2009 Oregon Ducks Football Predictions

2008 Record: (10-3, 7-2)

Coach: Chip Kelly, 1st year (0-0)

Off. Coordinator: Chip Kelly (1st year)

Def. Coordinator: Nick Aliotti (12th year)

Returning Starters: 10, (5 offense, 5 defense)

Ret. Starting Quarterback: Yes (Jeremiah Masoli)

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Offense

Junior Jeremiah Masoli returns at quarterback after throwing for 1,744 yards and 13 TDs, while rushing for 718 yards and 10 TDs. He’ll be back to operate new head coach Chip Kelly’s spread offense.

They lose running back Jeremiah Johnson (1,201 yards), but return senior LeGarrette Blount (6'2", 240), who ran for 1,002 yards last season. They hope that senior RB Andre Crenshaw (5'11", 195) can be a strong complement.

At receiver, junior Jeff Maehl and Aaron Pflugrad return. Senior TE Ed Dickson (6'5", 240) is the leading returning receiver with 508 yards receiving.

The offensive line returns just two starters, including junior RT C.E. Kaiser (6-4, 290).

Defense

The defense returns five starters from a unit that allowed just 28.2 ppg (78th in the nation) and 389.6 yards per game (82nd).

The Ducks are led by up front by senior end Will Tukuafu (6'4", 279), who was fifth in the Pac-10 with 17.5 tackles for loss last season. Unfortunately for the Ducks, he’s the only returning starter.

Junior Kenny Rowe (6'3", 230) is expected to move up from linebacker to end to replace Nick Reed, one of the top pass rushers in school history. Juco transfer Terrence Montgomery (6'2", 291) is expected to compete for a tackle spot. At linebacker, they return two of their three starters.

In the secondary, they have to replace two First-Team All-Conference players in SS Patrick Chung and Jairus Byrd. Senior FS T.J. Ward will anchor the secondary after leading the team with 101 tackles last season.

Outlook

The Ducks open the season playing a tough road game at Boise State followed by two very tough home games against Purdue and Utah. They host USC and Cal, so the Pac-10 schedule benefits them.

The problem is that they don’t quite have the talent level of USC and California, but they are certainly a bowl team.

Kelly, the former offensive coordinator at Oregon, takes over for Mike Bellotti, who led the program for 14 years.

This PAC 10 conference prediction is courtesy of the ATS Sports Blog. If you are looking for winning college football betting picks be sure to choose ATS Consultants this year, A featured sports handicapping service on Touthouse.com