I have no idea what went wrong with Oregon in its first game against Boise State.

Not that I really cared. I was quite pleased to see the oft-described, high-octane offense, led by Jeremiah Masoli, fall flat on its face. Completely.

Oh, and there was also that punch in the face that LeGarrette Blount dealt to that Boise-State lineman.

With so much to deal with after that loss, I was terribly surprised to see them make a strong comeback.

The Ducks got better and better as the weeks went on, and now, I’m a little bit more nervous than I was after they barely sidled by Purdue.

Then they slipped past Utah. And then came the shocker.

The Ducks quacked all over the Bears, 42-3. It was never close as they took apart Jahvid Best and a top-10 Cal team.

Oh, yeah — and this is more of just a side note because we saw this one coming — they ran all over WSU, 52-6.

It pains me to say this, but the 4-1 Ducks are looking like the team many predicted would compete with USC and Cal for the Pac-10 title this year.

They have so many frightening weapons on offense and have a capable-enough defense to ensure that they’re never too many minutes away from the next offensive possession.

Are any of you scared that they could actually beat USC and virtually take the Pac-10 for themselves?

I am.

Maybe the fright is a little bit unwarranted, but some of it has got to be legitimate. They’re the only remaining challenge to USC — though if Stanford continues on its current path, the Cardinal could be a contender.

But USC is back on track, too, after its loss to the Huskies a few weeks ago, and is back in the top 10.

Matt Barkley is healthy, and he’s just a better quarterback than Aaron Corp. Barkley is going to be an important factor in the Trojans’ success the rest of this year, as they have done well enough on defense but have struggled to score at times.

But in keeping with my theme of fright and being scared, it’s pretty ironic that the biggest game of the year is on Halloween. In Eugene, Ore., no less.

USC’s greatest battle will be at Autzen Stadium, and they’ll have to beat the Ducks in order to prove — at least for one more year — that it still reigns over the conference.

For some reason, whatever it may be, I feel we’re going to be frightened, scared and perhaps surprised by the Ducks when Halloween comes around.

I just hope I’m wrong.

Reach Opinion Editor Allen Wagner at sports@dailyuw.com.