Last season Oregon was 4-1 on the road and their lone road loss was their season finale facing rival Oregon State. However, OSU was the only legit team they faced on the road with the four wins facing teams that all ended the season under .500 in Pac 12 play. This season while the Ducks are hosting USC and Oregon State, they’ve yet to hit the road this year to face Washington and Utah, who are both ranked in the top 15.
If you are looking for the best odds for sports betting then look no further than The Game Day. Unlike last season when Oregon was trounced by eventual national champion Georgia, the Ducks aren’t playing a killer schedule before conference play. However, they may be tested in their second game with a road contest against Texas Tech, which won eight games last season and may be a sleeper team in the Big 12. That road game will be big and if they play well and win, they’ll have confidence with their two huge road games mentioned above.
While the offense, overall, should be dynamic for the Ducks with Bo Nix returning and some good skill players, the offensive line is still an unproven/unknown area on the team. This is especially the case facing Texas Tech, who led the Big 12 in sacks this last season.
Oregon has four new starters on the offensive line and even though the Red Raiders lost star edge rusher Tyree Wilson, who was taken in the first round of the NFL draft, the pass rush is still legit. The unit is led by a couple of fifth year seniors in Jaylon Hutchings and Tony Bradford Jr., who last season combined for seven sacks and 82 tackles.
The Red Raiders have the skill players to create issues for Oregon. (Photo by Texas Tech Twitter X Account)
Defense Will Be Tested as Well
After the Ducks were trounced in the season opener last season losing to Georgia 49-3, their defense became better. However, they still gave up at least 30 points in five games. The team hit the transfer portal hard to improve on that side of the ball. Overall, the defense will be tested by a Texas Tech offense that ranked second in the Big 12 last season in yards per game (461.4) and points per game (34.2).
Red Raiders QB Tyler Shough is back under center to lead a team that ranked 12th in the nation last season in passing yards per game. On top of that the Ducks’ pass rush will be facing a Tech offensive line that had issues last season because of injury, but the line is now healthy and they picked up a solid transfer in Rusty Staats from Western Kentucky.
One for the Road
Last season Oregon faced two top 12 teams before Pac 12 play in Georgia, and then BYU, who the Ducks beat. This season they face none. However, last season, none of the three games before conference play were on the road, and this season they only have one in Texas Tech. However, that game is huge to get the Ducks ready for two killer road games this season at Utah and Washington.
This will be a superb test for the Ducks who have high goals for the 2023 campaign; on to the Red Raiders!
OregonReigns
Lakeside, Oregon
Top Photo from Texas Tech Twitter X Account
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OregonReigns is an occasional contributor to FishDuck and loves his Ducks!