The Pac-12 Conference is set for its inaugural year with the additions of Colorado and Utah, but the media has placed a familiar face on top of the preseason rankings. Oregon received 29 of 42 first place votes to win a third consecutive conference championship.
It's been a painful offseason for the Ducks, falling just short of the school's first national championship, dropping a 22-19 contest to Auburn in the BCS National Championship game. The players were still able to take some comfort from its efforts in becoming the first team to post a 9-0 mark in the conference's history.
A steady progression in Eugene led to last year's success, going from seven wins in 2006 to a school-record 12 victories. Oregon dominated opponents by outscoring them by an incredible 611-243 margin.
Head coach Chip Kelly returns for a third season and will have rumors swirling around him all season long for possible recruiting violations. The NCAA has already started an investigation and heads may roll at season's end.
Quarterback Darron Thomas returns off a stellar campaign that saw him throw for 2,881 yards and 30 touchdowns. Insiders are expected a possible drop off from those numbers with the key departure of all-conference wideout Jeff Maehl.
The running game is always a key player in the team's offensive attack, led by Heisman Trophy candidate LaMichael James. The junior led the nation in rushing last year and reached pay dirt 21 times. He was instrumental in helping the team post 47 points a game in just 27:54 of possession.
Oregon's defense is always going to be overshadowed, but it represented itself well by giving up just 4.7 yards per play last year, which was the 11th-best mark in the nation. That type of performance will be hard to come by in losing three starters on a ferocious defensive front.
It's always a challenge for defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti to have fresh players on the field due to an offense that scores in such an explosive fashion.
The schedule opens up in a big way this season in playing the LSU Tigers out of the Southeastern Conference at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. If the team happens to drop that contest, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out.
With an emotional loss in last year's championship game coupled with possible NCAA sanctions, a national title contender could fall off the map with a loss in the Lone Star State.
Lines makers will also make a major adjustment on this squad, as no spread was high enough for Oregon in the early going last year, including a 54-point spread in hosting Portland State.=