Dan Lanning is going to hate me for saying this.
Oregon is not only a team that can win it all, but it also reminds me a lot of the Michigan and Ohio State teams that won the national championship in each of the last two years.
Everyone knows Oregon’s great, and the Ducks generally get their flowers from those of us in the media. However, it feels like no one is acknowledging that Oregon is a legitimate national championship contender.
That became evident to me as I began to prep to call Oregon’s game against Northwestern this weekend (Saturday, noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). As I watched Oregon film from its first two wins of the season (59-13 vs. Montana State, 69-3 vs. Oklahoma State), it became obvious very early to me that it’s built exactly how you would build a team to win the national championship. This is a better version of the Oregon team last season, which won the Big Ten and was the only team to enter the postseason undefeated.
Oregon is built with power on both sides of the line of scrimmage. It’s got speed on the outside. But the difference is at quarterback. Dante Moore could be better than the quarterbacks Lanning’s had at Oregon the last few years.
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I loved Bo Nix at Oregon. Dillon Gabriel was great in his one season at Eugene. Moore, though, has a higher ceiling than those guys. Moore also transferred to Oregon last season, sitting behind Gabriel as he now understands the offense under coordinator Will Stein to the point that the Ducks are doing things with Moore that they weren’t able to do with his predecessor.
So, what Oregon is doing now on offense is closer to what we saw as Nix’s time at Oregon progressed. Yet, and this isn’t a knock on Nix, Moore has more talent than he does, which is saying something because Nix was a first-round pick that took the Denver Broncos to the playoffs as a rookie. Moore’s arm talent jumps off the tape, giving him a higher ceiling than Nix.
What I really love about Oregon, though, is how it’s built defensively. If you’ve followed my analysis over the offseason and preseason, you’d know I’m big on blueprints, experience and a defense that can be top three in yards and scoring. In order to have a defense like that, you need to have a unique combination of power in the middle to stop the run, ferocity along the edge to rush the quarterback, speed on the second level to be hybrid and enough in the back end where you can be multiple in your coverage.
Are the Oregon Ducks a national championship caliber team?
Georgia, Michigan and Ohio State each had that on defense in their title-winning seasons — and Oregon might have it, too. The Ducks have eight guys who can rotate throughout the defensive line, specifically four who can rotate on the defensive interior. All four of those guys are massive as well. A’Mauri Washington is 6-foot-3, 330 pounds. Tionne Gray is 6-6, 336 pounds. Terrance Green is 6-5, 330 pounds. Bear Alexander is the smallest of the bunch, only standing at 6-3, 302 pounds.
Good luck running the ball against Oregon. And good luck passing on the Ducks, too. I really like their pass rushers and defensive back Dillon Thieneman, who transferred from Purdue after two strong seasons there.
As for Oregon’s offensive line, it’s the best offensive line I’ve seen on film so far this season. It rebuilt the offensive line with three transfers this offseason, getting Isaiah World from Nevada to start at left tackle, Emmanuel Pregnog from USC to start at left guard and Alex Harkey from Texas State to start at right tackle.
Oregon might win it all, and it feels like no one is talking about the Ducks. With all due respect to Ohio State, Texas, Miami (Fla.), LSU, Penn State, Georgia and other title contenders, Oregon is the best team I’ve watched on film this season.
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.
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