Three Most Intriguing Games for Oregon Football

We are in the absolute “dog days of Summer” waiting for actual football. Not gonna lie, I find myself missing college football more and more as the seasons seem to go faster and faster.

And I am THOROUGHLY excited for this upcoming season. Yes because Oregon is a contender but also because of the new B1G and playoff schedule. New teams, new scheduling, new venues. It’s going to be a ton of fun.

Everyone has October 12 circled. I don’t need to hype up that game any more than it already is. Oregon and Ohio State is taking shape as one of the biggest games of this football season. So you won’t find it on this list.

Instead I’m going with three games that I think are most intriguing this year as we head into Fall. Here they are in no specific order.

Sept. 28: Oregon vs UCLA

No Chip Kelly and the irony is Oregon will start B1G play with a familiar opponent. However it will be under a new head coach with a revamped roster. Now let’s be real, Oregon is going to be a double digit favorite in this one. I easily could have gone with Oregon State here, which is also interesting being played in September. But with this one being conference play, I think the stakes are bigger here and the Bruins are more talented than the Beavers.

It will be paramount to see Oregon start conference play 1-0 with a big win. This is also Oregon’s first real road game of the year, outside of the state of Oregon that is.

Nov. 2 Oregon vs Michigan

Oregon finally makes it back to Ann Arbor since the 39-7 slaughtering in 2007. I know Duck fans recall that one clearly while I think Michigan fans have tried to wipe it from the memory banks. This to me is Oregon’s real first B1G road game that is a difference-maker. This place can house 100,000 and I expect it will be packed. Early November will bring cooler temps and we have no idea what a Sherrone Moore-led team will look like.

I think Oregon will win this one big too as I’m not sold on this Michigan team. But we’ll see how the change in travel impacts this game.

Nov. 30 Washington vs Oregon

It just now dawned on me that every game I picked has a first year head coach. I’m sure that was part of my thinking. But what has this game as a no-brainer to me is the change in scheduling. Making it Oregon’s true rivalry, as most fans have viewed it for some time now. As we know, no matter who is head coach, Lanning would love to get this win. It’s narrowly escaped him the last two seasons and not to mention, this is Oregon’s last game of the season and a win and style points will matter. Who will finish their turkey on Thursday and head to Seattle on Saturday?

If there are two games Lanning is personally psyched up for, it’s this one and Ohio State.