Midway through the 2021 football season and with the NHL season already underway, there are plenty of opportunities for bettors to wager on. In college football, fans can expect an expanded playoff, with Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson ahead of the rest as the overwhelming favorites to reach the playoffs and also win everything. As such, any team that manages to meet these three might be a long shot to advance. That brings us to Oregon, one of the top six teams looking for the fourth playoff spot.
Coming off to a Rose Bowl win and a Pac-12 title, it seems that making a playoff appearance is the next logical step for the Oregon Ducks. However, Mario Cristobal and his men will need to set their standards higher than being the second-rate title contenders under the shadow of college football giants.
A non-traditional power player like the Ducks can reach the top like Clemson has proven and the team is on its way there. But what do the Ducks need to close the gap between college football elites and them?
What Piece is Oregon Missing?
There is no single formula to build a national power. However, there are similarities in the recent championship giants. Almost every championship winner has had consistent recruitment of top-level players, elite quarterback play, and excellent coaching. That can be said about the best three teams in college football at the moment.
Following their upset over the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 2, the Ducks quickly rose on top of the lists as the favorites to reach the college football playoffs this year. Oregon exploited the Ohio State defense to achieve a 35-38 victory led to the outstanding performance from CJ Verdell and the three touchdowns he recorded.
With the Ducks being among the best squads in college football, the media and fans are predicting that the franchise has a pretty solid chance in the postseason. According to former quarterback Joey Harrington, Oregon doesn’t have a lot of pressure in the remaining games. However, they’ll need to run the table to get a good chance of making it in the College Football Playoffs.
Pac-12 football analyst Yogi Roth had a far much different feeling on this matter. Roth believes that it’s irresponsible to assume that Oregon needs to run the table to reach the playoffs since their victory over the Buckeyes seems like the best win this season by the team. The college football analyst further added that he doesn’t know how the organizing committee will look at Ohio State, Oklahoma, and teams that normally get a pass and whether these powerhouse colleges are looking better than the single-loss Oregon team.
According to Roth, Oregon is in an excellent position and they’re playing at a level where their football standards are at the moment. Oregon has delivered what fans have expected them to offer in the first seven weeks this season and even if they’ve stumbled once, they have what’s necessary to be a playoff team.
How the Ducks Compare to Other Teams in Different Categories
Christobal undoubtedly raised Eugene’s recruiting bar, bringing in top-15 recruiting classes and fans expected the current 2021 class to be his best yet. Oregon has accumulated more talent than ever before, which is a key step towards joining the elite ranks. That means Ohio State, Clemson and Alabama might be all that separates the Bucks from achieving this feat.
When it comes to coaching, the Ducks have had several moves recently and that should move things in their favor this year. The team brought in Andy Avalos after upgrading Cristobal as the defensive coordinator, helping to develop a diverse and aggressive 3-3-5 defense. This move paid instant dividends, as the Ducks needed its best defense this season considering their performance in 2019.
There are mixed reviews on the offense compared to the Marcus Arroyo era, but the Ducks already brought in former Mississippi coach and Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead to open their offense. However, fans are yet to see how they move payoff by 7th November when the Oregon Ducks will start their season. Fortunately, all signs indicate that Oregon fans have clamored for more creativity in their rushing offense led by Moorhead since Arroyo assumed the offensive coordinator position.
The Ducks have also remained strong on the quarterback play since Marcus Mariota left, although their game hasn’t been spectacular enough to compensate for other deficiencies they have shown in the past. For the first time since 2016, the team is now relying on a fresh full-time starting quarterback that remains the biggest unknown in the team’s Championship-winning equation.
Bottom Line
Although the Oregon Ducks took a bit of a tumble after their OT loss against Stanford, they have a solid chance of being on the list of the top 10 teams for the playoffs. The Ducks also boast a 30% chance of winning the Pac-12 and their latest chance to lift the trophy in Indianapolis remains at 2%.
