West Virginia daily

EUGENE - A crowd of 58,525 chanted "BCS, BCS, BCS" throughout parts of the fourth quarter at Autzen Stadium Saturday, but there is a good possibility that No. 10 Oregon and its fans won’t experience the Bowl Championship Series this season.

After routing in-state rival Oregon State, the Ducks pushed their record to 10-1, tying the school’s regular season wins record. The lone loss was Sept. 24 to top-ranked and two-time defending champion USC and since, Oregon has won seven straight, including three in a row after losing three-year starter Kellen Clemens for the season with an ankle injury. However, it will likely be a game of politics in the coming weeks before the BCS selection show on Dec. 4.

As it stands now, there are four two-loss teams ahead of Oregon in the BCS standings, with No. 3 Miami and No. 8 Alabama losing Saturday. So what would happen if a two-loss team earned a BCS bid and Oregon didn’t?

For a team to become BCS eligible, they must either win their conference championship or, for an at-large bid, win nine non-exempt games and finish in the top 12 in the BCS standings.

The BCS’ four bowls host each of the six major conferences along with two at-large bids. Ninth-ranked Notre Dame sits in the drivers seat, as the Fighting Irish have a deal with the NCAA that they earn an automatic BCS bid if they finish in the top 10 in the BCS standings or with nine wins.

"I don’t get frustrated, I just understand the politics," Oregon cornerback Aaron Gipson said. "Notre Dame is Notre Dame. They want to put them up on that pedestal just because of who they are."

With Notre Dame likely taking one of the two at-large spots, that leaves one between Oregon and No. 7 Ohio State. The Buckeyes, who beat No. 15 Michigan in the final minute Saturday, finished 9-2 with losses to No. 2 Texas and No. 4 Penn State.

"I think it’s only fair that you give it to the team with the best record," Oregon receiver Demetrius Williams said. "It wasn’t like we lost to somebody that was just a weak opponent. We lost to somebody who was the national champions two years in a row, possibly three. I don’t really see why we shouldn’t be going to a BCS bowl."

Assuming No. 1 USC beats No. 11 UCLA on Dec. 3, the Trojans will play in the Rose Bowl - this year’s site for the championship game. That date is also the championship day for three other major conferences.

If No. 6 Virginia Tech beats North Carolina on Nov. 26, the Hokies will play unranked Florida State in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s championship game. Also needing one win to clinch a position in its conference championship is No. 5 LSU, which with a win over Arkansas on Nov. 25 will play No. 16 Georgia for the Southeastern Conference championship. Second-ranked Texas will play unranked Colorado, if the Buffaloes beat Nebraska on Nov. 26, for the Big XII Conference title.

If Colorado loses to Nebraska, Iowa State will face Texas in the title game. Each of those conferences is expected to only earn the automatic champion’s bid.

Penn State won the Big Ten title, while the Big East title is up in the air between No. 12 West Virginia, South Florida and Pittsburgh. The conference title will likely be on the line Dec. 3 when West Virginia and South Florida play.

That leaves Oregon and Ohio State waiting two weeks before knowing a holiday destination. Should Oregon not get the BCS bid and USC beats UCLA, the Ducks should get the invite to the Holiday Bowl, held Dec. 29 in San Diego against the third-place finisher in the Big XII. Texas Tech, ranked 19th and the winner of last year’s Holiday Bowl, is the likely choice out of the Big XII.

"We are going to go and we are going to play hard wherever we are at," Clemens said. "Should we not get into a BCS bid, we are definitely not going to go to the Holiday Bowl at this point and pout around and end up losing a football game."

Four years ago Oregon was left out of the BCS title game, landing at the Fiesta Bowl. Now it is a distinct possibility that the Ducks will be left out of the Fiesta Bowl. No matter what the decision is, the Ducks feel they fulfilled their end of the bargain.

"We did our part," Gipson said. "If they (selection committee) don’t want to give us a BCS game, if they don’t think we deserve a BCS game, then that’s on them."

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