Good Luck Ducks, Week 1: Cowboy Classic

When I started the Good Luck Ducks feature in 2008, Mike Bellotti was in his final season as head coach of the Cardinals, but nobody knew that yet. Chip Kelly was brought over the previous season to replace Gary Crowton, recently the offensive coordinator at LSU before leaving after last season. Oregon's 5th string QB, Jeremiah Masoli, saw time in the opening game and eventually lead Oregon to a surprising 10-win season capped off by a victory over Dez Bryant's Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Holiday Bowl.

It's amazing how much things have changed for Oregon's program since Kelly arrived. 2009 saw the Ducks recover from the opening loss at B.S.U (and the subsequent Blount Punch) to steamroll Oregon State and make it to the Rose Bowl. Last season, the entire college football watching world had the Ducks shoved down their throats thanks to a 12-0 season and a National Championship birth (and a little help from the Disney folks.)

#3 Oregon will appear in another big game to kick off this season, this time in Cowboys Stadium facing #4 LSU. It's a brand new season with a brand new Pac-12 conference. I always say that you never know how a season will go until the team gets on the field. All of the predictions in the world won't make any sense until you see how the team works together on the field in real game action, and unlike many sports that I follow, there's little carryover from season to season. All I can say is this: Good luck, Ducks!

Above footage from the last Pac-10/SEC regular season meeting for the Ducks.

Game time is 5:00 PDT with national TV coverage on ABC. Go Ducks!