Stanford at center of college football world tonight

There will be a lot at stake Saturday night in Palo Alto when the 9-0 Stanford Cardinal host the Oregon Ducks. And the college football world knows it.

The Cardinal, ranked #4 in the BCS, are trying to hold onto their dream of playing for a national championship. A win most likely vaults them over Alabama in the rankings. A slip-up, and those dreams will be nothing but a fairytale.

If Oregon wins, they control their destiny. Win out, and they would host the first-ever Pac-12 championship game with a chance at the Rose Bowl.

The entire nation will be watching Stanford. The Cardinal need to prove that they can play with the big boys. Two weeks ago, they barely escaped with a win at USC in triple overtime.

Stanford’s season rides on this game. Two cupcake games await, against Cal and Notre Dame. Additionally, Heisman favorite Andrew Luck could strike a pose with a stellar performance. On the other hand, a loss crushes Luck’s chances of hoisting hardware in December.

If you need any more proof that this is a big game, the ESPN College Gameday crew has been in Palo Alto all week, and hit the air live at 6 a.m. PST.