A lot of people thought that the 2014 college football season would be special for the Oregon Ducks. In many ways, it was, as they had the Heisman Trophy winner in Marcus Mariota and they qualified for the playoffs. After making quick work of Florida State, they ultimately fell to Ohio State in the championship. After some disappointment and a number of departures, how will the Ducks look this year?
The biggest loss for Oregon is of course Mariota. Replacing him is not going to be an easy task, but right now they seem to be counting on Vernon Adams to take his place. The problem? He isn’t cleared just yet. He still needs to finish up his undergraduate degree at Eastern Washington before officially becoming a graduate transfer student at Oregon. Expectations are still high for Adams, but that technicality is holding things up a bit. They need him on the field and practicing, especially since he is new to the team.
Experience might be lacking at quarterback, but Adams (or another quarterback) will have plenty of veterans to throw the ball to. Royce Freeman is the top weapon on offense returning, and he is going to do a lot is damage on the ground. Byron Marshall, Bralon Addison and Charles Nelson all have high expectations for 2015, so it will be interesting to see just how much of a drop off Oregon will have on offense.
Defense is something that has always haunted Oregon a little bit. People who are not fans of the program like to point at the lack of defense as the major reason why this team is still in hunt of a national championship. They will be counting on DeForest Buckner to lead up front, with Reggie Daniels and Chris Seisay in charge of the secondary. One newcomer who could be huge for them on defense this year is Canton Kaumatule. The coaching staff likes the way he played during spring ball, and he could have a very productive college career at his current rate.
Oregon could really go anywhere from undefeated to just above .500. The schedule is pretty tough, as there are about five quality opponents waiting for them. Right now, fans seem to be focusing on little things like fantasy football team names 2015. However, unlike a lot of top schools, Oregon will be going up against a very good Michigan State team on the road at the beginning of the year. They do not have the opportunity to ease into the season. It will be weird to see them without Mariota leading the way, but the talent is there for a Pac-12 championship and a playoff berth.
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