Oregon Ducks Football Still a National Championship Contender: Prediction

With the first four weeks of NCAA college football behind us, many analysts are plotting the final placements of the bowl games. Right now, Oregon rThey are ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll and No. 7 in the Coaches Poll. While Oregon’s performance thus far has been mixed, their undefeated record speaks for itself.

One of the best things for Oregon, in analysts’ eyes, is Performance against Oregon State in Corvallis more than a week ago. Dillon Gabriel showed a strong running game, the offensive line found an effective rotation to give Gabriel more time in the pocket and open up the running game, and the defense showed a strong ability to sniff out routes and passes, especially in the second half.

Now, with an off week to recharge, recover and regroup, the Ducks are expected to make a strong statement at Rose Bowl Stadium against the UCLA Bruins, who are currently 1-2. UCLA is currently at the bottom of the league Big Ten Conference They’ve been struggling alongside Purdue and under new coach DeShaun Foster, and their recent loss to LSU showed Oregon has plenty to exploit.

With the Ducks gaining momentum, ESPN writers Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach have put forth their predictions for which teams will play in which championship games this year.

Bonagura predicted the Ducks would advance to Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs, with the Ducks seeded ninth and facing eighth-seeded Ole Miss. Schlabach disagreed with Bonagura’s ranking of Oregon, arguing that Penn State would receive the ninth seed, but acknowledged that Ole Miss would remain in eighth place.

Schlabach had the Ducks ranked 10th with a matchup against seventh-ranked Alabama. In this matchup in his third playoff game, Schlabach had Penn State at number 10 and Tennessee at number seven.

Neither writer predicted Oregon would win their first playoff game. Instead, Schlabach predicted Alabama would beat the Ducks and then lose to second-seeded Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Bonagura predicted Ole Miss would get the “W” against Oregon and lose to the number one-seeded Texas Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl.

Bonagura predicted Alabama and Texas would take the National Championship, while Schlabach predicted Ohio State and Georgia would compete for the trophy.

So what does this mean for Oregon? With Oregon’s questionable performances against Idaho and Boise State, many are worried that the team will fall short of expectations. National Championship expectations they achieved during the offseason.

Oregon has a chance to change analysts’ minds Big Ten game is in effect. Despite being projected to beat UCLA, Oregon’s biggest statement will come on October 12, when the Ducks, currently unbeaten and ranked third in the AP Poll, Ohio State at Autzen StadiumThis is Oregon’s biggest challenge this season, and if the Ducks play well or even pull off a win, it’s safe to say the media gurus will have different opinions when it comes to the 12-team playoff standings.

There are so many seasons to playBut it’s good to know where the national conversation is and how the Ducks still have a claim in the playoff draft.