Good Luck Ducks, Week 10: Quack in The Big House

Oregon heads to Ann Arbor to take on the defending champs. 

 

The Ducks bolstered their #1 standing with an impressive takedown of Illinois last Saturday, but there is plenty of work left to do. Next up: the defending champion Michigan Wolverines. Now, of course, Michigan enters today's game with a new head coach, a new quarterback and three losses. But they have excelled at something that should at least give most Ducks fans pause: keeping the scoring down. Oregon has put up a decent amount of points in most games this season, but that's because the opportunities have mostly been there. If you match up against an opponent that limits those opportunities, that should give you some pause.

There's plenty of good news, though. The Ducks could see the return of two key players in defensive monster Jordan Burch and gigantic tight end Terrance Ferguson. These are both two skilled players who should thrive in the massive Michigan stadium no matter what the situation.

A shoutout is due to Dennis of Too Many Verlanders this week. In addition to constantly supplying me with cool cards for my collection, he's often shown support for my Ducks over the years. Once the latest conference realignment moves were put into place, we knew the day would come when his Wolverines were going to start butting heads with Oregon on a regular basis. It doesn't seem like they're play each other every season to be so annoying as to become serious rivals, but a conference foe is what it is. At least I can still be happy when Michigan takes down Washington, like they did in January.

There's only a few games scheduled after this. It has been a whirlwind of a season. In some ways I'm still getting used to it not being summer anymore. Here's to hoping Oregon can hold steady in November to get a decent shot at the new playoff system.

Notes and such: 

• The Wolverines will reportedly be without one of their top defensive players today. Will Johnson has already racked up a couple of pick-sixes this season. Dillon Gabriel has been extremely accurate so far, but this should lessen some pressure.
• Do they have any history at all? Michigan holds a 3-2 edge, including three straight shutouts during early times. Their last meeting was in 2007, which reminds me...
• 
  
  
• Ducks ranking this week: 1 (AP). They gained some votes.
• Dillon Gabriel Heisman Watch: Considering how few mistakes the "veteran" college guy makes, it seems like the team's record is going to dictate how well he does in this race more than anything.
• Game time is 12:30 PM PDT on CBS in Ann Arbor. Go Ducks!