Oregon Football: Ducks Suffer Offseason Troubles; Lose Carson and Possibly Huff

You know what Oregon fans would kill for over the past few years? The answer is a boring offseason. Seems like the past few years, Oregon has not only elevated their play on the field, but has also elevated their troubles off of the field.

In this year's installment, junior wide receiver Josh Huff is in trouble after being charged for a DUI.

While this is the first time that Huff has been in trouble with the law, it is an act that will certainly not go unpunished by head coach Chip Kelly. Coming into this season, Huff was going to be relied on heavily, but look for the receiver to lose out on the spring game and possibly the first couple of regular season games. 

Granted the potential punishment against Huff is enough to worry about—the Ducks also received some other bad news over the weekend. 

Sophomore running back Tra Carson let the program know he would like to transfer and his wish has been granted by the university.

In 2011, Carson had seen some spot duty in the Oregon backfield and appeared to be ready to play a bigger part in the Ducks offense in 2012. Carson is from the same hometown as LaMichael James, but unlike the former Duck running back, Carson will not be making a start for the Ducks.

Entering the 2012 season, the Ducks now find themselves without Darron Thomas, LaMichael James, Tra Carson and possibly Josh Huff for a period of time.

While these changes are significant, lots of changes have flown around the Pac-12 North since the season ended and despite these recent changes, the Ducks still appear to be the clear front-runner in the division. 

As the Ducks continue to stay towards the top of the rankings, the coaching staff and players must learn that with the spotlight comes the added pressure and increased exposure. Whether it is good or bad, everyone has their eyes on the Ducks and fans of the program are starting to develop the opinion of no news is good news. 

Joe Penkala is a B/R National Featured Columnist who covers college football. You can contact him @joepenkala.