Oregon Ducks rundown: It's game day in Texas, LSU is here in force, so let's get this thing on

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The sun is dawning over the Dallas metroplex and the early-morning coffee drinkers are lining up at the lobby Starbucks at my hotel.

The long fall camp and the longer offseason are in the rearview mirror, and it's time for No. 3 Oregon and No. 4 LSU to get the college football season going in earnest at 5:12 p.m. tonight in the Cowboys Classic.

A story in this morning's Dallas Morning News reported that LSU's traveling fan contingent established residency in a parking lot near Cowboys Stadium yesterday.

The story quoted Allison Kullenberg, a board member for the Dallas chapter of the LSU alumni association as saying: "We don't travel -- we take over. That's our motto. We are pretty much invading Dallas."

Oh, boy.

Cowboys Stadium has 80,000 seats. The guess here is that LSU fans who have made the drive west or who are part of the school's enormous Dallas alumni chapter, will occupy somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 of them.

There is a big UO group here too. Oregon fans were all over the airports I was in and flights I was on yesterday, but the Ducks are going be outnumbered in the stands.

Good thing for Oregon that the game is played on the field.

Much has been made of what some people seem to believe is the inexperienced interior of the UO defense.

Defensive tackles Taylor Hart and Ricky Heimuli, and inside linebackers Michael Clay and Dewitt Stuckey all are first-time starters. But a closer look reveals that Clay, Hart and Heimuli played in every game last year, and Stuckey contributed on special teams. Clay was in on 42 tackles.

Folks, these guys aren't rookies.

"It's cool to be listed as a starter," Clay said this week. "But I've played enough the last two years, and we rotate enough, that I've had enough playing time."

Shoot, Clay found the field in 2009 as a true freshman. And, like most of the fans, he is ready kick this thing off.

"It's been a long time," he said. "We're just ready to get out there and play."

OK, more links:

Ducks will have to overcome some disturbing trends and a tough LSU defense to win the game.

The Oregonian's Aaron Fentress breaks down the game in this video. Fentress is a former college player and coaches a championship semipro team. So, listen up.

Time for the Ducks and Tigers to put their offseason woes behind them.

Ducks open the season in a game with some Texas-sized implications.

Time to throw out the subplots and suspensions and play the game.

LSU and the Ducks are as different as, well, Louisiana and Oregon.

R-G X-and-O expert Ken Woody says this one will be won or lost at the line of scrimmage.

Darron Thomas is back at quarterback, but the Ducks need their offensive line to step up.

The Daily Emerald's Q-and-A with UO receiver Josh Huff.

The Statesman Journal's Gary Horowitz goes inside the LSU-Oregon match-up.

Max Williams of Duck Territory analyzes which true freshmen might play for Oregon.

Tigers adjust to life without quarterback Jordan Jefferson.

Gary Laney of the Baton Rouge Advocate: Check list complete, let's play.

Former UO offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz talks about uniforms and Oregon victories.

The R-G's Rob Moseley predicts an Oregon victory.

Bud Withers of the Seattle Times says the Ducks will win by six points.

LSU's Jarrett Lee came to play.

John DeShazier of the Times-Picayune: One name you can't call Lee is "Quitter."

Wade Evanson of eDuck: What's going to happen? Good question.

You have to see Cowboys Stadium to believe it.

R-G columnist George Schroeder went to Waco yesterday for the Baylor-TCU game, and watched it with Lache Seastrunk's friends and family members.

Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times riffs on the insanity of televising Oregon-LSU and Boise State-Georgia opposite each other, and asks whether the Ducks can a win a game that counts.

UO sophomore Mike Berry will return from the World Track & Field Championships in Daegu with a 4x400 gold medal.

Duck Sports Now's Saturday morning links are here.

Good thing for the injury-ravaged Beavers, they are playing Sacramento State in the opener. They couldn't lose that, could they?