Oregon Ducks Football: 10 Reasonable Goals for the 2012 Season

Since Chip Kelly arrived in Eugene in 2007, life as an Oregon football fan has been sweeter than a mouthful of Willy Wonka's chocolate waterfall.    

Kelly has taken a historically mediocre program to unprecedented heights and, in the process, transformed Oregon football into a national powerhouse with the uniforms to match. 

Chip's record speaks for itself and by now is ingrained into the head of every quack addict in America. He's 34-6 as Oregon's head coach, was a field goal away from winning a national championship and won the school's first Rose Bowl in 95 years.

But in the words of Peter Parker's uncle, who happened to be a huge Ducks fan, "With great power comes great responsibility to crush the Trojans and dominate the Pac-12."

Kelly's accomplishments are undeniably impressive, but the triumph of the last three years has completely redefined Oregon's achievable goals.

The bar of success in Eugene is now higher than Cheech and Chong at a Woodstock revival.  

Here are the 10 reasonable goals for the Quack Attack during the 2012 season. 

1. Add 100 New Uniform Combinations

With all the hoopla surrounding Nike's new uniform sponsorship of the NFL, many forgot that Uncle Phil still uses Oregon football as his test lab for all things cutting edge. 

Last year the Ducks sported roughly 500 different uniform combinations, but they could always use more.

Like it or not, this uniform phenomenon is a big draw for recruits across the country. Even if their only knowledge about Oregon is based on a computer game where you die of dysentery, it's a good bet that they've heard of the outrageous outfits out west. 

Mike Bellotti even admitted as much to Sports Illustrated last year. 

It's time for Knight to call up his design super team and add at least five new options to the Ducks' duds for the 2012 campaign. 

My suggestion? A feather suit. 

2. Eliminate Off-the-Field Issues

Over the past three years, the Ducks have done a remarkable job of staying out of trouble on the field. Off the field? Not so much. 

What started with a simple laptop theft by star quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and receiver Garret Embry has spiraled into a series of infamous incidents throughout Kelly's tenure. 

In 2010, defensive end Matt Sims was charged with assault and Lamichael James pleaded guilty to a physical harassment charge involving another woman. 

In 2011, backup quarterback Dustin Haines, linebacker Kiko Alonso and linebacker Tyson Coleman were all arrested for various reasons. 

In June of that same year, Oregon's best defensive player, Cliff Harris, was cited for going 118 miles per hour with a suspended license and providing front cover material for the What Not to Say to Cops manual. 

If that weren't enough, the entire program is now under investigation regarding illegal recruiting tactics involving an unctuous character by the name of Willie Lyles. 

There is nothing Oregon can do about the NCAA investigation, but this year the team needs to do everything in its power to have a Lysol-clean record for the duration of the season.   

3. Develop a Clutch Kicker

An appearance by a Ducks field goal kicker is like a Howard Hughes sighting in the 1950s. Blink and you might miss it. 

Despite Oregon's lack of field-goal attempts, the kicking game is going to play a major role in a game at some point this season. Finding a player that can handle the pressure and send a game-tying or game-winning field goal through the pipes could be the difference between a BCS or Holiday Bowl appearance. 

Alejandro Maldanado showed he was not up to the task last year after starting kicker Rob Beard went down for the season with an injury. You can't put last year's loss to USC squarely on his shoulders, but with a chance to send the game into overtime, he badly shanked a 37-yarder and eliminated the Ducks' outside chance at playing for a BCS title. 

Beard now has the chance to avenge his lost season and prove that Oregon can do more than just score touchdowns. Kelly and his staff must put more resources towards developing the kicking game to ensure that Beard will be ready when his number is called. 

4. Find a Go-To Wide Receiver

The Ducks are so reliant on the running game that it's been a long time since Oregon has had a wide receiver that strikes fear into the opposing defense. 

Josh Huff is expected to be the go-to guy this year, but he'll have some major competition from 4-star recruit Devon Blackmon, who will get serious playing time this year with the departure of Oregon's other major receiving threat, Lavasier Tuinei. 

Whether it's Huff or Blackmon, the Ducks need to add more of a receiving dimension to their offense this season, as the running game is not as deep as in years past with the transfer of super recruit, Tra Carson. 

This is especially true if Bryan Bennett earns the starting quarterback spot, as he is known for his rocket arm and deep ball skills. 

5. Lead the Pac-12 in Offense

Perhaps the easiest goal for Oregon to achieve in 2012 is to lead the Pac-12 in yards per game for a third straight year.

