First of Two Pasadena Visits in the 2009 Season (Hint, the other one is in January)

While some people I know will be witnessing a wedding Saturday, I for one, will be in Pasadena, land of the best tailgating in the Pac-10 (note: haven’t been to UW, UA or Stanford).

You just can’t beat hanging out on the grassy country club fairways that serve as the parking lot for the hallowed Rose Bowl.

In doing so, I’ll be making my first appearance at the stadium in support of the Ducks (believe it or not, the first two were for Oregon State).

I promised the UCLA folk I’ll be hanging out with that I will wear a vintage green body suit, complete with steel-colored leg warmers, chrome mittens and a yellowish top hat. And if you don’t end up spotting me in such garb, well, blame Wal-Mart for a lack of inventory.

Time to get a pick right FOTB.

While a bit tepid in picking Oregon due to injuries, it’s hard to go against the dominance they have displayed in the past two weeks. I mean, 94-9. Really? You’d have to be crazy to pick against a team putting up those kind of numbers.

UCLA will welcome back starting quarterback Kevin Prince and while that seems to be cause for celebration in Westwood, it’s hard to believe that’s going to cure the Bruins offensive woes. Only Washington State has sported a more feeble offense this season. Lucky for Oregon because they’ll be breaking in sophomore Anthony Gildon, yet another starting cornerback at the injury-plagued position.

Of course, there is the matter of quarterback for the Ducks. Nate Costa will get his first collegiate start against the conference’s second best scoring defense in a league that is surprisingly stout on the “championship” side of the ball this year.

Costa throws a sharp ball, though, and you have to imagine a guy with his resiliency won’t be overwhelmed by the moment.

This isn’t 2007 when Oregon was shutout trying everything short of Adam Sandler at quarterback (get it, water boy? Oh, give me a break, you try being funny). Costa is a legitimate option that, if not for a third knee injury in 2008, would possibly be an experienced veteran starter by now.

While Oregon probably won’t have the offensive success it has had in previous weeks, they should do enough to win with the “yet-to-be-aptly-named” defense leading the way behind a third straight shut down performance.