Top 20 games: It's personal for Ducks against Broncos

They were cheap shots. Boise State coach Chris Petersen might not come out and say it, but spin only goes so far.

"They were both shots that shouldn't have been taken, without question," the Boise State coach said.

Last September in Eugene, Ore., Boise State defenders were penalized in separate incidents for vicious hits on Oregon players. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was jacked in his chin, suffered a concussion and missed the last three quarters of Boise's 37-32 victory. Later, Ducks tight end Ed Dickson suffered a similar shot way after an errant pass sailed over his head.

"In my mind, they were not malicious hits," Petersen said. "They were bad decisions. It's really unfortunate in my mind that they happened."

Judge for yourself. Check out YouTube. Were these just heat-of-the-moment hits or a bit of Little Man Syndrome on Boise's part? No matter your conclusion, the incidents came into play when Thursday's Ducks-Broncos rematch made our list of the 20 best games of 2009.

Beyond an opening week that features several bowl-like matchups, it seems there is added spice all over.

• This year's Texas-Oklahoma game is already being called the biggest in the storied history of the Red River Rivalry. If you have to ask why, you've never seen a three-way tie. Texas hopes it never sees one again.

• Southern California is going into Ohio State on Sept. 12 with a true freshman at quarterback. Matt Barkley has exactly one game to get used to the big time, Saturday against San Jose State.

• Mississippi gets most of its tough games at home. LSU and Alabama both come to Oxford, which hasn't celebrated an SEC title since 1963.

• Notre Dame thinks it finally has a chance against USC on Oct. 17. The last time these teams played close, Matt Leinart ran and Reggie Bush pushed.

• The rest of the country might not have a chance against Florida if it gets past LSU on Oct. 10 in Baton Rouge.

• BYU is playing its biggest game since 1990 when it beat Miami in Provo. This time it's a TV-arranged game in Dallas against No. 3 Oklahoma. A win could catapult the Cougars to their first BCS bowl.

• Virginia Tech is trying to prove it is more than king of the ACC, without its best tailback, traveling to hostile territory to play Alabama in Atlanta.

Boise? Urbandictionary.com defines Little Man Syndrome this way: Condition whereby undersized men compensate for their smallness by physically asserting their presence.

Jeron Johnson and the Broncos D brought the hammer to Oregon last year with some tough hits. (Getty Images)

Boise State's players aren't necessarily smaller than Oregon's, but they are classified differently. One program is in the BCS, the other is not. One program has to win all its games just to be considered for a BCS bowl. One cashes a healthy paycheck even if it finishes last.

Could that class warfare migrate to the field?

•  SB Nation: Oregon | Boise State | B/R: Best games

"I wouldn't try to think that way, not even in the slightest," Petersen said.

This is not to say Boise is a team of cheap shots. It is to say that every coach worth his whistle wants his players to intimidate the opponent. Make the other guy submit. Add in the BCS vs. non-BCS thing and it might take any such game to a whole new level.

Boise upset Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl with a team that, to the naked eye, was markedly smaller. But the Broncos made up for the size disadvantage with quickness, team speed and, in the end, superior coaching. Remember those three trick plays?

Oklahoma absorbed the loss and moved on, continuing to win Big 12 titles (three in a row going into this season). Thanks to YouTube, though, some Oregon fans have been stoking their ill will for almost a year. When asked at the Pac-10 media day last month what Boise State did so well in the game, Oregon coach Chip Kelly shot back with a hint of sarcasm.

"They knocked our quarterback out," Kelly said. "That actually hurt a little bit." In the offseason, the NCAA rules committee reacted to what it believes are too many cheap shots. Officials this season will be targeting flagrant personal fouls, ejecting "student-athletes more frequently when warranted," according to the association. Some offenders will be suspended after the game, if needed.

"The key to it is when the player launches, leaves his feet and goes up high," said Dave Parry, the NCAA's national coordinator for college football officiating. "That is the foul we want called on defenseless players. We don't want a potentially dangerous situation."

That description sounds hauntingly like what happened to Masoli and Dickson. Ellis Powers, who hit Masoli, was a senior. Junior safety Jeron Johnson (and his team-high 98 tackles), the one who hit Dickson, returns.

"There's a fine line, that's the problem with it," Petersen said, "and it's going to get even tighter this year ... There's going to be more flags on those types of things without question."

