2018 Recap: Willie Taggart left to take the job at Florida State, so the Oregon Ducks decided to stay in house and name Mario Cristobal the head coach. I saw a completely different team that showed more effort under this new coach than they did for the previous one. They started their season winning their first three games then lost a close game to the Stanford Cardinal. Quarterback Justin Herbert really made the name for himself as one of the best quarterbacks in college football. The Ducks offense was quick and electric once again. They finished their 2018 season with a 9-4 record and third place in the Pac-12 North.
Key Losses: WR Dillion Mitchell, DE Jalen Jelks, LB Justin Hollins & S Ugo Amadi.
2019 Prediction: This is my pick to win the Pac-12 North. They have a ton of guys from last season coming back including Justin Herbert who people will be paying more attention too after a great 2018 season. He returns along with running backs C.J. Verdell and Travis Dye. The offensive line will remain one of the best in the game. There’s a handful of players looking to making that jump on Jim Leavitt’s defense including nose tackle Jordon Scott, cornerback Thomas Graham and safeties Nick Pickett and Jevon Holland. The Ducks open their season in Texas against the Auburn Tigers. The Ducks also have road games against Stanford, USC, Washington and Arizona State.
