It May Be Fall, but Oregon Is Hot!

Coming off the biggest win over USC in the Pete Carroll era, Oregon is rolling at 7-1 and 5-0 in the Pac-10 conference.

The nation got the pleasure of seeing a picture-perfect offense roll over a young but talented USC defense for 613 yards, the second most USC has given up in its prolific history.

Not only have they knocked off two teams in the top six (California, USC) during their seven-game win streak, they also ended the nation’s longest win streak in their third game against Utah, a team that has not lost since.

Week after week the Ducks look better running the zone read , which is even more difficult to defend with Jeremiah Masoli and the elusive LaMichael James. Over the past three weeks, Oregon has also gotten the passing game going, which has opened up even bigger holes in the line. 

On Halloween night, Oregon made USC, which has some of the fastest athletes in the country, look slow—391 rushing yards and 613 yards against a defense that was giving up only 80 yards on the ground is unbelievable.

Keeping in mind that numbers wise, the Pac-10 has been rated the most difficult conference in the country, Oregon is perfect so far. They have won two games on the road, one in Seattle against Washington and the other against UCLA.

Over the course of these seven wins, the Ducks are the only team in the country to show solid play from all three units (offense, defense, and special teams) against top-level competition. 

Unfortunately, most voters choose to go to bed instead of watch the late-starting West Coast games, so they had not gotten to see the Ducks until last weekend (excluding Boise State). 

The offense looks like it did at the end of the 2008 season , and the defense is unexpectedly in the top 25 in total defense, scoring defense, and rushing defense.

One thing that has been evident during this streak is that the Ducks have playmakers. There are the obvious in Masoli, James, and Ed Dickson, but how many people around the country had heard the names John Boyett, Kenny Rowe, Casey Matthews, and Javes Lewis before last week? These guys anchor one of the strongest defenses in school history that Duck fans still can’t comprehend. 

This is the same defense that has lost three starters throughout the course of the season, the most devastating being the season-ending knee injury to lockdown corner Walter Thurmond III. 

With the lack of a dominant team stepping forward this season, the Ducks deserve to be in any discussion about currently playing the best football in the country.

The Boise State game taught a lesson to this team, and people will continue to reference that game as the turning point for the Ducks season. Let's not forget, James was given the spotlight in the run game because of the LeGarrette Blount incident. Had that not happened, James most likely would not be having the season he is. 

The Ducks have the speed and the scheme to beat any team in the country right now. They might not be as stacked across the board as Florida or Texas, but with the offense that Oregon runs, they can play with anyone because of the ability to score quickly and keep the defense off-balance. 

Oregon has some tough games left that will require focus, but I expect this team to keep moving forward like a freight train because of their focus and love of the game.