Staff Roundtable: Who’s the Sleeper Team on Oregon’s Schedule?
By Brian Spaen
This week, we are loaded with four big preseason questions: who the best player in the Pac-12 is, which new head coach will have the most success, how important the preseason polls are, and a sleeper team that Oregon should take note of this season.
Lastly, our staff picks what teams that Oregon should be aware of outside of USC, who’s largely accepted as the Pac-12 favorite to win the conference. We choose to watch out for Stanford, Washington, and…Washington State??
Who are Oregon’s sleeper teams to watch out for this season?
Mike: Washington. Put me on the Sark bandwagon and I like Keith Price’s movement. Having seen UDub in person last year and bringing in a new defensive coordinator should help. My concern is the schedule; they open with San Diego State and at LSU then open Pac-12 play with Stanford, at Oregon and Southern Cal in three straight weeks, also they’ll be playing at Century Link Field while Husky Stadium is being renovated.
Ricky: Washington. If you look at it the Ducks schedule is very manageable. The only reason I say Washington is because Oregon is not playing the two other teams I think will be even more of a sleeper (UCLA and Utah). I say if Oregon can get past USC…then the national title will be well in reach, but I’d love to see a Pac-12 rematch…USC-Oregon for the Pac-12 Conference Championship.
Raymond: Stanford. I know its going to be hard to replace guys like Andrew Luck, Colby Fleener and some linemen, but Stanford had the fifth-ranked recruiting class in 2012 and they should see the talent replenish. It all comes down to the quarterback Josh Nunes and the defense.
Brian: Call me a little out of the box, but I’m picking Washington State as the team to pay close attention to. Washington and Stanford are both at home. The Ducks get lucky not having to tackle a very good Utah team. What scares me about the Cougars is their already-established passing attack combined with their pass-happy new head coach, Mike Leach. Oregon’s defense will be thoroughly tested.
Each week, the staff at Autzen Zoo will react on the previous day’s games in Pac-12 football and other news that happens in the conference. Our current staff includes lead editor Brian Spaen, along with staff writers Mike Vamosi, Raymond Mencke, Jr., and Ricky Widmer.