The curse of No. 1

For the past three weeks, being the No. 1 team in the country has been a source of stress and frustration, not celebration.

In Week 6, Alabama was ranked No. 1 in the AP and USA Today polls. The Crimson Tide promptly lost their first game of the season -- and the top ranking -- with a 35-27 road loss to South Carolina.

The next week, Ohio State took over the top poll position, and traveled to Wisconsin to play the pesky Badgers. A 31-18 loss later, and it was Oklahoma's chance to take the No. 1 position in the first BCS rankings of the year.

And this past weekend, Oklahoma lost on the road, this time to undefeated Missouri.

Three No. 1 teams, all on the road. A cumulative 0-3 ranking.

Now it's Oregon's turn. Ranked No. 1 in the AP and USA Today nearly unanimously, the Ducks, too, have a road game against a tough opponent: Southern Cal (5-2), coming off a bye week.

No team has gotten close to beating Oregon this year. The Ducks' closest win was an 11-point win at Arizona State. All in all, Oregon is averaging a 39-point margin of victory in each game.

But if there's a team that could beat Oregon, it would arguably be USC, particularly with 14 days to prepare. The Trojans have put together a quietly impressive season in head coach Lane Kiffin's first year, losing two games by a combined three points.

What's really holding USC back in the hopes of upsetting Oregon is the Trojans' defense, which is ranked just 87th in the NCAA so far. Not only would it take a tremendous defensive effort to squash Oregon's high-powered offense, but it would also take every ball bouncing in USC's direction to upset the behemoth.

Here's to betting Oregon doesn't become the fourth No. 1 to lose in a row.