Not much going on in the way of football, so some other sports get the spotlight today. Here's your quack:
- The Pac-10 track and field championships start this afternoon in Tucson, and the Oregon men and women will be trying to extend their winning streaks. The UO women have the better shot, led by their excellent sprinters. Amber Purvis and English Gardner are the two fastest sprinters in school history, and will go head to head for the first time this year, with the Pac-10 championship on the line. While the Ducks are favored to win, they'll likely be without Brianne Theisen and Alex Kosinski, which could make the meet interesting.
- The Oregon men have won four Pac-10 titles in a row, but they'll have a tough time repeating this year. If they win, it'll be because of their depth. The Register Guard is projecting the Ducks to finish second, but it's going to be a very tight meet, with five teams expected to contend. The Ducks will need their stars to perform at their top level, and hope some of the less-heralded athletes can score some points. There will be no room for error this weekend as the Ducks try to make it five in a row.
- Ken Goe has his track preview up, and focuses on Oregon steeplechaser Steve Finley. He is a recent transfer from Virginia, and in what was thought to be a rebuilding year, helps give the Ducks a shot at the Pac-10 title.
- Oregon softball beat UCLA for the first time in six years yesterday. The Ducks jumped out to a 6-run lead against the defending national champions, but after a UCLA player had to be taken to Sacred Heart after being hit by a pitch in the head, the Bruins surged back. The Ducks held on though, and came away with a 6-5 victory.
- With only a few weekends left in the Oregon baseball season, and little hope of postseason play, this is where the Oregon baseball team will show its true colors. Oregon hosts Stanford this weekend at PK Park, and the Cardinal is on a six -game winning streak.
- The NCAA has come under a lot of fire recently with multiple high-profile schools (and athletes) embroiled in possible major infractions. To counter that, they hosted a number of media members at a mock-infractions committee, so give an idea of what the NCAA actually does. George Schroeder was invited, and had a column on the topic. While this was a fun idea, the NCAA's enforcement is the least of it's problems. The NCAA can try to get tough all they want, but the entire system is pretty much a joke, that further enforcement won't fix.
- It's never too early for Pac-12 previews. Matt Hinton takes a look at Stanford as a contender next season. Stanford's hopes as a contender rest almost entirely on Andrew Luck. He'll keep the Stanford offense rolling, but can the defense do it's job? The Cardinal lose their entire defensive line and 2 linebackers from a top-20 unit last year. Meanwhile, Bill Connelly takes a look at Colorado. He says that a bowl season is unlikely this season, but a new coach for the Buffaloes adds a significant unknown. If Embree can get them to play up to their talent level, they could be playing in a bowl his first year.
Got anything else? Leave it below. GO DUCKS!