It was announced last week that the first appearance for Oregon Football on ESPN College Gameday will be on August 31st, their opening game vs Auburn.
For me, this means one thing. The Oregon Ducks have an opportunity. An opportunity to do some rewriting under Quarterback Justin Herbert and a chance to have a season that starts the right way, firing on all cylinders from the start of the season, which honestly has not happened for Oregon the way it should have in their recent past. In other words, Offensive Coordinator Marcus Arroyo needs to be prepared. Michael Dyer has graduated from Auburn so that can’t be used as an excuse.
Having ESPN College Gameday means that both Oregon Football along with Auburn are expected to be ranked high to open the season. The winner of the game will have a big advantage for the rest of the season while the losing team can still build momentum to make it into the College Football Playoff. An Oregon loss likely means more eyes on the Ducks and potentially more night games this season. Drama has always played out better in Primetime when it comes to College Football.
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- Oregon Ducks must get run game going against Hawaii
- 8 Pac-12 teams represented in Associated Press Top 25 after Week 2
The game marks the 25th time that College Gameday has included Oregon Football. The ‘Gameday Treatment’ will help Oregon this season as a whole. Players and Coaches tend to get more exposure in the National Spotlight and this season it will shine bright on not just Oregon and Head Coach Mario Cristobal, but on games at Autzen Stadium as well.
In his second season as Head Coach, Cristobal has recruited some of the best talent in the country and has a Quarterback in Justin Herbert who will likely be one of the top picks in the NFL Draft next year. We may even see John Elway again at Autzen Stadium this season.
Oregon vs Auburn is a little over a month away. The Ducks and Tigers meet on Saturday, August 31st in the Advocare Classic. The 4:30 pm Kickoff will be on ABC.