Athlon Sports: Oregon Football Again Ranked Inside Top 25 Entering 2018
The Oregon Ducks will begin the 2018 season on solid footing according to Athlon Sports.
Following a season of change, the Ducks lost to Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Entering 2018 Quarterback Justin Herbert returns healthy to lead the team on Offense. The Defense has some experienced veterans in Troy Dye and Jalen Jelks.
Athlon Sports again has the Oregon Ducks inside the Top 25, similar to last season. The Ducks open the season ranked 23rd. Oregon has three teams ahead of them with USC at 21, Stanford at 18 and Washington opening the season inside the Top 10 at 8.
The Ducks will face both the Cardinal and the Huskies this season. The games with both teams will be at Autzen Stadium. The anticipation of facing Washington with a more experienced Justin Herbert is already starting to build in June.
The Oregon Ducks are predicted to finish third in the Pac-12 with Stanford and Washington edging out the Ducks in the North Division. Justin Herbert is a Comeback Player of the Year Candidate following an injury last season. Aside from the Huskies, fans will also be anticipating the matchup with the UCLA Bruins, who enter the season ranked 60th according to Athlon Sports.
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Chip Kelly will return to the sidelines at Autzen Stadium, but this time as a Visitor as he looks to rebuild a young UCLA Bruins team back into a contender.
The Oregon Defense will continue to improve under Jim Leavitt. Last season the Ducks held opponents to 29 points per game. In 2017 that number was over 40 points per game.
The Offense will look to Transfer Tabari Hines at Wide Receiver as Freshman CJ Verdell will look to enter the lineup along with Tony Brooks James at the Running Back position.
The Ducks host Stanford to open Pac-12 play on Saturday, September 22nd. Oregon hosts Washington on Saturday, October 13th and host UCLA on Saturday, November 3rd. Game times have not yet been announced.
Oregon Football opens the 2018 season hosting Bowling Green on Saturday, September 1st (5 pm Pacific Time, Pac-12 Network)