College Football Rankings: Way-too-early Top 25 projections for 2018

Oregon lost the Las Vegas Bowl by 10 points against a Group of Five squad, falling 38-28 to Boise State. Soon after, the Ducks had to deal with the loss of head coach Willie Taggart. The one-year coach bolted Eugene in the game of musical chairs to take over at Florida State.

Gone also are Royce Freeman, the electric tailback who set Pac-12 records throughout 2017, and a slew of defensive stars like Tyree Robinson and Arrion Springs. The Ducks will have to rebuild quickly, especially in a Pac-12 North race that features tough challenges from the Washington schools as well as Stanford and a rising Cal squad.

So why is Oregon projected as one of the teams expected to be ranked in the 2018 preseason AP Top 25? The Ducks bring back a healthy star quarterback in Justin Herbert. When Herbert was on the field in 2017, he piloted one of the most prolific offenses in the entire country. Few teams can match Oregon’s offensive production when the group is all together, and new stars are ready to emerge from Freeman’s shadow.

The Ducks also managed to maintain some continuity despite losing Taggart. Co-offensive coordinator (and former FIU head coach) Mario Cristobal was promoted to Taggart’s position. Oregon also managed to retain defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt, who helped launch a turnaround on that side of the ball.