2009 Oregon Football Season Preview

New head coach Chip Kelly will lead the Ducks into the 2009 season, hopefully picking up where Mike Bellotti left off. I honestly thought Bellotti would give it one more season, in a final attempt to lead the Ducks to the “Promised Land”. At least with Kelly taking charge there won’t be the transition phase that there would have been if the Ducks hired from outside the program. And who am I to say Kelly won’t lead the Ducks to new heights in his first year! Here are my off the cuff predictions at how the Ducks will do this season (yes I understand it is far too early…but none the less, here are my picks).

9/03 @ Boise State (L) – The national media will stay up late to see this classic. Oregon looks to make amends for last years thrashing in the Autzen Zoo, but Chris Petersen and the Bronco crazies will be to much for the Ducks to handle in this early season contest.

9/12 Purdue (W) – Purdue wasn’t much to write home to Mom about last season, and this season could be even worse with the departures of quarterback Curtis Painter and head coach Joe Tiller. Oregon squeaked out a victory at Purdue last season, but they should continue their Big 10 dominance with a thrashing of the Boilermakers at Autzen this year.

9/19 Utah (W) – The defending Sugar Bowl Champions visit Eugene for the first time since 2005. Utah won’t be nearly as impressive this year, but they still pose a formidable threat to the Ducks. Look for the Ducks to break this open in the 4^th, giving Utah their first loss of the season.

9/26 California (W) – Oregon continues their current home stand, hosting the Bears for the second time in three years. Oregon has lost the last three contests to the Bears, and Jeff Tedford will certainly have his team ready to play against his former employer. I look for Best to exploit the Ducks “green” defensive line, running for over 150 yards. With that being said, TJ Ward will get enough licks in on Kevin Reilly to throw off the Bears passing game, as the Ducks squeak by for their third straight victory.

10/3 Washington State (W) – I expect the Cougars to once again be the cellar dweller of the Pac 10, and possibly the nation. This game deserves no further comment (even from a very, very, very amateur writer like me)

10/10 @ UCLA (W) – With UCLA still in the rebuilding mode, I think this game could be a joke. UCLA played the Ducks close in Autzen last year, but Masoli was only a shell of the player he was yet to become. Will this rivalry lose it’s intensity with Bellotti vs. Slick Rick no longer a main storyline? I think not, as the Ducks do a number on the rebuilding Bruins!

10/24 @ Washington (W) – Oregon has not lost to Washington since the 2003 season, but only one of those wins has come in Seattle (2007 Storm Trooper attack). I like the intensity “The Shark” brings to a depleted fan base, but intensity won’t win you many games with the current talent on that roster.

10/31 USC (W) – This will likely be a match up of top 10 teams, and a Rose Bowl bid may well be on the line. To say USC is vulnerable would be an overstatement, but the Trojans will be breaking in many new faces that have never experienced the Autzen crowd (on Halloween at that). I just hope I have the energy to make it into the stadium that Saturday, because I know sleep will not come easy for me on the eve of this epic battle.

11/7 @ Stanford (W) – Oregon must avoid a letdown, after the previous weeks win over Troy. This game scares me to death, because I expect Stanford to be one of the more improved teams in the PAC this year. I see Oregon fighting from behind all game, but squeaking out the victory late in the fourth.

11/14 Arizona State (W) - A bye week would sure be nice right about now! Dennis Erickson looks to beat the Ducks for the first time since joining ASU. After what the Ducks did to the Devils down in Tempe last year, I see no reason why they shouldn’t win this game. This game won’t have the national “Game Day” hype of the 2007 match up, but it will have BCS implications for at least one team.

11/21 @ Arizona (L) – Playing for the 5^th time in 5 weeks won’t bode well for the Ducks as they enter Tucson. It’s likely that Arizona will be playing for a bowl bid, and they have had the Ducks number of late (winning two of the last three games, and ruining Oregon’s championship dreams in 2007). Oregon will be handed their first Pac 10 loss, and have a much needed bye week to prep for the Civil War.

12/3 Oregon State (W) – The Ducks look to end the trend of the away team winning the Civil War each of the last two years. While the loss to Arizona will have taken the Ducks out of the national title mix, there is still plenty to play for, in the form of a Rose Bowl bid. Masoli had his way with a veteran Beaver defense last year, and with a young secondary, the outcome could be even worse for Beaver Nation this year…if that’s even possible. Oregon wins back to back Civil War’s, and is headed to sunny Pasadena to break in the New Year.