Oregon football schedule still in flux.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Oregon's opening football game for the 2005 season, already changed once, is likely to be switched again so that the Ducks will play at Houston on Sept. 1.

`There is a possibility that could happen,' UO associate director of athletics Dave Heeke said Wednesday. `The two parties need to reach a final agreement.'

The proposed game would be played on a Thursday night for a telecast by ESPN and at Reliant Stadium, the home of the NFL's Houston Texans.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the University of Houston was forced into finding another opponent after Nebraska backed out of an agreement.

Oregon had announced last fall that a tentative agreement had been reached to open its 2005 season at Autzen Stadium on Sept. 3 against Texas-El Paso, which itself was a replacement for UNLV, after the Nevada school was granted a request to get out of its contract with Oregon.

Heeke said Oregon was still negotiating with UTEP on a possible game, with the issue complicated by UTEP moving to Conference USA next season and still awaiting its league schedule.

Heeke also confirmed that Indiana, which was scheduled to host the Ducks on Sept. 10, has requested and will likely be granted out of the contract for that game. The Hoosiers defeated Oregon last season, and this would have been the return game for that contest that was played at Autzen Stadium.

`We're disappointed,' Heeke said. `When we do home-and-home agreements, we want to make sure we do both sides of it.'

Oregon's only certain nonleague opponent on the 2005 schedule is Fresno State, slated for Sept. 17 at Autzen Stadium.

One item to be worked out with Houston before next season's game is finalized would be the date of a return game in Eugene. Oregon has an opening in its 2007 schedule, and would like to fill it with a home game.

Houston is a member of Conference USA and was 3-8 last season. In 2003, the Cougars were 7-5 in the regular season before losing in the Hawaii Bowl. Oregon has only once previously played Houston, with the Ducks recording a 15-14 win at Autzen Stadium in 1983.

Recent NCAA action that pushed forward the 12-game season makes it more likely that Oklahoma will play at Autzen Stadium in the 2006 season.

Heeke said that the Ducks have `an agreement' with Oklahoma to play in Eugene, in return for Oregon's trip to Oklahoma last season, if the '06 schedule is expanded. Otherwise, Oklahoma is due to play at Oregon in 2008.