EUGENE, Ore. — Darron Thomas seems to have it easy, making his debut as Oregon's starting quarterback at home and with the 11th-ranked Ducks heavily favored.

But it's quite the contrary.

When Thomas takes the field today against The University of New Mexico, all eyes will be on whether the sophomore can lift Oregon out of the Jeremiah Masoli debacle and whether head coach Chip Kelly did right in choosing him to start over senior Nate Costa.

His response? Bring it on.

"It's a good thing, because now you're in the spotlight," he said. "I'm happy for it. It's good not to be in the back. I'm prepared for it and ready to go."

Thomas played in five games as a true freshman in 2008, completing 16 of 33 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Called upon when Oregon was hit by a slew of injuries.

Thomas then redshirted the 2009 season.

Masoli led Oregon to a 10-3 record, the Pac-10 championship and a Rose Bowl berth last season.

Thomas competed for the job against Costa throughout fall camp, before edging him in a scrimmage last week. While Costa is more of a traditional passer, Thomas is more of a threat on the ground.

Adding to the pressure today will be the absence of running back LaMichael James, who is serving a one-game suspension after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge stemming from an altercation with an ex-girlfriend.

Last year James rushed for a team-high 1,546 yards, setting a record for freshmen in the Pac-10. He averaged 6.7 yards and added 14 TDs to earn the league's freshman of the year.

Fellow sophomore Kenjon Barner will start in James' place today. Also a return specialist, Barner had 1,553 all-purpose yards last season.

By all accounts, Barner had a productive fall camp.

Oregon coach Kelly says he is "just scratching the surface of what he can be."

But even with the few uncertainties — new QB, no star running back — Oregon remains a force, selected to repeat as Pac-10 champions this season.

"It's back in business and we're ready to go for New Mexico," Thomas said. "I'm ready for it to be an exciting day."

In contrast, the Lobos aren't feeling a whole lot of pressure.

New Mexico went 1-11 last season as the team dealt with its own off-field troubles, including then-first year head coach Mike Locksley's altercation with a former assistant.

Now, like Oregon, the Lobos are eager to move forward.

"When you play a team like Oregon and they're ranked No. 11 in the country, there's really no pressure on us," Locksley said. "I think it's going to be to our benefit to go up there, play loose, have fun, take some opportunities and take advantage of some opportunities against a real good team."

New Mexico, which has a spread offense similar to Oregon's, will start sophomore B.R. Holbrook at quarterback. He leads a group dominated by fellow sophomores, who lack experience but will likely gain it considerably today.

The Lobos have a 4-3 defense led by Carmen Messina, who led the nation with 162 tackles last season.

New Mexico is 7-43 against ranked opponents. But the last time they played a Pac-10 opponent, they beat Arizona 36-28 in 2008.

"As I told our team, we realize the challenge the reigning Pac-10 champions present us, but we also know that we have to make them beat us," Locksley said. "We need to do the things that we've talked about since January to ensure that we make a Pac-10 champion team like Oregon beat us and not help them."