Oregon is entering a new era in its program’s history by joining the Big Ten, and many were wondering how the Ducks would do in year one of their new conference.
The Big Ten is known for playing smash-mouth football, playing defense, and running the ball, which is very different from the PAC-12. Oregon was going to need an adjustment period, but the Ducks found themselves with issues before conference play even started.
Oregon opened its season with a close win against Idaho 24-14, which wasn’t great, but you can make some excuses by saying the first game of the season, the new quarterback, new offensive lineman, and new playmakers, so getting off to a slow start was going to happen. But Week Two came against Boise State, and nothing got better.
The Ducks only beat the Broncos by three, winning 37-34, and the score isn’t the main issue with this game; it’s how the offense and defense have looked against nonpower teams the first two weeks.
The offensive line can’t block anyone, and Dillon Gabriel was sacked four times on Saturday. The running game has been okay, and the defense shouldn’t give up 34 points at home to Boise State.
It’s been only two weeks, but Oregon’s season seems to be over, and they have way too many issues they won’t be able to fix in the next three months.
Oregon’s 2024 Season Is Over
Many picked Oregon to win the national championship, but they might not even finish in the top three in their conference.
The Ducks still have to play Ohio State, which is at home, so they might be able to catch a break, but they still have to go on the road and play Michigan and Wisconsin, which have great home-field advantages and awesome defenses.
Oregon is not winning the Big Ten, and they could end up in the playoffs, but they will get bounced early.
The Ducks are lucky they don’t have to play USC, Penn State, Nebraska or Iowa this season because they would most likely lose two out of those four games.
Oregon’s offensive line isn’t going to be able to handle the defensive line of Ohio State and Michigan, and if they lose both of those games and win every other game, they shouldn’t make the playoffs.
That would mean Oregon would lose the two biggest games on its schedule, and it would probably not have any ranked wins because, at the moment, no other teams besides Ohio State and Michigan are ranked on its schedule.
The Ducks don’t have time to figure out their problems since they have to adjust to a new conference, and the season doesn’t look like it will be one to remember.
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