Oregon Football: Game-by-game predictions for September 2021

We are just a few days away from the kickoff of Oregon football’s 2021 season and fans could not be more excited.

The Ducks open the season as one of the top teams in college football and many believe that they could represent the Pac-12 as playoff contenders. Oregon has enough talent to three-peat as the conference champion — it was the last program in the Pac-12 to three-peat about a decade ago under Chip Kelly.

Oregon looks like it could have a special season with everything set up nicely for a run. A strong offense, potentially elite defense, and the perfect mixture of veterans and freshmen. Could the Ducks run the table in 2021?

How will the Ducks fare to open the season in the month of September?

Earlier in my full game-by-game predictions for the 2021 season, I had Oregon beating Fresno State handily, holding the Bulldogs under 20 points and approaching 50 on its own.

But after watching Fresno State’s defense shut out Connecticut to begin the season while scoring over 40, I think it’s safe to say the Bulldogs will be slightly better than expected.

Does that mean I’m expecting an upset here to begin the season? Absolutely not, but I do think that Fresno State is going to be more of a threat in the Mountain West this season than previously expected because of the returning experience and more polished roster.

Oregon will pick up a big win here as the defense takes some lumps throughout.

Final Score: Fresno State 24, Oregon 41 (1-0)