Coming off a 4-8 season there is a lot of recruiting buzz surrounding Oregon Football, but will it make a difference for the upcoming season?
Head Coach Willie Taggart has built his Coaching Staff from the ground up, which brings some additional intrigue for the 2017 Oregon Football Team. How well they do out of the gate will likely be a key factor in if the National Media will pay attention to Oregon.
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Other teams have been looking for the spotlight in the Pac-12 in recent seasons. Last year it was Washington and UCLA that took it from an Oregon team having a down year, the first in a long time costing Mark Helfrich his job.
With the talent that the Oregon Ducks have on the roster, they will be competitive. There are a few household names on the roster with Royce Freeman and youth on the Defense led by Troy Dye. Quarterback Justin Herbert is a Eugene/Springfield name that may get some National Attention in 2017, depending on where Oregon is after the first month of the season.
The one advantage for Oregon is the ‘Taggart Factor’. Fans and the media will look in on Oregon to see what the first year head coach has put together. If the team is doing well, the focus and spotlight will become brighter, especially in key games this season that includes Cal at home with Head Coach Justin Wilcox and facing Washington on the road looking for redemption from last season’s dismantling,
Fans on Facebook recently spoke about Taggart and his first season. Of course, there is always the ‘National Championship or Bust’ crowd, but realistically many believe the team will be around the .500 mark, which would get them a Bowl Game. Athlon Sports pegs the Ducks for the Holiday Bowl. Some fans even went as far as a 2 win season being successful, if those wins are against Oregon State and Washingon.
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Team Chemistry and Momentum will be factors in the upcoming season. If the Offensive Line can get a consistent push off the line, the Offense has a chance to be pretty good. The Defense is where my concern lies. With the team shifting back to the 3-4, personnel are more at a premium and injuries will play a role in Jim Leavitt’s first season at Oregon.