Always a big game, the Red River Rivalry gets even bigger this year. (Getty Images)

It will be interesting to see if and what feelings carry over to Thursday's season opener. Last season's Boise victory kept alive the Broncos' second undefeated regular season in three years. The hit on Masoli exacerbated Oregon's quarterback problem.

Masoli is now considered by some to be the Pac-10's best quarterback. Boise State is considered by some to be 2009's best non-BCS team.

Little Man Syndrome? Not at this moment. The big, bad Broncos are favored by 4½ points. They're awaiting Oregon's s response.

The 20 biggest games of 2009

1. Texas-Oklahoma, Oct. 17 in Dallas: The winner should have the inside track to the BCS title game. In six of the past nine years, the winner of this game has played in the Big 12 title game. Seven times this decade one of these two teams has won the Big 12. Texas won last year and was squeezed out. That can't happen again, can it?

2. USC at Ohio State, Sept. 12: No excuses for the Buckeyes. At home. USC playing a freshman quarterback. The winner stays right in the national championship hunt. The loser is humbled.

3. Florida at LSU, Oct. 10: Florida's one "tough" game. The Gators could afford to lose this game and still play for the national championship. Which reminds us: Since 2006, the winner of this game has won the national championship.

4. Ohio State at Penn State, Nov. 7: The Big Two once again separate from the Little Nine. The winner most likely goes to the Rose Bowl.

5. Tennessee at Florida, Sept. 19: Best theater of 2009. Gators fans have been waiting for this day since Lane Kiffin said he wanted to sing Rocky Top at The Swamp.

6. USC at Notre Dame, Oct. 17: The Irish haven't scored a touchdown against the Trojans since 2006. They have been within 20 points once since the last victory in 2001. This year it's supposed to be different, right?

7. Florida vs. Georgia, Oct. 31 in Jacksonville, Fla.: Nothing is as entertaining as watching the winner of the Cocktail Party rubbing it in.

8. LSU at Alabama, Nov. 7: If 'Bama is going to take the West it has to win this one. Last year's overtime win in Baton Rouge snapped a five-game losing streak to the Tigers.

9. Alabama vs. Virginia Tech in Atlanta, Sept. 5: A bowl game in September. Two flawed powers launch what they hope are championship seasons. 'Bama breaks in a quarterback. Virginia Tech has a new tailback.

10. Georgia at Oklahoma State, Sept. 5: A clash of the upper crust of the nation's two best conferences. Let's see if the Dawgs handle things better this year coming from behind rather than starting the season No. 1. Tailback-by-committee meets possibly the Big 12's best offense.

11. Texas Tech at Texas, Sept. 19: One second (and Michael Crabtree's catch) kept Texas from all of the 2008 riches. Payback is a Colt.

Ole Miss will try to break Alabama's hold on the series this season. (US Presswire)

12. Western Michigan at Michigan, Sept. 5: Rich Rod takes on the underrated Broncos with his three-headed quarterback. This wouldn't be rated so high if not for Appalachian State (2007) and Toledo (2008). Big House inhabitants are painfully aware at this point of Big House upsets. Lose this one and the wolves come after the Wolverines head coach.

13. USC at Oregon, Oct. 31: Trojans are oh-for-Oregon since 2005, 0-3 in the state since winning in Eugene four years ago.

14. Alabama at Ole Miss, Oct. 10: Rebels hope to carry over last year's second-half performance in Tuscaloosa.

15. Texas at Oklahoma State, Oct. 31: Cowboys thought they should have won last year in Austin.

16. Oklahoma State at Oklahoma, Nov. 28: Pokes could go into this one undefeated setting up, you guessed it, a potential three-way tiebreaker in the Big 12 South.

17. BYU vs. Oklahoma in Dallas, Sept. 5: If the video board doesn't get in the way, this could be the best game of the weekend.

18. Notre Dame at Michigan, Sept. 12: Can either coach afford a loss?

19. Oregon at Boise State, Sept. 3: The Broncos begin the quest for their third undefeated regular season in four years. The Ducks are out for revenge (see above) and a successful start to Kelly's head coaching career.

20.TCU at BYU, Oct. 24: BYU goes into the season with an 18-game home winning streak. The Mountain West likely is at stake in this one.