EUGENE, Ore. - Duck fans were stocking up on black for the Halloween match against USC that could determine a new Pac 10 titleholder.
But the winner may still have to deal with Arizona as a topsy-turvy season on the West Coast unfolds.
The 23rd-ranked Wildcats have joined the 10th-ranked Ducks and No. 4 Trojans in The Associated Press Top 25. They're the only three teams that command their own destiny in the conference race.
UO students are trying to get everyone in the stadium on Saturday night to wear all black. One fan even got an officially license from the university for the "Autzen Stadium - where teams go to R.I.P" shirts, that feature a Grim Reaper giving the "O" sign.
Respect for the Pac-10 is coming from an unlikely place -- the Bowl Championship Series computers. The BCS has not always been kind to the Pac-10, but two of its six computers rank the conference ahead of the Southeastern, which tops the other ratings.
The long-held perception that the Pac-10 is USC and the 9 Dwarves apparently is fading.
Oregon (6-1, 4-0 Pac-10), USC (6-1, 3-1) and Arizona (5-2, 3-1) have thrust themselves into contention against demanding schedules. The NCAA ranks Arizona's cumulative schedule -- past and future opponents -- third in the nation, while Oregon's is ninth and USC's is 26th.
Ducks cornerback Talmadge Jackson III returned to practice this week despite missing most of Saturday's game at Washington with a back injury.
But the Ducks defense got some bad news as sophomore linebacker Josh Kaddu is on crutches.
Coach Chip Kelly says Kaddu will miss at least a month with a foot injury suffered against the Huskies. The earliest he will return is the Civil War.
