Oregon Football: 10 New Year's Resolutions for the Ducks

2011 is winding to a close, which means it is time for everyone to make their New Year's Resolutions. The Oregon Ducks football team is no exception.

The Ducks have a lot that they want to do to try and better themselves so they can have a successful offseason and make 2012 one of their best seasons yet.

2011 was fairly successful for the Ducks, so there is not really a whole lot that they will have to do to better themselves.

Let's just hope they stick with their resolutions and not give them up by halftime of the Rose Bowl.

Have a Clean Offseason

The Ducks have had horrible luck the past two offseasons stemming from legal troubles.

In 2010, they dealt with arrests to star running back and star quarterback LaMichael James and Jeremiah Masoli, due to domestic abuse and theft, respectively.

James was suspended one game, while Masoli was suspended for the season before getting kicked off the team after a drug charge.

This year, the Ducks dealt with star cornerback Cliff Harris being arrested for driving 118 mph with a suspended license and linebacker Kiko Alonsi being arrested for theft.

Harris was suspended and kicked off the team, while Alonsi was suspended for one game.

Oregon needs to stay out of trouble this year and their resolution is just that.

Get More Physical

Oregon can no longer be manhandled by more physical teams.

If they want to win a national championship, then they will have to get bigger and more physical in the trenches to control the line of scrimmage.

That is why the SEC continues to dominate college football.

Oregon's resolution is much different from a normal person's: get bigger.

Sign a 5-Star Recruit

Oregon struck gold with De'Anthony Thomas last year and they will want to do the same this year.

According to reports, elite lineman Arik Armstead and safety Shaq Thompson, both Top 20 recruits according to ESPN, have Oregon on their short lists and the Ducks have a great shot to get at least one of them.

Resolution: Continue to make strides in recruiting.

Don't Schedule an SEC Opponent in Dallas Again

Oregon's marquee matchup on opening week against the LSU Tigers was supposedly a neutral game.

While it wasn't played at either Autzen Stadium or Death Valley, we can all tell LSU had the home-field advantage.

Resolution: Don't schedule SEC opponents in the South.

Add New Schemes to the Offense

We all know that Chip Kelly is an offensive genius, but when teams have time to prepare for the Ducks, their offense falls flat.

The Ducks need to add new, never-before-seen offensive schemes to the playbook for those games to catch teams off guard and dominate openers and bowl games.

Resolution: Improve the playbook

Improve the Defense

Yes, the Ducks' defense isn't horrible, but if they want to be a national contender year after year, the defense needs to improve.

While Oregon focuses on offense and lets the defense get the job done, it's time to a have a nationally ranked defense.

Defense, after all, wins championships—it's the reason why LSU and Alabama are in the title game.

Resolution: Get better on defense

Work with the NCAA

Ohio State worked with NCAA and they got only a one-year postseason ban and several scholarships taken away.

USC didn't work with the NCAA and they got a two-year postseason ban and a lot of scholarships taken away.

I'm not here to argue whether Oregon is innocent or guilty, but they need to work with the NCAA to keep the damages at a minimum.

Resolution: Work with the NCAA

Get LaMichael James To Stay

James is the greatest player in Oregon history, and I don't see a reason—if he comes back—that Oregon couldn't make a title run next year or that James couldn't win the Heisman.

As James has already carried the ball over 700 times in three years, and because he is small, I don't see much of an NFL career for him—even if he does declare this year. Therefore, he should get something accomplished in college.

Resolution: Convince James to play one more year and break NCAA records.

Schedule Another Marquee Matchup

Just because I said earlier that the Ducks shouldn't schedule an SEC opponent in the South doesn't mean they shouldn't schedule another marquee matchup.

Michigan or any Big 12 team would be good for the Ducks—a challenging opponent with whom the Ducks would have a better chance of being competitive.

Resolution: Schedule marquee matchups.

Win the Rose Bowl

Winning the Granddaddy of them all should be at the top of Oregon's list. The game has so much riding on it that they NEED to win it.

If they win the Rose Bowl, then hopefully the rest of their resolutions will fall into place like dominoes.

Or, you know, they could just give up on resolutions by halftime and say they're fine the way they are.