NCAA Football
Oregon Football Preview
Four years ago, Oregon football was coming off a massive win in the Rose Bowl over Jameis Winston’s Florida State and was one game away from their first national championship. The first for a PAC 12 team since USC in 2004. Unfortunately, they were up against an inspired Ohio State team coming off one of the biggest upsets in Sugar Bowl history over Number 1 ranked Alabama behind third-string quarterback JT Barrett. Barrett would win the game convincingly to add another trophy to the storied program’s history. Since that point, this team has fallen into mediocrity, something not seen by the program since the mid-2000’s. However, if any team is going to turn the program around, it’s this team. The Ducks are led by Heisman hopeful Justin Herbert and a potent offensive attack. If the defense can play decently in PAC 12 standards, this team could be a dark horse College Football Playoff team.
One Big Question?
Can this team reach its full potential under a new head coach? Cristobal is familiar with the team and the playbook, being the co-offensive coordinator last year. But it’s still unknown if he has what it takes to get this team to the promised land that so many fans have been waiting for.
Prediction
Right now, I have this team slated to win 10 games, only losing to Stanford and Washington. However, if Herbert lives up to the hype and this team suffers no massive injuries, it’s entirely possible that Oregon could go undefeated and return to the top.
Game to Watch
Stanford is clearly the game that has always defined the Oregon season in the last 10 years. So many great battles have taken place between these two teams. And I don’t see any difference between Heisman candidates Herbert and Bryce Love. Whoever wins this controls their destiny within the PAC 12 north, and unless there’s a massive surprise in the south division, the PAC 12 title.
Upset Alert
Utah is a very formidable opponent. They are sitting between UCLA, who will be way worse than last year, and Arizona State. The Arizona game will be a rematch after an upset in Tempe that derailed their season. Utah has a talented enough team to hang around and even win this game. Plus this is the PAC 12, the most exciting and even of the Power Five. Anything could happen, so this is a realistic possibility.
