Jerry Jones will be proud of his Death Star stadium yet again as Cowboys Stadium is the sight of the biggest FBS game of the early portion of the college football season. The third-ranked Oregon Ducks are set to take on the fourth-ranked Louisiana State Tigers on Saturday night in Arlington, amidst turmoil surrounding Les Miles' team.
LSU will be without their starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson, who has been suspended indefinitely following an arrest stemming from a bar fight in mid August. Senior quarterback Jarrett Lee will take Jefferson's starting role - at least for the interim. Lee hasn't played much the past two seasons, attempting just 89 passes in 2010 and 40 in 2009. Most of Lee's collegiate playing time came back in 2008, when he threw for 1,873 yards, 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
Prior to the arrest of Jefferson, the Tigers had been considered legitimate title contenders - as noticed by their No. 4 ranking. Losing their starting quarterback, though, could change things in a hurry.
Oregon is coming off of a BCS title game loss to Auburn - so they may have some SEC hatred weighing on their shoulders tonight in Arlington. The Ducks should have another explosive offense in 2011, as they are returning both their starting quarterback, Darron Thomas, and starting running back as well as Heisman Trophy candidate LaMichael James.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT from Cowboys Stadium. Televised coverage can be found on ABC.