Feature game: Oregon (8-1) at Stanford (9-0), Sunday November 13, 12:07 pm, ESPN

It's safe to say that the two universities that have had the biggest impact on my life are Stanford and Oregon. Sure my old man went to Yale, but other than a glance at the annual Harvard-Yale game, I don't give the Ivy League much thought.

I was fortunate enough to get into Stanford, where I spent four years drinking beer, writing last minute essays about Camus and taking road trips to LA in cars with dodgy water pumps. And although I had two amazing English professors - Ron Rebholz and Arturo Islas - ultimately I spent more time watching punk bands then reading "Absalom, Absalom."

I also watched a lot of football, despite the fact that the Stanford teams of that era weren't very good. Yes I got to see the great John Elway play, but the team's overall record during his years was - believe it or not - 20 wins and 23 losses. In fact, Elway's last-ever college game was "The Play," the infamous and disastrous last-second miracle that gave hated archival California a 25-20 victory. Perhaps you've seen this. If not, just YouTube "Stanford band on the field."

Oregon, on the other hand, is more of a family thing. I became a Ducks' fan in the late 1970's when my parents uprooted us from the East Coast and moved to the Pacific Northwest. My dad was a high school football coach and used to work at Rich Brooks' football camp; I used to tag along, and even ended up coaching a group of kids (including future Oregon linebacker Tom Talbot) when one coach didn't show up. Oregon was a struggling program in those days and most fans were accepting of a 5-6 record, happy with 6-5 and ecstatic with 7-4. Brooks gets the credit for starting the Ducks off on a winning path, and in 1989 took them to their first bowl game in more than 25 years. In 1995, Oregon played in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1958.

However, if Brooks got things going, the man who took Oregon football to the next level was Nike billionaire Phil Knight. Ironically Knight, who ran track as an undergrad at Oregon, did his graduate work - and created his groundbreaking business plan - at Stanford. Knight poured money into the Oregon football program, helping build needed facilities, and in an ingenious move, got the most creative minds at Nike working on revolutionary uniforms and helmets. Two superb head coaches, Mike Belotti and now Chip Kelly, have helped turn the once-forlorn program into a national powerhouse.

And now it's come to this: 8-1 Oregon at 9-0 Stanford. If Stanford wins (and beats Cal and Notre Dame) they'll more than likely play in the National Championship game. If Oregon wins, and a few things go the Ducks' way, they could make a second straight appearance in the big one.

This will be a game of contrasts. Oregon's speed and Stanford's power. The best quarterback in the land, Stanford's Andrew Luck and Oregon's multi-faceted offense featuring star runner LaMichael James. Last year, the Ducks had too much firepower for the Cardinal and won 52-31 in Eugene. This one's in Palo Alto and probably is - and I say this without hyperbole - Stanford's biggest game in forty years.

Who am I barracking for? I haven't decided yet. In fact, ask me when it's over.

Week 11 TV Guide - Other games to watch

Nebraska (7-2) @ Penn State (8-1), Sunday November 13, 4 am, ESPN

Wow. A week ago this was just a mildly interesting Big Ten game between two football powerhouses. Now, the eyes of the sports world will be on Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania because of the stunning revelations surrounding Jerry Sandusky, a former high-profile Penn State assistant coach. The horrific sexual abuse allegations against Sandusky and the impending fallout mean have cost legendary coach Joe Paterno his job, and mean that defensive coordinator Tom Bradley will coach the Nittany Lions on an interim basis. Penn State has lost only one game this season - to Alabama - and Nebraska will be a good test, but sadly this one is less about the football and more about the sensational story that broke this week.

Alabama (8-1) @ Mississippi State (5-4), Sunday November 13, 11:45 am, ESPN 2

Despite losing "the game of the century" to LSU last week, Alabama is still in line for a BCS bowl bid, and has an outside shot at making the national championship game. But they can't lose again. The Crimson Tide's kicking game was horrendous last week and their offense wasn't much better. Mississippi State needs one more win to become bowl eligible, but I doubt it will happen this week. If you watch this, don't let your ears fool you; it is the sound of cowbells you hear. It's a tradition at Mississippi State that opponents - as you can imagine - hate, but for now the crowd is still allowed to ring them throughout the game.