A frenzy of Oregon injury rumors and dire predictions requires some common sense

What Kirk Herbstreit or Pat McAfee says about a game doesn't make a single block or tackle.

Oregon plays No. 20 Iowa today at Kinnick Stadium at 12:30 p.m. PT on CBS. Reports are swirling about possible injuries. The pundit class is tripping over itself predicting an Iowa upset.

It's November. Every contending team in college football is dealing with injuries. Every team has dings and nicks. Two of the great strengths of this Oregon team are depth and versatility. The Ducks won the White Out game at Penn State with touchdown passes to Gary Bryant and a tunnel screen to running back Dierre Hill, lined up at wide receiver, a power run for a TD by Jordon Davison.

At running back the Ducks have Hill, the explosive speedster, senior Noah Whittington, Jordon Davison and big backs Dink Riggs and Jay Harris. That's a wealth of options for a cold weather game.

At wide receiver, the Ducks can employ Bryant, 10.4 speedster Malik Benson, who has eight catches this year of over 20 yards, three of over 30 yards, and redshirt freshman Jeremiah McClellan, who grabbed a 35-yard completion against Rutgers, and receptions of 20 and 18 yards in the monsoon versus Wisconsin.

At game time Dan Lanning and Will Stein will be focused on the weapons they have and winning the game that's in front of them. Predictions don't shake up playoff hopes. That's absurd. It's game day. The scoreboard is what matters, executing and playing with focused effor