Last year the Ducks put up nearly 1000 more yards than their closest competitor, Stanford, and there is no reason to think that anyone in the Pac-12 will dethrone the juggernaut from Eugene in 2012.  

Oregon has already led the Pac in points per game for six years running, and this year USC seems like the only team with a chance to even come close to shattering that record. 

Unless Chip Kelly learned some kind of New Age run-down-the-clock offense over the summer, it's a good bet this goal will be accomplished this year. 

6. Have a Top-25 Defense

The O in Oregon stands for offense, but don't tell that to the defensive players. 

Veteran standouts such as defensive end Dion Jordan, safety John Boyett and linebacker Michael Clay combined with up-and-coming talents Terrance Mitchell, Troy Hill and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu make this a unit worthy of our consideration. 

Add to that mix a new 4-star defensive lineman in Arik Armstead, and a top-25 defense in yards allowed per game does not seem all that far fetched. 

This will not be a defensive unit that can completely shut down the offensive ridiculousness of USC or Stanford, but the "bend, but don't break" mentality that Oregon defenses have adopted over the years will hopefully be enough to establish Oregon as a serious threat on D.

7. Send a Player to the Heisman Trophy Ceremony

You can count the number of Heisman finalists Oregon has had over the years on one hand. Actually, make that two fingers.

Oregon just does not send many players to New York in December, but the opportunity has never knocked louder for De'Anthony Thomas

If last year was any indication, Thomas has the potential to join Joey Harrington and LaMichael James as Oregon's third-ever Heisman finalist. 

His freshman numbers were absurd considering the limited amount of touches he got last season. In just 55 attempts, Thomas rushed for 595 yards and had 46 receptions for 605 yards with 16 combined touchdowns.

For comparison, Kenjon Barner had 152 attempts rushing, had only 300 more yards than Thomas and scored 14 combined touchdowns. 

Currently ranked as the second-best Heisman prospect in the Pac-12 by heismanpundit.com, Thomas might just snag a Bronze Stiff Arm before he's done at Oregon. 

8. Beat USC at the Coliseum

The Ducks would like nothing better than to wipe that smug grin off Matt Barkley's face and avenge last year's heartbreaking loss to USC at Autzen. 

In order to get out of the Coliseum with a W, though, it's going to take the Ducks' best performance of the season. 

Last year, we saw what the Trojans can do when they have nothing to play for. With the bowl ban in the rear view mirror and Matt Barkley's decision to remain the God of Southern California for one more year, USC looks terrifying. 

There's already talk that the 2012 version of the Trojans may be better than the 2005 Matt Leinart/Reggie Bush team. 

But these Ducks are not going to succumb to the hype and wilt under the bright lights of Tinsel Town. These Ducks have played in Cowboy Stadium, they've played in a Rose Bowl and many of them have played in a national championship game. 

As of now, the matchup appears it will play out much like last year. All offense, no defense and whoever has the ball in the final seconds of the game will have a shot to win. 

As long as Rob Beard is still healthy, this is a very reasonable goal. 

9. Win the Pac-12 Championship

As of now, there does not seem to be any force that will stop the inevitable collision of Oregon and USC in the Pac-12 Championship Game. 

That's why this goal is predicated on the assumption that Oregon has the better Pac-12 record than USC in the regular season. If Oregon has to play the championship game in Los Angeles, this goal becomes exponentially more difficult to achieve. 

Oregon can definitely beat USC on their field once. If the Ducks have to play them twice in L.A., the outcome favors the Trojans, but at this point speculation means little.  

After last year's sham of a Pac-12 title game, however, this game is set up to be a matchup more legendary than Ron Burgundy. 

10. Win the BCS National Championship

The SEC lovers out there are probably rolling their eyes right about now, and perhaps rightfully so, but based on Oregon's schedule, making the national championship game is not that far fetched. 

Once Oregon breezes through their frightening non-conference schedule, featuring the likes of Arkansas State, Fresno State and Tennessee Tech, their only real tests will be at USC and vs. Stanford. 

Depending on how the season plays out, Oregon may even be able to lose to USC in the regular season and still make the Natty if the Ducks can somehow overcome the Trojans in the Pac-12 title game. 

Of course, the right combination of skill, luck and health needs to fall into place if Oregon's going to make a run at the BCS title for the second time in three years. 

Now that the Ducks have come so close to the mountain top only to have Cam Newton literally shove them all the way back down, I have a feeling that Oregon won't waste a second opportunity at unadulterated glory. 

Remember how Chip Kelly mentioned some "unfinished business" when explaining his reasons for turning down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaching job? This goal might have had a little something to do with that decision.