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PULLMAN, Washington (Ticker) -- With its dreams of a national title abruptly ended, No. 13 Oregon must settle for trying to burst the bubble of No. 15 Washington State in a key Pac-10 Conference game. The Ducks sank eight spots in the coaches' poll after a 49-42 loss to Stanford that ended their 23-game home winning streak and any realistic hopes of a national championship. "My childhood dream of playing in the Rose Bowl came to a crashing halt, and barring some major upset or an act of God, it will remain just that -- a dream," quarterback Joey Harrington said in a diary published in The Oregonian. Harrington completed 22-of-41 for 270 yards with three touchdown passes last week, but his two interceptions that contributed to the defeat also hurt his hopes for a Heisman Trophy. Oregon (6-1, 3-1 Pac-10) has little trouble scoring points, putting up 153 in the last three games to rise to 10th nationally with 38.6 per game. But the defense has revealed some holes, with Stanford collecting 470 total yards last week. Oregon needs to improve in a hurry against Washington State (7-0, 4-0), which is trying to open a season with eight straight wins for the first time since 1930, when it was 9-0 before losing its finale. Behind the combination of quarterback Jason Gesser and receiver Nakoa McElrath, Washington State ranks third nationally with 44.0 points per game. The Cougars posted their most impressive win of the season with a 45-39 win over Stanford two weeks ago and coasted to a 53-28 win over Division I-AA Montana State on Wednesday. Gesser will try to make amends for a painful defeat to Oregon last season. The Ducks escaped with a 27-24 win in Pullman in a game in which Gesser suffered a broken left leg that sidelined him for the rest of the season. The Ducks have won the last three games with Washington State and lead the overall series, 36-35-7. Oregon is making the second of three straight trips to Pullman in the series. The winner of this game in three of the last five years has scored more than 50 points.
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