Oregon Football: Chip Kelly and Ducks Prepare for Pac-12 Media Days

On Tuesday, July 24, the Pac-12 will begin their annual media day. For fans of these programs, it means that the college football season has drawn one day closer.

For Oregon Ducks fans, this means you are about to hear some new "Chipisms."

For the past three years, Oregon's head coach has been catching reporters off guard with various quick remarks and comebacks that have got plenty of laughs out of people. 

While the sharp comments are all well and good, the Ducks face some serious questions heading into the 2012 season that are bound to come up this week.

Many will be looking to hear about the status of Josh Huff, how the quarterback battle progressed through spring, what Kelly expects to see in August and all about his plans to replace LaMichael James.

Someone is bound to bring up the NCAA investigation that seems to have fallen silent, too.

Joining Chip Kelly at this event will be starting running back Kenjon Barner and linebacker Michael Clay. Both players are strong voices from the Ducks locker room and are great representatives of the team.

Barner will likely face questions on how the team will plan to make up for the loss of LaMichael James and Darron Thomas while still keeping the offense at an elite level.

Clay will face questions on behalf of the defense. Many may be curious as to how well the secondary has developed in the offseason, and will be interested to see if the Ducks defense will be as good as advertised. 

While an event like this certainly does not replace the thrill of live games, it is a stepping stone on the way to the beginning of the season. For now, we will have to enjoy the witty remarks of Chip Kelly and understand that the season is right around the corner.

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