ESPN identifies best, worst case scenarios for Oregon in 2023
Oregon is one of those teams out west that has big-time aspirations in 2023. Even so, are the Ducks good enough to win the race in the Pac-12, and maybe more? Or are they destined to only be just another one of the better teams in the league this fall?
ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti examined the best and worst-case scenarios for Oregon’s upcoming campaign in an article last week. Based on the program’s personnel, head coach, and lineup of their schedule, he doesn’t see many reasons to think that the Ducks can’t win the Pac-12 in their final year in the league and make their second-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.
“The Ducks have the quarterback to do it, they have the talent and depth to do it. And, if Dan Lanning’s hire was any indication, they should have the defense to do it too,” wrote Uggetti. “Their toughest games (Utah, USC, Washington, and Oregon State) are all interrupted by a game that, on paper, should be easier for the Ducks. There’s no absolutely brutal stretch to their schedule.”
“The Ducks have just as good a chance (as USC) to win the conference in what will also be their final year in the Pac-12,” Uggetti stated.
Still, while they went 10-3 in Lanning’s first year in Eugene, there’s clearly a way where they could come short. The caliber of player that they have leads Uggetti to believe that they could likely reach double-digit wins again. It’s just that, in a top-heavy conference, execution on both sides of the ball when it matters most could keep them out of the Pac-12 Championship and, therefore, the playoff race.
“The Ducks’ talent makes their floor pretty high,” Uggetti wrote. “Matching last year’s win total of 10 should be more than doable. It’s hard to see them dropping lower than nine wins.”
“Missing the Pac-12 championship would make the season a disappointment. But if the Ducks don’t tighten things up on both sides of the ball, especially late in games? That’s a definite possibility once again this year,” concluded Uggetti.
Oregon is a Top-15 team in the nation coming into the season for a reason. They have several of the ingredients needed to make a contender out of themselves this year. The only question now is if they’ll put it together in time to earn a berth to Las Vegas in their last Pac-12 run and, potentially, a berth to the playoff in the final year of the four-team field.