College Football Matrix: Justin Herbert Could Lead Oregon Football Back To Relevance
As the 2018 College Football season is quickly approaching, we had the chance to speak with Dave Bartoo from College Football Matrix about Oregon Football and Justin Herbert’s Heisman chances.
Bartoo and I agree that while he will be in the running, the Oregon Junior Quarterback is at a disadvantage as far as National Attention from the start of the season. It will likely require the team to step up around him and the playcalling to be better than it was last season. 2017 saw a great start by Oregon Football with a 6-1 start before Herbert went down for six weeks with an injury. Oregon will have to make a Rose Bowl or better run.
According to Bartoo, the Heisman Trophy is not an award that Herbert earns on his own. While his ability is not being questioned, the person who is calling the plays is, “(Quarterbacks do best when) the play caller scores a B- or better. Art Briles and Scott Frost. Dan Mullen. These guys are great play callers. Arroyo – we have him down as three years of play calling. If those three years are right, he’s one of the worst coordinators in College Football. Outside of Norm Chow(when he had Reggie Bush) no one has won (the Heisman).”
On the other hand, it could be in the arm of Justin Herbert, “Herbert has been in command, he is a cool customer. I think he’s fabulous. There is something about him that screams ‘it’…and he made Willie Taggart look good. As long as he is healthy, I think he is in the conversation. I have no faith in Arroyo as a play caller.”
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If there is a season where Oregon should find success, it is 2018. An easier than easy non-conference slate to start the year could lead to big things for Oregon Football this season and Bartoo even includes a Christmas reference, “ They have the easiest schedule they have ever had. This is a playoff schedule. It is gift wrapped at the North Pole. It still smells like elves it’s so pretty.”
When it comes to the early season schedule being somewhat cupcake-ish for Oregon Football and other teams around the nation, Bartoo believes teams will be tested during the meat of the schedule and have the chance to improve over easier opponents, “Easier early season schedule, the better off you are in the long run. You can build confidence, you can play more teams and you’re not as hurt entering your tough half of the schedule during the first half of November and December.”
Oregon Football opens Fall Camp in less than two weeks. The Ducks open 2018 hosting Bowling Green on Saturday, September 1st. (5:30 pm PT, Pac-12 Network)