A Look Back

To begin we will take a look back at the pre-season prediction I wrote up about the ducks in August. Then we will continue with a quick snapshot of each game that has passed and where the team stands now.

August 25th 2012

Football season is finally among us! There is no better way to kick off the season than to take a look forward and make some mostly uneducated guesses about the season. So let's get right to it.

2012 Oregon Preview

It starts and ends at Quarterback, where red-shirt freshman Marcus Mariota was just yesterday named starter over sophomore Bryan Bennett. After seeing Mariota's high school tape and hearing many of the players quietly rave about his talent, this did not surprise me in the slightest. Many sports analysts felt the same and Kirk Herbstreit went as far as to name Mariota in his pre-season awards before being officially named starter. Chip Kelly has proven that he will put the players that give his team the best chance to win on the field, shown by choosing Darron Thomas over Nate Costa and proven again by choosing Mariota here. Some feel that Darron Thomas actually left early because he saw two talented young QB's when he looked over his shoulder. I feel that although this was surely not the only reason to leave early, it most certainly was a factor in his decision.

I feel like I'm the only person who realizes that the #1 rusher in all of Oregon history just left. Yes, Barner is certainly capable but he is prone to injury and he is not #21. That's not a knock on him specifically as very few backs nationwide could compare to LMJ, but you can't pretend the running game will be as good as it was last year. It will however be more than good enough to keep the offense moving right along in the PAC-12 race this year, especially if Mariota can develop what looks like a monster arm. Oh, and then there is De'Anthony Thomas. I expect serious arguments this year over the human highlight reel and just where he should be on the All American roster. "Do we put him at receiver, or running back, or special teams" will be a very real conundrum for many voters.

So lets get down to it. How will the Ducks do? This year is PERFECT for a new starting quarterback. A few pillow-soft games early on to get him in rhythm and a series of very winnable conference games where he can face and overcome some adversity. In my mind only Washington stands any chance to blemish an easy 8-0 start for the ducks. Price had that offense clicking pretty darn well last year, but many people will be surprised by the hole left by Polk. He never really got the recognition he deserved, mostly from always being overshadowed by our own very special running back. Getting the Huskies at Autzen, I expect the Ducks to win a tough game in front of a roaring home crowd.

USC. I am one of just a few people who aren't quite drinking the USC kool-aid. Let's take a look at last year. A hard fought loss to a good Stanford team. An impressive win over Oregon. A whipping by Arizona State. This team played in 2 marquee games and they were a toss up. When you begin to examine the injuries on the Oregon defense you begin to understand that if USC had played Oregon again they likely would have been throttled by a healthy roster. So what does that mean for this year? Our secondary led by the superstar John Boyett will be healthy and ready to devour USC and their pass happy offense. Adding Silas Redd however balances their team considerably. I believe that IF USC beats Oregon (and it appears to me that they would be the only team to do so) that they will not be able to do it twice, and they will almost certainly have to face them twice because of the Pac-12 championship game. Chip Kelly adjusts better than almost any coach in the country and the depth on the USC team may be a big issue by December.

The Quack-Down picks Oregon to go 12-1 in the season including the Pac-12 Championship Game. Here's hoping that if they do lose to USC, that its in the first match-up with the revenge win in December.