinator Al Borges left Oregon for the same position at UCLA a few years ago. The Oregon program was stung by some of his comments and the implication that Oregon wasn't good enough for him.

	UCLA's DeShaun Foster has rushed for 422 yards and 6 TDs.

Add the fact that the last several games have been close and exciting (last year's game ended with Oregon on the UCLA one yard line as time expired), and you have a pretty good rivalry. The on the field play will be just as interesting as the off the field soap opera. UCLA now has a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate in DeShaun Foster, and they will use him extensively. Watch the matchup with Oregon ILB Matt Smith. Aliotti believes that Smith has to make a lot of tackles on Foster for Oregon to win.

Look for UCLA to pull out some "trickeration" early in the game, such as a double reverse or a double pass. They have a tendency to do this in order to loosen up the defense. Both Alabama and Michigan fell victim to this. WR Freddie Mitchell is likely to be involved in this (he's thrown a couple of TD passes in his career). Oregon will have trouble matching up with Mitchell.

The Ducks would like to contain Foster by stopping him from cutting back on his runs and forcing Ryan McCann to throw often. This will be McCann's first start in a hostile environment (he started against USC last year, but the Coliseum doesn't compare to Autzen Stadium). The crowd could disrupt the UCLA offense. Check out the matchup between Howry and UCLA DB Ricky Manning. They are both small and quick and very athletic. It should be a treat to watch them battle one-on-one. UCLA will be without there best defensive player, defensive lineman Kenyon Coleman. He's out for the year with a knee injury, and this will hurt the UCLA run defense.

Check out Oregon RB Maurice Morris because Oregon will attack Coleman's replacement. No one talks about Oregon QB Joey Harrington, and he's as good as anyone in the conference. He should play well at home where Oregon has a 16 game winning streak. I expect Lee Corso to put a Duck hat on at the end of the Gameday show.