Oregon Football: 3 early storylines heading into 2020 season

Oregon football has come a long way with Mario Cristobal as head coach. Now the Ducks aim for a College Football Playoff appearance.

The Oregon Ducks have taken some big steps since Mario Cristobal took over as permeant head coach in December of 2017, going from a nine-win season in his first full year in 2018 to winning the Pac-12 and Rose Bowl this past season. Cristobal has shown that he is worthy of keeping the Ducks head coaching position but even better is that he had brought the Ducks to title contenders again.

This season marks the biggest test for Cristobal as he will look to repeat as Pac-12 champion but also go to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2014. Oregon is going to be the main representative of the Pac-12 as a member of the conference has not made the playoff since 2016 when Washington made it.

This season will also be a huge test for coach Cristobal as he must replace a key portion of their team from the previous season. The Ducks must replace their key contributors who are moving on to the NFL like quarterback Justin Herbert, offensive tackle Calvin Throckmorton and outside linebacker Troy Dye.

Oregon will rely on many factors of their team to potentially repeat as conference champions and get back to the College Football Playoff.

Three storylines will follow the Ducks for the remainder of the offseason and into the regular season.