Oregon lost the Las Vegas Bowl to end the 2017 season. There are still plenty of reasons for Ducks fans to be excited for the possibilities to come in 2018.
Losing to end a season is never a good feeling. After falling short for the third straight time against Boise State, Oregon must now wait for nearly nine months until they next get to take the field in the 2018 season.
That leaves plenty of time for the Ducks to iron out the kinks and prepare for another assault at the Pac-12 title. While the loss to the Broncos would indicate some serious deficiencies with the program in Eugene, it is always dangerous to read too much into a bowl result. That is especially true for a program in flux like Oregon.
After all, the Ducks had to prepare for the trip to Las Vegas with the sudden change of coaching staffs hanging over the program. Once Willie Taggart left to take the Florida State job vacated by Jimbo Fisher, it set off a chain reaction and raised questions about who would follow Taggart to Tallahassee. The uncertainty certainly affected the play of the Ducks on the opening day of bowl season.
But even in defeat, there is plenty for Oregon fans to get excited about in terms of Ducks prospects for the 2018 season. Click ahead for five big reasons to dream big through the long offseason before the Ducks return to the football field again.