Oregon Ducks Season Preview: Looks Like a Minumum Of 10 Wins This Year

There is a lot of excitement brewing for this upcoming season for the Oregon Ducks football team. With the season less than a month away, the streets of Portland have been lined with people wearing green and yellow (actually, the streets in my neighborhood are lined with 140 lb guys wearing skinny jeans and retro shirts, but the excitement is still there!).

This summer has represented a sea change for the Ducks with starting quarterback (and arguably best returning offensive player) Jeremy Masoli being dismissed from the team. However, if you ask just about anyone, they will tell you that it was essentially addition by subtraction as knuckle-headed athletes are about as popular in Portland as mosquitoes after the Jail Blazer days.

The main feeling is one of guarded optimism. The Pac 10 is ripe for the picking, and the Ducks are in the catbird seat.

Despite the loss of Masoli, this team returns a ton of talent on both sides of the ball.

Offense

On offense, LaMichael James is going to be the key to the Ducks attack. Last year he was the unquestioned winner in the aftermath of the LaGarrette Blount fiasco, emerging as a true home run threat. Some have compared the speedy back with Jahvid Best, and he can have that same type of impact for Oregon. The key for him, like Best, is being able to stay on the field. Small backs tend to have issues with staying healthy, and James runs this same type of risk.

At quarterback, there is a nice battle emerging in practice with the cagey veteran Nate Costa fighting off the athletic sophomore Darron Thomas. Chances are, both quarterbacks will see time this season as both have obvious strengths and weaknesses.

Costa has a good arm and has a good grasp on the offense despite having very limited game time experience. The smart money would point to him starting the season out as the starter, playing a game-manager type of role, not unlike Kyle Orton with the Denver Broncos.

Thomas, however, is the real wild card at the QB spot. He does not have the same arm strength as Costa, but he has arguably more speed than even Masoli and could cause defenses head aches if he can master the spread. Look for Thomas to receive some snaps towards the end of quarters to give the Oregon offense an added dimension of speed from the QB spot and keep the defense guessing.

It would not be outside of the realm of possibilities that Thomas could beat out Costa by mid-season if not sooner if the team struggles even a little bit.

Both quarterbacks will be aided by three returning wide receivers, led by Jeff Maehl. By having three veteran receivers that have experience in the offense (the other two being D.J. Davis and Lavasier Turner), they will take pressure off both quarterbacks with their poise and route running ability.

David Paulson also returns, giving the quarterbacks an added safety valve in the offense, to add to his underrated blocking ability.

Speaking of blocking, one of the best omens for success for this team is the fact that they are returning their entire starting offensive line. Let me repeat that, they are returning their entire offensive line. This means more open holes for James and less mis-communication on passing downs. This bodes very well for a team that will have a very inexperienced signal caller behind center.

Defense

On the other side of the ball, last year's squad that got to the quarterback with regularity (13th in the nation in sacks with 36) returns plenty of starters as well including defensive end Kenny Rowe and defensive tackle Brandon Bair.

Behind them, Casey Matthews anchors a experienced and gritty linebacker corps that should continue to gobble up the run even with Eddie Pleasant being moved to safety.

The secondary now has an enforcer in Pleasant that should give opposing wide receivers the occasional bout of alligator arms. Joining him will be a corner back crew that should include of combination of Talmadge Jackson, Cliff Harris, and Scott Grady as well as Javes Lewis. The other safety will be returning starter John Boyett who led the team in tackles a year ago.

The only real weakness on this team could be the corner backs as they gave up a number of touchdown passes last year and will need to bounce back as a unit. They will obviously be aided by the strength of the defensive line, but they will need to step up their game if this team is going to challenge for a title.

Bottom Line

When you look at this schedule, it is easy to see why there is such optimism in Duck Nation.

The first three games of the season should be easy victories. New Mexico and Portland State are nice tuneup games that flank a battle with a ransacked Tennessee Volunteers squad.

Arizona State opens up the Pac 10 schedule hosting the Ducks, and it could be a blood bath in Sun Devil Stadium. The combination of a new spread offense with a veteran Oregon defense could be a recipe for disaster for Arizona State and should lead to a 4-0 start for the Ducks heading into a match up with Stanford.

The first game that should offer a bit of trouble for the Ducks will be the fifth game of the season against Andrew Luck and the talented Stanford Cardinal. Luck is one of three high profile quarterbacks that Oregon has to face this year, and these will be the toughest games on their schedule as it could potentially exploit their corner backs. However, the Ducks will be aided by home field advantage in this game and should have enough weapons to top the Cardinal.

After a cupcake Washington State squad hosts the Ducks for what should be their sixth win of the season, Oregon reaches the meat of their schedule.

UCLA is an improved team with coach Rick Neuheisel, but they should prove no match for Oregon in their first of back to back nationally televised night games.

The second of said games will be a bit tougher as the Ducks visit USC and their talented young quarterback Matt Barkley. Ultimately the Oregon offense should win this game, but it will be a tough test. However, USC is in a down year, and Oregon should take advantage of their situation.

Next will come arguably the most talented quarterback in the nation in Jake Locker and the Washington Huskies. If Oregon were on the road, I would say this would be the likeliest spot for their undefeated season to come to an end. But in Oregon, I just don't see Washington pulling it out.

Next comes Cal and Arizona and while both teams have some talent on offense, Oregon should have enough in the tank to overcome both squads.

That brings us to the Civil War in Corvallis against the Oregon State Beavers. While anything can certainly happen during this game, I think it will be the Beavers that finally put an end to the Ducks magical season. There is an outside chance that both teams will be undefeated, however, I think there is a strong chance that Oregon State loses the week before in Stanford, leaving them seething before the rivalry game at home. Between that and the Rodgers boys, this could get ugly.

Overall, an 11-1 season would be an excellent season for the Ducks, but with so many seniors and talented juniors, this might be somewhat disappointing for the Oregon faithful. This team is built to win now, and anything but a Pac 10 title and a national title game might leave a bitter taste in the average fan's mouth.

The bottom line is that the Ducks are in a perfect position to succeed this year. The Pac 10 is weak, USC is rebuilding and the only tough teams on Oregon's schedule are coming to Eugene (besides the OSU game). Oregon has a chance to win it all, but they are going to have to hope for some luck in the Civil War.