Marquee Matchup (6) Cal at (11) Oregon 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Autzen Stadium (capacity 54,000) Eugene, Ore.

Breaking down the battle to become USC's No. 1 challenger in the Pac-10 ...

Three things you should care about

1. Special teams play is so often called the "X-Factor" in big games, but between the Golden Bears and Ducks, it could be the most important factor.

Cal's DeSean Jackson had a punt return touchdown against Oregon last season. Peter Read Miller/SI

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Oregon doesn't need to be reminded of the magic Cal's DeSean Jackson can make on punt returns. (Readers, in case you need a refresher, here's a YouTube of D.J.'s field-reversing, take-it-to-the-house highlight versus the Ducks in '06 -- a game that the Bears won 45-24.) And while Jackson has a large national rep as a speed-burner, teammate Lavelle Hawkins actually ranks higher in the NCAA kick-return standings (15th, with one touchdown) than Jackson does on the punt-return list (28th, with one touchdown). Oregon's Jonathan Stewart, meanwhile, is the best kick-returner in the Pac-10: he's averaging 31.9 yards per return and had four returns for 150 yards in Saturday's win over Stanford.

This matchup appears to be the perfect storm for big returns: not only are both teams blessed with talented returners, they're both horrible at covering kicks. Oregon ranks 96th nationally in kickoff coverage ... and Cal ranks 98th. Expect to see, if not at least one return for a touchdown, more than a few drives begin beyond the 35.

2. There are surely QBs with more hype coming into this season than Oregon's Dennis Dixon (Tim Tebow, Pat White, Colt Brennan, John David Booty, Brian Brohm, Matt Ryan and even Colt McCoy to name a few). But aside from Tebow, there hasn't been a more productive signal-caller in the country through four games than Dixon.

Dixon's touchdown-to-interception ratio (of 11-to-0) is either perfect or infinite, whichever you prefer. He's ranked No. 4 in the nation in passing efficiency, and he's also averaging 6.1 yards per carry (and 72.8 yards per game) as a spread-option runner, including a beautiful scoring scramble on a fake Statue of Liberty against Michigan in Week 2.

One caveat: Dixon came into last year's meeting with the Bears as the seventh-ranked passer in the country ... and proceeded to be shut down by Cal's D, throwing three picks. By the end of the season he dropped to No. 67 in efficiency rankings. Dixon has showed strong signs, though, that his senior year is different. Oregon's early schedule hasn't been stocked with pushovers -- Houston, Michigan, Fresno State and Stanford -- and he's been making sound decisions in new coordinator Chip Kelly's attack. As one opposing defensive coordinator (whom you'll hear more from later) remarked this week, "it looks like [Dixon] is in total control."

3. Cal has a number of advantages on paper ... but none of them trump the fact that it hasn't won in the scary confines of Autzen Stadium since 1987.

The Bears probably have a leg up in the running game, given that Justin Forsett scorched the Ducks for 163 yards as a backup last year, and Oregon's porous front seven allowed Stanford's Anthony Kimble to crack 100 yards in the first half on Saturday. Cal always has the advantage at wideout; no opponent can trump the trio of Jackson, Hawkins and Robert Jordan, and the Ducks recently lost No. 2 receiver Brian Paysinger for the season. The Bears have the better run defense, too: they rank 30th in the nation in that department, while Oregon is 77th, which should give Cal a fighting chance to slow down the dangerous duo of Stewart and Dixon.

Still, the Bears aren't far enough ahead in talent to overcome their long-standing woes at Auzten, which can be one of the nation's loudest venues. They're 0-7 in Eugene since 1987.

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