12/18/10
If Oregon can win the BCS National Championship Game versus Auburn a good many prognostications this off-season are going to place the Ducks in the No. 1 position heading into 2011. This is based on three reasons. First and foremost is head coach Chip Kelly and his crazy fast-paced offense. Second is quarterback Darron Thomas with his 3,010 yards of total offense and ability to run this read option spread attack. Third is LaMichael James, a finalist for the Heisman, coming back for his third season as the starting speedster at tailback. But as coach Kelly has stated, Oregon had almost everyone returning from last year except at quarterback and tight end. That won't be the case for next season, especially on defense where six full-time starters registering over 70 starts between them are history. Defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti will have his hands full trying to rebuild the front seven on defense. This staff has proven quickly however they can be masters at replacing the old with the new while just plugging them into a system that works. No doubt, the O on the Oregon helmet stands for offense and this is where next season's squad will continue to make a living. This is quite a testament to the program and where it stands when a team can still go through a reloading phase to some degree and still manage to rank this high. The opener in Arlington, TX against LSU is going to be a highlight opener between two Top 5 teams.