Pac-12 Football: Five burning questions for 2015
Jul 31, 2015; Burbank, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks linebacker Rodney Hardrick (left), coach Mark Helfrich (center) and running back Royce Freeman at Pac-12 Media Day at Warner Bros. Studios. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
5. Can Oregon Repeat As Conference Champions?
Before the start of the 2014 season, it looked like it would the year of the Duck. A relatively easy schedule, a veteran Heisman trophy candidate quarterback, and a talented, deep roster gave the feeling that this was finally the year that Oregon could make it back to the college football national championship game.
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The Ducks did just that, riding Marcus Mariota and an early win over the Michigan State Spartans through the entire season en-route to the College Football Playoff. While the season ended in defeat to the champion Ohio State Buckeyes, it was still a great season that proved that the Ducks were still championship contenders. However, with the departure of Mariota for the NFL, there is some question about whether Oregon can successfully defend its conference title.
Mariota was a Heisman trophy winner, and by all accounts he is exceeding expectations so far in his brief career as quarterback of the Tennessee Titans. In his latest preseason game, Mariota went 7-11 for 99 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also had three runs for 22 yards in the game. While NFL preseason does not mean much, Mariota has been steady, and has outplayed the other leading 2014 Heisman candidate, Jameis Winston. When great quarterbacks leave a program for the NFL, the team generally regresses. Look at other programs to have future NFL quarterbacks leave.
In 2004, now NFL star Aaron Rodgers led the Cal Golden Bears to a 10-1 record and a share of the conference title. After he departed for the professional ranks, the program plummeted to an 8-4 record. When Carson Palmer was quarterback of the USC Trojans in 2004, he led them to an undefeated record, while since his departure the team has still not gone undefeated in any year. Jake Plummer lead the Arizona State Sun Devils to the Rose Bowl in 1996, but after he left the program the team has not won a Pac-12(or Pac-10) title.
So it is easy to assume that this is Oregon, and the Ducks will be fine, but the track record of programs losing an NFL caliber quarterback is not good. The Ducks did pick up a quality replacement in Eastern Washington transfer Vernon Adams, but is he really as good as Mariota? No one knows yet, which is why this is looming as one of the biggest questions in the conference.
Next: Was Last Year A Fluke, Or Is Arizona Building A Perennial Contender?