Oregon Football: Preseason game-by-game predictions for 2017 season
By Zach Bigalke
Washington earned their way into the College Football Playoff last season. Chris Petersen’s crew is hungry to win the Pac-12 for a second straight year. The goal is a return to the playoff, and Oregon would love nothing more than to ruin their rival’s dreams.
The Huskies have most of the key players from their prolific offense back in 2017. Jake Browning is back at quarterback, Myles Gaskin and Lavon Coleman return at running back, and the Huskies return the most experience in the Pac-12. The defense will need to rebuild somewhat after losing a few key contributors to the pros, but Washington remains a national contender.
In that context, this is a great measuring-stick game for the Ducks in Taggart’s first season. Last year Oregon lost to the Huskies for the first time in 13 years. The 70-21 blowout at Autzen Stadium was a clear indication of the gulf between the two teams.
Oregon will probably do a bit better job containing the Huskies offense this time around. They will also probably score a bit more frequently against Washington’s rebuilt defense. But there is still a clear disparity between these two rivals that remains on the UW side of the ledger. There will be no upset this season for the Ducks.
FINAL: Washington 48, Oregon 28 (6-4)