Thursday's Games to Watch - NYTimes.com This is the game of the year in the Pacific 12, and its implications will be felt far beyond the West Coast. Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is the Heisman front-runner and has yet to lose a game or throw an interception this season. His last defeat and his last interception came in the Ducks" 17-14 overtime loss to Stanford last season. That upset kept Oregon out of the Bowl Championship Series title game and sent Stanford to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 41 years. Stanford did a great job of disrupting Oregon's timing on offense by disguising coverage schemes, penetrating up front and making tackles in the backfield. The loss was the only time the Ducks scored fewer than 35 points last season. Cardinal players showed discipline and seemed to make every tackle. To win again, they will have to repeat that performance. It will not help that the senior defensive end Ben Gardner is out for the season with a torn chest muscle. The pressure will be on linebacker Trent Murphy to keep an eye on Mariota, who has thrown for 20 touchdowns and run for 9. Oregon running back De'Anthony Thomas provided some bulletin board material when he said, "We should at least put up 40" points. It is worth noting, however, that 40 would be the Ducks" lowest output of the season. Oregon is favored despite playing on the road. Look for the Ducks to avenge last season's loss. 7:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1 Baylor's offense has been dynamic this season, but it has neither faced a ranked opponent nor seen a defense as good as Oklahoma's. The Bears lead the nation with averages of 63.9 points and 718.4 total yards, and Bryce Petty has emerged as a Heisman contender. He is a big pro-style quarterback who is putting up impressive numbers. A win against the Sooners could go a long way toward securing Petty an invitation to New York for the Heisman ceremony. Oklahoma's lone loss came against rival Texas; the Sooners were two-touchdown favorites. Oklahoma bounced back with a high-scoring win over previously undefeated Texas Tech last week. The defending Big 12 champion, Oklahoma is 21-1 in its series against Baylor. Robert Griffin III was the quarterback for the Bears" lone victory. The Sooners will probably use a grinding running game to try to keep the Bears" offense off the field. A lot will depend on the improvement of Baylor's defense. Traditionally a weakness, the unit is ranked 11th in the nation, allowing 316 yards per game. This matchup is in Waco, Tex., so expect a crazy atmosphere for one of the biggest home football games in Baylor history.