Good Luck Ducks, Week 9: Fighting Realm

 

The Fighting Ducks host the Fighting Illini in a battle of ranked B1G squads. 

 

While it still feels like just yesterday that the 2024 college football season started, we're already heading into Oregon's eighth game of the season, with just four more games on the schedule after today. This part of the year always seems to fly the fastest. The Ducks are coming off of a comfortable shutout at Purdue last Friday, along with a bonus day of extra rest (or practice?) heading into another Top 25 showdown.

Illinois is no joke! While they've only appeared in three bowl games in the last decade, all of the lower tier variety, they head into today's affair with a 6-1 record and a shiny #20 ranking. As much as I can sadly admit that Purdue mostly made me think of Drew Brees, the only image I can currently conjure up of a star Illinois football player is Jeff George on his sought after 1990 Pro Set draft pick football card. You'd have to be sure that knocking off the undefeated Ducks would be a legendary experience on the campus in Champaign, Illinois.

Fortunately, Oregon has been firing on all cylinders. Some early defensive concerns look like they've been addressed, even with a couple of key players sidelined due to injuries. The "Next Man Up" concept only works in practice if those reserve players are capable of fulfilling those roles, and for the most part I've liked what I've seen on the field with the less familiar names on the backs of the jerseys.

With a tough ranked team this week and, presumably, next, I don't think anyone wearing Ducks colors is going to be looking too far ahead to the Washington game. If there's any side benefit to Oregon's B1G move, it could be that the lack of familiarity with many of these opponents and their schemes could effectively keep them on their toes. In other words, I don't think we have to worry about the Ducks dropping a game to, I don't know... Cal(?) out of sheer boredom.

Notes and such:

• The Old 97's Bob Dylan-adjacent track "Champaign, Illinois" is always a nice listen.
• Do they have any history at all? It's Oregon with a 2-1 lead in the series, although the two schools haven't met since I was still a teenager.
• Ducks ranking this week: 1 (AP). Yup. Number one in the land. I would be making more of a big deal about this, but I really don't care where they end up at as long as they are firmly in the top ten when all the conference championship games are done. Besides, I don't think history has been too kind to teams that have peaked in Week 8.
• Dillon Gabriel Heisman Watch: I don't know, man, but it feels like Gabriel has just been... there... and doing really well! I mean, he's been historically accurate with his throws, which sounds exactly like Bo Nix's time at Oregon. Is this a Dan Lanning thing or is Oregon just landing top flight QBs who have already been in college for a million years? Probably a little of both?
• Game time is 12:30 PM PDT on CBS in Eugene. Go Ducks!