THE LOCALS

No. 6 UCLA (3-0) at Oregon (2-1)

* Story line: So what if the Bruins beat Alabama and Michigan? The oddsmakers favor Oregon, and UCLA Coach Bob Toledo couldn’t hide his glee at that motivational fodder. “We’re underdogs, huh? That kind of surprises me a little bit,” he said. “I’ll have to use that one.”

* UCLA update: A victory could boost the Bruins into the Top 5 for the first time since November 1998, when an undefeated UCLA team ranked third.

* Oregon update: The Ducks fancy themselves among the Pac-10 elite. We’ll all know when the Ducks finish their next three games--UCLA, Washington and USC, all conference rivals ranked among the Top 10.

* Edge to UCLA: The Ducks have won 16 consecutive home games, but they haven’t beaten UCLA during that streak and they won’t beat UCLA Saturday. Toledo is 4-0 against the Ducks.