College football is back and it’s bound to be another great season. Three of the nation’s top 10 teams have new quarterbacks this year. The Southeastern Conference, a steady presence in college football’s elite, has already lost three teams in the Associated Press Top 25. It’s only week three, but the key ingredient for an exciting season has already begun to manifest itself: unpredictability.
Ohio State is looking to pick up right where they left off. The defending champs got the win in their season opener versus Virginia Tech, but it wasn’t without a scare.
Great teams separate themselves from the rest of the pack through their ability to overcome adversity. Ohio State showed a little glimpse of their capability to do so in this game by overcoming a 17-14 deficit at the half to win 42-24. Teams will play harder against them simply because they are No. 1.
The Buckeyes’ only ranked opponent as of now, is No. 4 Michigan State which raises questions about their weak schedule paving the way to easy wins. Still, there is no doubting the team’s incredible depth. The Buckeyes are loaded. They have the nation’s top duo at the quarterback position in Cardale Jones and JT Barrett.
Running back Ezekiel Elliot is poised to put up Heisman-worthy type of numbers this season. Braxton Miller, the 2012 and 2013 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year as quarterback, has made a smooth transition to the H-back/wide receiver spot for the team. Miller’s play through two games suggests that he might be even more of a deadly threat at his new position than his old one, something opposing teams won’t like to hear. Look for the Buckeyes to have another great chance to win it all come playoff time.
The Oregon Ducks, however, seem to have more of an air of uncertainty around their post-season chances. The national runner-ups from a year ago are now officially in the post-Marcus Mariota era. Mariota, last season’s Heisman winner and one of the best players in school history, has left some big shoes for his successor to fill.
Vernon Adams Jr. will have to be the one to step up to the challenge. Adams has shown flashes of brilliance in his first two games as a Duck, but his inability to come through in big moments leads to losses like their week two loss to No. 4 Michigan State. This raises questions about his consistency.
Adams shouldn’t be the only one to blame in the team’s drop from No. 7 to No. 13. Their defense hasn’t looked that great, evident in their giving up of 42 points to an underdog Eastern Washington squad in the season opener.
There is no denying Oregon’s talent on the offensive side of the ball. Look for running back Royce Freeman to continue to improve after rushing for nearly 1,400 yards as a true freshman last year. The team also has a solid wide receiving core in Bralon Addison, Byron Marshall and Charles Nelson.
Oregon has all the tools to make some noise this year, but Adams Jr.’s play will determine how the team will fair against a strong Pac-12 conference. USC, UCLA, Arizona and Utah are all ranked in the Top 25. Only time will tell how the season will shape up for the Ducks, but isn’t that why we watch college football? It’s unpredictable.
Ben Arthur is a sports reporter for The Beacon. He can be reached at arthur17@up.edu
