Commentary

Oregon back in BCS title picture

The Ducks are among three one-loss teams waiting for the Tigers or Cowboys to falter

Originally Published: October 23, 2011
By Jeff Dooley | ESPN Insider

Unless the LSU Tigers and Oklahoma State Cowboys both run the table to finish undefeated, there is likely to be plenty of controversy surrounding the selection of at least one of the BCS title game participants. And the teams most likely to be involved in this debate are the Alabama Crimson Tide, Oklahoma Sooners and Oregon Ducks. While it's tough to predict exactly how that situation will unfold, one thing has become clear from a statistical perspective as the season has progressed: All three of those teams are good enough (on paper, at least) to win a national championship.

We make this claim based off of our Eliminator model, which tracks the BCS and conference championship races past statistical benchmarks met by past champs (for more information, click here).

In fact, all three of those teams more closely resemble past national champs than either of the remaining BCS conference unbeaten teams.


Become an ESPN Insider and see which key statistics you must track while watching your favorite conference and team play this season.

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