The Quack Attack is the going away media favorite to win the PAC-12 Football Championship this season, and to claim a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff. Last season ended on an uptick, with a dramatic victory over rival Oregon State in the Civil War to close out the regular season, followed by a trouncing of Texas in the Alamo Bowl in what would be Mack Brown’s final game as Head Coach of the Longhorns.
This season’s schedule is relatively favorable, contributing to the Ducks’ having been chosen as the LWOS pick to win the PAC-12 in 2014, and to go on to claim one of the four playoff spots.
This piece will analyze the first six games of the Ducks’ 2014 season. A companion discussion of games 7-12 will be published in the coming days.
Oregon Ducks Schedule Analysis
August 30 – SOUTH DAKOTA, 7:30 p.m. PT, PAC-12 Networks
The Ducks open with a scrimmage against the poor Coyotes, who will be punching well above their weight class in this one. This is a pick-your-score, get that Blur Offense engine running affair, which will do little for Marcus Mariota’s Heisman hopes, since he is unlikely to play after halftime in this contest.
Prediction: Oregon 70, South Dakota 3
Record: 1-0
September 6 – MICHIGAN STATE, 3:30 p.m. PT, Fox
This is more like it. This game would be better suited as a January 1st National Semifinal matchup in Pasadena, but starving college football fans get this feast during the season’s second week. It will be speed versus brawn in this clash of very talented teams, and this game will have National Championship implications. This will be a close game, but the difference will be the boisterous partisan crowd in Autzen Stadium.
Prediction: Oregon 38, Michigan State 28
Record: 2-0
September 13 – WYOMING COWBOYS, 11:00 a.m. PT, PAC-12 Networks
Week 3, and it’s back to scrimmageville for the Ducks. Wyoming hasn’t been horrible in its conference in recent seasons, but come on. The Ducks may be a bit flat early following the battle from the previous week, but not that flat.
Prediction: Oregon 48, Wyoming 17
Record: 3-0
September 20 — @Washington State, Pullman, WA, Time and TV Coverage TBD
The Ducks travel to the Palouse to take on the Cougs in their first road game of the season. There is optimism in Pullman this fall, and the Cougars are expected to be better this year, in Mike Leach’s third season. And, they will be. Not this much better, though.
Prediction: Oregon 56, Washington State 21
Record: 4-0 (1-0 in PAC-12)
October 2 – ARIZONA, 7:30 p.m. PT, ESPN
Revenge game number one for the Ducks sees Rich Rod’s Wildcats visit Eugene under the Thursday night lights at Autzen. The ‘Cats played their game of the season against Oregon in Tucson last year, catching Mariota not yet completely healthy, and the rest of his teammates a bit low on energy. No way will that happen again in 2014, at home.
Prediction: Oregon 48, Arizona 30
Record: 5-0 (2-0 in PAC-12)
October 11 — @UCLA, Pasadena, CA, Time and TV Coverage TBD
This will be a flex game for television, and a very likely ESPN College GameDay destination at the Rose Bowl. Expect both teams to be undefeated at this point, playing what may amount to a Heisman Trophy elimination game for the respective quarterbacks. Don’t bet on it being an elimination game for the PAC-12 title, and don’t rule out a potential rematch at Levi’s Stadium for the conference crown and a berth in the playoff. Both teams will be really good and really sharp. Home field will be the difference in this one.
Prediction: UCLA 35, Oregon 31
Record: 5-1 (2-1 in PAC-12)
The PAC-12 will be a battle at the top of the conference in 2014, and the Oregon Ducks will be in the thick of things throughout the season. Please be on the lookout for the analysis of Oregon’s games 7-12.
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