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It’s not the L.A. team that the No. 13 Oregon Ducks are really thinking about (that would be USC), but the Ducks better not overlook a much-improved UCLA in Saturday’s game.

The Ducks are 3.5-point betting favorites on WagerWeb.com.

After dropping its season-opener to Boise State, Oregon looks to make it five straight wins and improve to 3-0 in the Pac-10 for the first time since 2001. But OU may not have its starting QB on the field.

Jeremiah Masoli only practiced on a limited basis a few days this week after leaving last week’s rout of Washington State with a knee injury. Thus backup Nate Costa could get the start, although Masoli seems likely to play even if he doesn’t start. He has been rolling of late, completing 35-of-43 passes for four touchdowns and no interceptions and rushing for 73 yards and a touchdown in the past two games. Costa, who has missed the past two seasons because of knee injuries, took over after Masoli was knocked out by Washington State.

This will be Oregon’s first road game since its meltdown in the opener at Boise State. And it will face a UCLA team getting its starting QB back. Kevin Prince has been cleared to play against Oregon. He suffered a fractured jaw against Tennessee on Sept. 12. He missed two games, with the Bruins going 1-1 with Kevin Craft at quarterback. Prince, a redshirt freshman, has thrown for 277 yards and two touchdowns in two starts. Prince’s jaw isn’t totally healed, but he will wear a helmet that covers more of the jaw area and was fitted for a special mouthpiece for his lower teeth.

He will face an Oregon defense that has held back-to-back Pac-10 opponents to less than 10 points for the first time since 1992. UCLA ranks ninth in the Pac-10 in scoring at 22.8 points per game and ninth in total offense at 300.8 yards per game.

The UCLA defense has been stout against the run, allowing only 2.8 yards per rush.

The Ducks and Bruins have traded victories over the past four meetings with UO winning in 2008 and ’06, and UCLA prevailing in ‘07 and ’04. The Bruins have lost six of their past nine home games against ranked teams.

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