Hosting Stanford, at 3-0 Cal (with the Bears coming off a bye), Oregon's bye, UW at Autzen, at 3-0 Washington State (the Cougs coming off a bye).
Right there is the heart of the season and the most imposing part of the challenge for this young Oregon team.
They have to transition from cupcakes, where they could experiment and substitute freely and play situational football, where they could make a series of glaring errors and suffer complete breakdowns in certain areas of the game and still win comfortably; to a 5-week grind that will determine the floor and ceiling of their season.
This is a tough challenge. Each of these matchups is imposing in its own way. Four different styles of football. The four opponents that have given the Ducks the most trouble over the last 20 years.
It's always tough to go on the road, particularly early in the year with a team that hasn't gelled yet.
In addition to the fact that these opponents are a combined 12-0 right now. Cal's win over BYU looks particularly impressive, given that BYU followed it up with a win over #8 Wisconsin.
I'm not entirely sure what the Ducks have got this year. We knew wins over Bowling Green, Portland State and San Jose State would be both automatic and inconclusive.
How do you see this playing out?
Right there is the heart of the season and the most imposing part of the challenge for this young Oregon team.
They have to transition from cupcakes, where they could experiment and substitute freely and play situational football, where they could make a series of glaring errors and suffer complete breakdowns in certain areas of the game and still win comfortably; to a 5-week grind that will determine the floor and ceiling of their season.
This is a tough challenge. Each of these matchups is imposing in its own way. Four different styles of football. The four opponents that have given the Ducks the most trouble over the last 20 years.
It's always tough to go on the road, particularly early in the year with a team that hasn't gelled yet.
In addition to the fact that these opponents are a combined 12-0 right now. Cal's win over BYU looks particularly impressive, given that BYU followed it up with a win over #8 Wisconsin.
I'm not entirely sure what the Ducks have got this year. We knew wins over Bowling Green, Portland State and San Jose State would be both automatic and inconclusive.
How do you see this playing out?
