Oregon football is right around the corner, folks. It’s time to truly start getting excited about the upcoming season and the lofty expectations.
The Ducks bring back one of the most talented teams in all of college football and fresh off their second straight Pac-12 title, you can bet that 2021 will be “national title or bust” for Mario Cristobal and Co.
Representing the Pac-12 in the playoff won’t be easy and it hasn’t been done since Washington did it about five years ago, but the Ducks have what it takes. But they’ll need to inflict pain on some opponents to earn the committee’s respect and votes.
Which 2021 opponents may the Ducks just blow out and leave no doubt in the outcome from the get-go?
I really wanted to only include one non-conference game here, so while I think the Ducks also beat Fresno State big, I think they will take down Stony Brook by a far wider margin.
Stony Brook wasn’t exactly one of the best teams in the FCS in a shortened 2020 season and that’s exactly why I think the Ducks will handle the Seawolves with essentially no issues. Plus, it’s not the first game of the season so Oregon’s offense will be rolling at this point without small hiccups like we might see against Fresno State.
The Seawolves were 1-3 last season with a close loss to Villanova to start the year before falling to Delaware and Maine by at least 16 points. They ended the season with a win over Albany but 2020 was one to forget for Stony Brook.
I expect a lot of the same in 2021 and Oregon is going to make them think twice about scheduling a top-tier FBS team in the near future.