By JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer

STANFORD, Calif.(AP) -- Stanford has been pointing to the brutal
four-game November stretch as the defining moment for the season
ever since arriving at fall camp.

The Cardinal end the season with arguably their four toughest
games, facing No. 7 Oregon, No. 12 Southern California, No. 23
California and No. 19 Notre Dame all in succession.

What no one knew at the start of the season was that the
toughest game might come first, when the Cardinal (5-3, 4-2
Pac-10) host the Ducks (7-1, 5-0) on Saturday.

"This is a huge opportunity for us if we want to take the next
step," running back Toby Gerhart said. "We have a chance to beat
the best team in the Pac-10."

Oregon earned that title last week with a 47-20 victory over USC
that put the Ducks in control of the Pac-10 race and in
contention for a spot in the Bowl Championship Series title
game.

Oregon shredded USC for 613 total yards, the second most ever
allowed by the Trojans, and gained 391 yards on the ground in a
performance that surprised many accustomed to USC dominating the
Pac-10.

"Offensively, we certainly don't expect 600 yards, but we don't
expect to stall out or have any sort of letdown," quarterback
Jeremiah Masoli said. "We've been practicing really hard and
it's one of those things where we'll see if our team can handle
success."

After beating the Trojans 24-17 two years ago to move into title
contention, the Ducks lost three of their final four regular
season games - and star quarterback Dennis Dixon to injury - and
settled for the Sun Bowl.

The Oregon players believe the lessons they learned in a 19-8
season-opening loss at Boise State will help avoid a similar
situation this season.

"None of the games we've won have been perfect by any stretch of
the imagination and we all realize that and we all understand
that by what happened at the beginning of the season, stumbling
out of the blocks, we have to focus on the small problems that
we have because they can add up," offensive lineman Mark Asper
said.

The Ducks have had few problems of late with one of the
country's most dangerous offenses. Freshman running back
LaMichael James has replaced suspended star LeGarrette Blount
and is the leading rusher in Pac-10 games, averaging 137.6 yards
per game.

Ed Dickson is one of the top tight ends in the country, with 30
receptions for 397 yards and four touchdowns and six players
have at least 10 catches.

But the key to the offense is Masoli, who threw for 222 yards
and a touchdown and ran for 164 yards and a score last week
against USC. He has run for 436 yards and eight touchdowns,
while also completing 60.6 percent of his passes with six TDs
and only two interceptions.

"It's tough to stop him," Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said.
"We're going to try and slow him down. He's as good a dual
threat quarterback as there is in the country. He executes with
tremendous precision in the option game."

Stanford will have to stop the Ducks without one of its top
defensive players. Middle linebacker Clinton Snyder will miss
the remainder of the season after injuring his left knee in
practice on Tuesday.

Snyder is expected to be replaced in the lineup by fullback Owen
Marecic, who will play both offense and defense against the
Ducks.

The Cardinal need one more win to become bowl eligible for the
first time since 2001. But with four ranked opponents on the
docket, that will be no easy task.

Since making it to the Seattle Bowl in Tyrone Willingham's last
season on The Farm in 2001, Stanford has had five shots at a
sixth win and bowl eligibility, losing each time.

Perhaps the most painful came last year in Eugene, when the
Cardinal took a 28-27 lead with 2:18 to play. But the Ducks
answered with a 74-yard drive capped by Blount's 3-yard run and
2-point conversion that gave Oregon the 35-28 win and its
seventh straight win in the series.

Stanford lost to USC and Cal the following two weeks, falling
agonizingly short of achieving its goal of a bowl bid.

The Cardinal have four shots this year, but know none of them
will be easy.

"We're excited to go against ranked teams," quarterback Andrew
Luck said. "This is why you play college football. Of course we
want to win all of them but the focus is toward this week's
goal, and winning this game."