Joshua Whitted

Love the input from everyone in this thread. There are so many factors that could determine the outcome of this game; turnovers are definitely going to be a big one. I apologize for not responding to each comment directly, and for this being a little light from a research standpoint. I'm still getting back in the swing of writing articles again after some time off, but I'm so excited to get this season kicked off and contribute another round of articles this season!

To answer my own question, I'd argue the BYU game is up there with the Utah game in terms of importance. The Utah game is big, as another loss, especially in a blowout, would really be a bad look for a program that should be in contention for a conference title. The BYU game is important for the course of the season. Going 1-2 to start would be a rough way to get Lanning's debut season kicked off, and the Cougars are definitely going to be a tough out.

One of the biggest travesties in recent college football history is how badly Cristobal and Arroyo stifled Herbert...

I agree that this staff, at least very early on, appears to be very genuine in how they plan to approach both sides of the ball. We're going to be aggressive, for better or worse, and I believe that's the best approach.

Very good points, and I'm a huge fan of the increased tempo. More plays per game means more chances to score!

This is a TERRIFIC graphic and it really does a great job of illustrating how our offense has regressed in recent years (look at that 7.5 ypp in 2013!) thank you for sharing it; this is gold.

Very true, but at this point, getting the offense to return to what it once was would take significant improvement. I do agree; the offense that we saw in the spring game will be an improvement if that's what the actual product looks like.

I am hoping and praying you are right!

I think point No. 2 is the most important one. We need a passing attack to take the next step forward on offense.

Welcome SoGaDawg, always love hearing from the opposing fan bases. I'm with you on the opening game; UGA's just in another tier as far as talent right now. You guys, Bama, and Ohio State are on your own level. But the good thing for us (the Ducks) is that we get you early. If you were breaking in a new QB, I'd say there's at least a 30% chance we could pull of the upset. As things stand now, I'd be very shocked if we win, but wouldn't be surprised to see us keep it within a couple of possessions.

Well I think we're probably pretty close to agreeing with each other on this actually. I don't think Oregon's very far from a championship run, and I think the recent recruiting uptick has been encouraging. I also don't think Oregon was going to fall into the Pac-12 gutter, just in the heart of a very crowded Pac-12 middle tier.

Great input, especially appreciate the perspective from an opposing fan base.

This is a very good, measured approach. I am high on Lanning, but we absolutely don't know for sure how he's going to be as a head coach. I am cautiously optimistic as well, but we'll obviously have to see how he does before we call it a homerun hire.

The combo of Lanning as a schemer and Tosh as a recruiter is really a gamechanger. (Lanning's an ace recruiter himself, too.) Their combination is easily the biggest reason why I believe we are going to get back to being a consistent CFP participant down the road.

Very, very awesome story, and I assume that's exactly what he was talking about. Maybe not exactly 5 years, but the point is it does take time to develop a championship culture.

Well the big problem is I think most people assume progress is linear (i.e. we won 10 games last year so this year we'll win 11 or more), but that isn't always the case. Lanning may be an upgrade (as Smart was over Richt), and we could still struggle to accumulate at first, just because that's the nature of the business.

Man, I'm about to fire up some Byron Marshall highlights right now. That guy was a blast! I agree he was more of a running back than a receiver.

Yes this new offensive staff suits him much better!

Yeah I agree that it's a very fine line. I'd like to see McGee get SOME touches at RB, but nothing too extreme. Just a wrinkle here and there.

I do think you bring up a good point about expectations needing to be tempered a bit. It's just hard because most teams that undergo a rebuild are retooling their rosters. Ours, conversely, is pretty well-tooled, which makes things even more interesting.

I would love to see us get back to blowing out lesser opponents. We should be rolling through teams like WSU and Stanford. QB will be a big factor in that one way or another, as you stated.

I was with you on winning the North, until today's news broke!

Playoffs are bold, but 10 wins is certainly doable.

I would LOVE to win the Pac-12, but personally, I'd be satisfied with at least making it to the title game.

This is a good counterpoint for sure. It's all risk/reward.