Oregon football: Realistic post-spring expectations for 2023

Dan Lanning’s first season with Oregon football went better than planned as he led the Ducks to a 10-3 record and they were legit contenders in the Pac-12.

Oregon finished 10th in college football in scoring with 38.8 points per game thanks to the resurgence of Bo Nix. The Auburn quarterback transfer did better than anyone had even thought possible, passing for 3,593 yards and 29 touchdowns with just seven picks. He had a career year in Eugene.

Well, he’s back for another year and Ty Thompson is still backing him up. He’ll have an elite group of receivers to throw to, led by Troy Franklin, Alabama transfer Traeshon Holden, Troy transfer Tez Johnson, USC transfer Greg Bryant Jr., and Kris Hutson.

The run game will be bolstered by Bucky Irving who broke 1,000 yards last season on 6.8 yards per touch and he might just be the most underrated running back in the nation. Noah Whittington is also back.

On defense, the Ducks ranked 75th in points allowed and surrendered just under 400 yards per game. Lanning wants to improve this side of the ball and I think he did with the 2023 class and via the portal. Four four-star freshman defenders are enrolled early and seven more will be joining the program over the summer. Add Nikko Reed, Tysheem Johnson, Jordan Burch, Evan Williams, Khryee Jackson, and Jestin Jacobs to the mix and you’re looking at a legit top-40 defense.

This team will be very good on both sides of the ball.

Realistic post-spring expectations for Oregon football

With the offense upgraded and Nix entering another year in the system despite Kenny Dillingham leaving for the Arizona State job, I can see the Ducks pushing 40 points per game, at least, again.

There are just too many talented weapons for the Ducks to be held down by many teams and I think they will be a Pac-12 favorite.

And defensively, this team is going to get a lot better. The transfers coming in along with the elite 2023 recruiting class will make a huge difference.

Looking at the schedule, I see Oregon beginning the season 5-0 before a bye week. After the bye, they’ll face Washington on the road with a chance at revenge. That’s a 50/50 game for me. The Ducks will beat Washington State, face another 50/50 game against Utah, and then there’s a good chance they win out.

If Oregon wins two of their three toughest games against Washington, Utah, and USC, I think 11-1 is very realistic. I think 10-2 would another possible scenario for this team, but 11-1 is my realistic prediction. People seem to be overlooking the Ducks.