No. 19 Louisville | No. 21 Oklahoma State | Top 25
No. 20: Oregon
Last Season: 9-4 (7-2 Pac-12 North)
Oregon's problem is defense. The Ducks have some of the best skill players in the country in my third-ranked running backs and my fifth-ranked receivers. But last year the defense allowed 485.3 yards per game, and new defensive coordinator Brady Hoke won't be able to transform the unit overnight. With five toss-up games -- Nebraska, Washington State, Washington, Stanford and Utah -- the Ducks might struggle to extend their nine-year streak of at least eight wins per season. For the first time since 2011, the Ducks are not favored to win the Pac-12.
Oregon's chances to win each game
09.03 vs. UC Davis: 99.4%
09.10 vs. Virginia: 86.2%
09.17 @ Nebraska: 38.7%
09.24 vs. Colorado: 80.7%
10.01 @ Washington State: 48.5%
10.08 vs. Washington: 42.8%
10.21 @ Cal: 58.0%
10.29 vs. Arizona State: 76.5%
11.05 @ USC: 22.2%
11.12 vs. Stanford: 53.8%
11.19 @ Utah: 50.5%
11.26 @ Oregon State: 79.0%
Royce Freeman could lead the country in rushing, but the Ducks have a lot to prove if they still want to be considered a national power. Still, they're good enough to go 8-4 with only mediocre quarterback play. -- Kyle Bonagura
Last season the Ducks failed to win 10 games for the first time since 2007. But with as much offensive firepower as any team in the country and a new-look defense under Brady Hoke, 10-2 is certainly attainable. -- Kevin Gemmell
The Ducks are the envy of all coaches with the running back stable they have, but questions at quarterback and a brand new scheme on defense mean another non-10-win season (8-4). -- Chantel Jennings
If the Ducks enjoy quality quarterback play, they'll be legitimate conference title contenders. If they don't, they'll stumble again - just like they did when Vernon Adams, Jr. was injured last year. New defensive coordinator Brady Hoke can be expected to bring improvement to that side of the ball, so expect Oregon to finish 9-3 in a logjam atop the Pac-12 North. -- David Lombardi
The Ducks have a lot of questions -- quarterback, defense, etc. -- but it might be premature to count out a program that has ranked among the nation's elite for over a decade, particularly when the skill position players surrounding the new QB will be among the nation's best. A 9-3 record seems like a modest prediction. --Ted Miller
No. 19 Louisville | No. 21 Oklahoma State | Top 25
