The Oregon Ducks are one of the most unpredictable teams in all of college football this season. There are so many questions surrounding the team, and the answers to those questions will determine whether the Ducks are a darkhorse playoff contender or a Sun Bowl participant? I pulled Mr. FishDuck from the Vegas Odds College Football site, and he agreed about what an enigma the Ducks are going into the 2022 season.
Assuming Bo Nix wins the starting job, how much of an upgrade will he be over Anthony Brown? Will the new offense be significantly more productive than the previous one, if at all? Will Oregon’s defense see a notable improvement in year one of Dan Lanning‘s system? And perhaps most importantly, will Dan Lanning prove to be as good or even better than Mario Cristobal?
If the quarterback, offense, defense and coaching all improve for a team that won 10 games and the Pac-12 North last season, the expectation has to be that, at worst the Ducks will be playing for a Pac-12 title once again, and possibly even a playoff berth.
Bo Nix will be a better QB with all his experience?
An upgraded version of the 2021 squad would likely roll through every opponent on this year’s schedule outside of Georgia and Utah, and that Utah game would theoretically be much closer to a toss up than last year’s outings.
But is it realistic to expect all of these areas of the team to be better in Lanning’s first year? Probably not, and that means a goal of double-digit wins might also be a bit far fetched. Perhaps the goal should simply be winning what should be a relatively weak North division and building off of that in year two. Is that setting the bar too low, or is even that too tall an ask?
What do you think? Share on “the forum with decorum” what a successful 2022 season for Oregon will look like in your eyes?
Joshua Whitted
Morgantown, West Virginia
Top Photo from Gary Breedlove
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Joshua is an adopted Duck fanatic, originally hailing from southwestern Pennsylvania. His love for the University of Oregon began as a young child when he became mesmerized by the flashy uniforms and explosive offenses of the Chip Kelly era, and now, he follows the team religiously. His fondest memory of the team is seeing De’Anthony Thomas race past Wisconsin defenders back in the 2012 Rose Bowl. A true football enthusiast, Joshua loves studying the intricacies of the game, and he aspires to become a professional sports journalist. Joshua now resides in Morgantown, West Virginia where he works in customer service. When he’s not watching Oregon replays, Joshua loves reading, writing, and spending time with his family. Contact: whittedjd@gmail.com