Yes, believe it or not there are other teams besides USC roaming the vastness of the Pac 10 landscape. And yes, crazy as it sounds, said teams could even contend for the conference title. Who knew? Today we look at Oregon, a team that won with big offense last year before injuries devastated a legit BCS bowl run.
| WHY THEY'LL WIN |
 Not the way you would normally expect when you think Oregon. While the offense will be OK, the Ducks will get it done with defense this year. And it could potentially be one of the best defenses in recent Oregon history once all is said and done. Everything starts up front with Nick Reed, the returning Pac 10 leader in sacks (12) and tackles for loss (22 1/2) last year. At 6-2, 255, Reed doesn't have the prototype size at defensive end. There are linebackers in the conference who are as big, if not bigger than Reed. But you can't measure heart, and Reed has as much as any player you will see this year. Reed leaves it all on the field at the end of the day, a relentless presence on the edge who must be accounted for on every snap. But as great as Reed has been, well, the defensive backs are right there for star-power. Three all-conference candidates patrol the secondary, led by strong safety/rover Patrick Chung. Chung does pretty much everything, racking up 117 tackles (7.5 for loss), tops among all returners in the conference. After flirting with leaving early for the NFL in January, Chung withdrew from draft consideration and is set to have a huge senior year. But the corners are stacked, with Jairus Byrd at one spot and Walter Thurmond III manning the other. Byrd had a conference-high seven interceptions in 2007, while Thurmond was perhaps the best all-around corner in the conference, logging an impressive 103 tackles, five INT's and a team-high 18 pass-breakups. Simply put, Oregon's secondary is right with USC as the best in the conference, and possibly one of the best units in the nation. |
