Oregon football scheduled to open league play with #Pac12AfterDark vs. Arizona

Following Oregon football’s win over Ohio State on Saturday, this season is starting to feel a little different than seasons past. It was a game where key players on defense were not available, quarterback Anthony Brown showed his experience in big-game situations, and the offensive line looked solid.

Now, Oregon is just under two weeks from its Pac-12 opener and hosts Stony Brook University from New York on Saturday. The kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. PT with the Seawolves. I expect several starters will see limited time and we will see some new faces on the field. Will quarterback Ty Thompson be one of them?

The Pac-12 now has a main contender for the season in Oregon and on Monday it was announced that the Ducks will open the Pac-12 season against Arizona on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN. Looking at where the Arizona Wildcats sit currently, they’re at the bottom looking up.

Arizona is a program, well, trying to find an identity — to put it nicely. The Wildcats have started the season 0-2 in the non-conference, losing to both BYU and San Diego State. They will face Northern Arizona this weekend.

In the game against San Diego State, a 38-14 loss, one article went as far as to say the best thing the team did the whole game was to punt. Yikes. Not only was the loss bad, but the team had just two security gates open and fans had long wait times just to get in and watch the team lose.

Offensively, Gunner Cruz got the start at quarterback. He finished the game 10-for-19 for 70 yards. Under Cruz, the team had 11 drives in the game and came away with a single touchdown. Yet, ESPN wants to showcase this in primetime in less than two weeks against Oregon.

Oregon football hosts Stony Brook on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PT and will host Arizona on Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.