Nervous posted:

So to try and be more realistic about Oregon this year, let's look at things again.

Best case: Ducks have another marquee stunner to open the season on the road (neutral game my rear end). They build on this momentum through the regular season, sweeping through the rest of their OOC and conference slate before getting revenge against Utah. They finish regular season 12-0, favored going into the conference championship and a real shot at a CFB berth.

Worst case: Ducks get blasted by Georgia, drop a random game against an inferior team per Pac 12 style, and get embarrassed by Utah for the third game in a row. 9-3 but still probably with a berth in the Pac 12 championship game as the rest of the Pac 12 North looks worse than the Ducks this year. They then get embarrassed by Utah for the fourth (gently caress) game in a row, go to a decent bowl game, and get embarrassed in that as well to finish 9-5.

Likely case: 10-2 or 11-1. Ducks are loaded with talent, will be favored in every game that isn't against Georgia or Utah, and the Pac 12 North should be theirs for the taking. More than anything, this season hinges on the outcome of the Utah game on 11/19. Even with an opening loss against Georgia, as long as they looked respectable in that matchup and took care of business the rest of the way, they should be able to make a NY6 bowl or better. If they drop the game against Utah, they still get another shot in the Pac 12 CCG to make a NY6 bowl.