Our Oregon football program scored 45 points in a win over Penn State this weekend, dominating the B1G Championship and vaulting themselves to a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. The next time you see them, they’ll be playing in the Rose Bowl—matched up with Tennessee or Ohio State on January 1st.
After a 13-0 start, it’s hard not to be overconfident in the Ducks, especially after knocking off the three biggest brands in the Big Ten after just one season. But regardless: Oregon will have to respect every opponent down the stretch. Today, we’ll take a quick look at who stands in the way of Oregon, and who presents the biggest threat to their undefeated season on the way to their first national title.
Doesn’t this game feel like a lifetime ago? – Photo via Tom Corno
My Pick: The Georgia Bulldogs
Oregon remains the only undefeated team left in college football, and that means that every team they’ll be playing has had a loss or two they’ve looked fallible in. Of those teams, I think the Georgia Bulldogs are all that really stand in Oregon’s way.
Georgia has had some awful performances and also some huge wins. Playing an almost Kingslayer-type role this season, the Bulldogs are an intense, tough, and well-prepared program capable of taking down any opponent in the right circumstances.
If Carson Beck can go, Kirby Smart brings his A-game, and Oregon starts slow, then the Ducks would definitely be in trouble. Playing Georgia in the first place assumes that the Bulldogs win out on their schedule, and play Oregon in the National Championship. The Ducks will have to handle their business too, dominating their side of the bracket against a familiar B1G foe, and a supercharged SEC team. It’s a hard path for both, but I believe the Ducks will dominate Ohio State if they do end up facing them again. Texas has looked beatable all season, and Oregon should be able to pull a win out against them, too.
So in my eyes, it really just comes down to the Bulldogs in the National Championship. The Bulldogs rushing attack is where they might give Oregon problems, as the Ducks gave up nearly 300 yards on the ground against Penn State. Luckily, Dan Lanning has a few weeks to clean that up, and while it’s far from a foregone conclusion, the Bulldogs just seem the best equipped to go the distance when Beck’s playing his best and their defense is playing stingy. What a scene it would be for Lanning to get to faceoff again with his old mentor again, their first meeting since his season opener with Bo Nix on the road in a game the Ducks would love to forget. This time around, I see a much different result coming to fruition, and Lanning hoisting Oregon’s first National Championship trophy.
Anyway, enough from me, Oregon fans. Who do you see as the biggest threat to Oregon’s undefeated season? What were your thoughts on the Penn State game, and how good does it feel to rule the Big Ten in Oregon’s inaugural season with the conference? Let us know in the FishDuck Forum with decorum.
Go Ducks!
Alex Heining
Los Angeles, California
Top Photo by: Eric Becker
Alex Heining is an Oregon alumni from the graduate class of 2021. After studying sports business and media studies, he has moved into the field of digital marketing as a copywriter and content manager in the Los Angeles area. Still, he loves his Ducks and goes to local high school games all over the Los Angeles and Orange County area to check out new recruits of the future (and a SoFi game or two with the pros). On any given Saturday, expect to find him doing martial arts, playing the guitar, or screaming at the tv over a missed holding penalty.