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2010 was an eventful year for the PAC-10 conference, proving to many doubters that they do have some great teams that can compete against any other conference in the nation. At the top of that list is the Oregon Ducks who lost to Auburn in the national championship game.

While it is barely 2011, 2012 BCS National Championship odds are up now and so we take a look at the Pac-10.

The Ducks will have to replace more than half of their defensive starters, three offensive linemen and their top two receivers. Quarterback Darron Thomas and running back LaMichael James are returning though, so finding the end zone shouldn’t be a problem for the Ducks. Oregon’s odds of winning the 2011 national championship are +1,200.

After a dismal start to the season, the 13th ranked Virginia Tech Hokies have won 11 games in a row to reach the Orange Bowl for the third time in four years. Their opponent this year, the 4th ranked Stanford Cardinal, finished 11-1 with their only defeat coming against the unbeaten Oregon Ducks. The Hokies are a 3.5 point underdog in the college football lines.

The Virginia Tech Hokies struggled early on but emerged as ACC champions because of the conference player of the year Tyrod Taylor. The quarterback was dangerous with both his arm and legs, combining for over 3,150 yards, 28 touchdowns and four interceptions.

What do you get when put two of the top five scoring teams in college football against each other? You get this weekend’s showdown between the 4th ranked Oregon Ducks and 9th ranked Stanford Cardinal. Both teams have moved the ball almost at will this season and will do battle in Eugene on Saturday.

In Stanford’s last game, they easily handled Notre Dame, 37-14. The Ducks, however, had their toughest game of the year last week, coming from behind to beat Arizona State 42-31. The college football odds have Stanford as a seven point underdog.

2009 Total Offense Rank (yards per game): 19
2009 Total Defense Rank (yards per game): 90

The Stanford Cardinal had a nice 2009 season, finishing with eight wins and tying for second in the PAC-10 conference. A close loss in the Sun Bowl ended the season on a sour note, but not as sour as losing star running back Toby Gerhart to the NFL. Stanford will have to overcome his loss to make it back to a bowl game.