It is nice we have a small section in a national article, although it is devoted more to who they think can dethrone Our Beloved Ducks for the Pac-12 Title.  I am not buying it--are you?

Top College Football Storylines to Watch During 2021 Spring Practices by Bleacher Report

 

Definitely don't like the tone of the article but I do have concern that we may not win the Pac12 in 2021. After losing to the Beavs and Bears last year it's hard to be real confident in what comes next.

If we play to the talent level on the team and with the coaches--yes, I believe we can win again.  But the decisions made will determine how well the team plays, and this last year--your observation was quite true.  Thus to me--it is all unknown.  But I am spinning it in my mind that it is all "part of the drama and entertainment" of which is true.

 

Great article, which highlighted the amount of variables in play throughout college football. Alabama loses a tremendous amount of players so it is really anybody's to win this year. 

 

The Heisman race could actually be the subplot for who is the best in college football. Somebody is going to have to lead their team to a championship that isn't a complete frontrunner at the start of the season. I would say DJ has the best chance to win, but it is anyone's trophy, and any programs opportunity to create the next great college football player.

 

Might that program be Oregon, who knows!

Interesting in the write up about Ohio State and who starts at QB, Coach Day had his concerns and it sounds similar to our concerns at Oregon.

A couple of things I take issue with in the article are that USC was the bestPac-12 team during the season,  USC was the LUCKIEST, not necessarily the best, and Washington was NOT deprived of the North title due to Covid issues. The issues prevented them playing their  lone road game of the season, at Oregon, and which if they had played, and Oregon won, Oregon would have been the North champion.

 

Can another team win the North? Yes, it has happened, and could happen in 2021. But I don't see a more reasonable team to pick as the winner of the North than Oregon in 2021. 

9 hours ago, 30Duck said:

Washington was NOT deprived of the North title due to Covid issues. The issues prevented them playing their  lone road game of the season, at Oregon, and which if they had played, and Oregon won, Oregon would have been the North champion.

I agree and I have grown weary of shouting at my computer screen as every single news site seems to cry how Washington was robbed. 

If I just look at the section about the PAC-12, I'd call it a "fluff" article which is aimed to make make many fan bases happy and stir up interest about the league. Well geeze, there are so many teams that were a game away from winning last year, it's wide open!

 

Obviously there is not much serious analysis there!

 

However, I think there is more than a grain of truth to the fact that it's not a done deal, and hopefully the Ducks keep that in mind and in their motivation. From what I see, it's been over a decade at this point since a team ran the table in the PAC-12.

 

You snooze on an opponent, you lose, etc. etc. I don't care about the national opinion or recruiting rankings, I think that is still very much true. and is a good thing for the league.

12 hours ago, FishIceCream said:

From what I see, it's been over a decade at this point since a team ran the table in the PAC-12.

 

 Yes. In 2010-11, the Ducks did go 9-0 in conference games, but it was still the Pac-10, no team has gone 9-0 in the Pac-12.