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3 takeaways from Oregon’s Holiday Bowl win over North Carolina

By Michael Thompson

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 28: Head coach Dan Lanning of the Oregon Ducks holds up the Holiday Bowl trophy after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 28-27 in the San Diego Credit Union Holiday Bowl game at PETCO Park on December 28, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 28: Head coach Dan Lanning of the Oregon Ducks holds up the Holiday Bowl trophy after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 28-27 in the San Diego Credit Union Holiday Bowl game at PETCO Park on December 28, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 28: Bo Nix #10 of the Oregon Ducks rushes from the pocket under pressure from Kaimon Rucker #25 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half of the San Diego Credit Union Holiday Bowl game at PETCO Park on December 28, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 28: Bo Nix #10 of the Oregon Ducks rushes from the pocket under pressure from Kaimon Rucker #25 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half of the San Diego Credit Union Holiday Bowl game at PETCO Park on December 28, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Both teams have a bright 2023 

As we head into the new year, both the Oregon Ducks and North Carolina Tar Heels have a bright 2023 on their horizon.

For North Carolina, they’re going to have a shot to win the ACC in 2023 thanks to Drake Maye, as well as the program that Mack Brown has built.

The Tar Heels will have a massive early season game against rival South Carolina and will travel to Clemson. In their 10 other games, UNC should be easily favored. While Clemson is still the class of the ACC and Florida State appears to be on the rise, UNC should be in the hunt for a New Year’s Six bowl in 2023.

While UNC is hoping to get back to the Orange Bowl next season, the Oregon Ducks are likely viewing a NY6 bowl as a baseline expectation. The Ducks are expected to see a lot of great players, including the majority of their offensive line, graduate and head to the NFL, but they had two promising developments in the past few weeks.

First, they dominated the early national signing day. They signed multiple 5 stars that should provide an immediate impact. They also flipped multiple high-level recruits from places like Notre Dame and LSU to replenish lost talent. It’s not surprising to see Lanning continue the great recruiting culture at Oregon, but they showed out and were clear winners on early signing day.

The second reason they’re thinking big in 2023, is quarterback Bo Nix. Nix led the Ducks to victory with a very impressive game-winning touchdown drive, scoring on 4th down with just 19 seconds left to play.

Nix will have to adjust to a new-look offensive line, but the dual-threat quarterback’s surprise return for next season is huge. Nix finished the season with over 4,000 total yards and over 40 total touchdowns. His return makes him a serious Heisman threat while putting Oregon in the hunt for a PAC 12 Championship and potential national championship discussion.

The Ducks will have their hands full, however, as the PAC 12 could be as strong as ever with Utah, USC, and UW looking like CFP contenders, not to mention Oregon State and Colorado rapidly rising.

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