Oregon football looks to be in a very good spot. A step back from recent success under Mario Cristobal was expected this season as he departed for Miami and was replaced by Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning, but quite the opposite has been true thus far.
There are currently four schools with a realistic shot of making the Pac-12 conference game in Las Vegas: The aforementioned Oregon Ducks, the USC Trojans led by Lincoln Riley, the UCLA Bruins led by Chip Kelly and Kyle Whittingham's reigning conference champion Utah Utes. All four have played like they can go out and win the conference, but with games between these four already taking place, there's cause to believe in one school above all others.
After a blowout loss to Georgia in Week 1, the Ducks have been perfect. Here are three more reasons you can expect to see them hoist the Pac-12 trophy in 2022.
3. Dogged Ducks defense
Lost in the glitz and glamor of Oregon's offensive efficiency has been its surprisingly effective defense. It's not the most stout unit in the conference by any means, but the Ducks' defense is opportunistic and comes up big in big moments, like for wins against ranked opponents BYU and UCLA.
Sure, the right offense could probably put up points on this defense, as shown by Georgia, but Oregon more often than not does enough to win games. The Ducks' defense will only get better under a mastermind like Lanning, too. If they can continue to keep their offense on the field, and maybe improve a bit in the turnover game, there aren't many teams in the country that could put up big numbers on Oregon.
2. Bo Nix's Heisman rise
It's taken until his final year of NCAA eligibility, but Bo Nix is finally a Heisman contender.
Throwing for 1,809 yards, 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions to this point, Nix has found a groove in the Oregon offense that he was never able to find at Auburn. He's only thrown one interception since Week 1, and all 17 of his scoring passes have come since then as well. It's been great to see a player we all knew had potential finally realize it.
Add in eight rushing scores, and you've got a recipe for an invite to college football's biggest suit-and-tie affair in New York City come December. If he can maintain this form while the Ducks keep winning, Nix may legitimately have a shot to win the Heisman Trophy, following in the footsteps of 2015 winner Marcus Mariota.
1. Oregon's favorable schedule
Oregon's remaining schedule is very favorable for its chances of making the conference championship, with only one game left against a team that's currently ranked. That game is against Utah, which is always tough, but at least it is in Eugene, giving the Ducks a key advantage.
Should they be able to navigate their final three games against Washington, Utah and Oregon State, they will no doubt reach the conference title game. Oregon's other remaining opponents, Cal and Colorado, are both, to say the least, not very good at this whole football thing. If this team wants to make good on its College Football Playoff aspirations, the Dunks need to win out and take home the conference title, too.
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