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P12 Power Rankings - Printable Version

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P12 Power Rankings - BostonCard - 08-15-2016

Because we like them when we are at the top...

http://www.espn.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/102106/stanford-holds-at-no-1-in-pac-12-preseason-power-rankings

Top four are from the north, which makes me think this is more like last year's season end power rankings.

BC

Re: P12 Power Rankings - Langdude - 08-15-2016

Maybe this has already been discussed - forgive me if so. But Gemmell mentions the Duck o-line. What is its status? Will it be really good? If so, with Freeman, it could be Oregon that powers yardage and clock (a la Stanford) toward H.eisman and championship status, even with a merely serviceable QB...

-m.

Re: P12 Power Rankings - FarmBoy - 08-15-2016

I find is statement that we should"Expect a lot of movement in the coming weeks as quarterbacks are named, depth charts are established and ... frankly ... once some actual football is played." a bit odd. Sure, the actual play of football should change the power rankings, but with the ESPN blog writers really shake up the power rankings if the coaches, using their superior football knowledge, choose a different starter than the blog is expecting?

Re: P12 Power Rankings - pcgoode - 08-15-2016

(08-15-2016, 09:40 AM)Langdude link Wrote:Maybe this has already been discussed - forgive me if so. But Gemmell mentions the Duck o-line. What is its status? Will it be really good? If so, with Freeman, it could be Oregon that powers yardage and clock (a la Stanford) toward H.eisman and championship status, even with a merely serviceable QB...

-m.

The Ducks return two starters on their O line this season, so I am a puzzled why Gemmell says that they are quietly good.  http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/sports/blogs/martini/2016/08/15/oregon-ducks-offensive-line-has-mix-experienced-veterans-talented-youth/88751778/

Re: P12 Power Rankings - Hulk01 - 08-15-2016

Oregon isn't vaguely comparable to teams like Alabama and Clemson, even with a decent quarterback.  They have an elite running back and several very fast wide receivers and a strong collection of tight ends.  But here' something that points out the brobdingnagian and growing difference between Oregon and elite teams.

In the last three recruiting class, Alabama has signed 29 defensive players ranked at 4.0 or above.

Oregon has signed six. 

Oregon has only one player in the next three graduating classes who ranks in the top five at his position in his class: Freeman.  USC has 11.  Stanford has 12. 

God help me if I risk looking up how many Alabama has.

Oregon's front seven on defense is gone--from a team that allowed almost 40 points a game. 

Oregon was a much deadlier team when they had elite defenders.  There was that ungodly collection of linebackers in Dion Jordan, Kiki Alonso, and Clay, some elite DLs (Armstead and Buckner in their last two classes are expected to both start this year), and playmakers behind them like Ifi Ekpre-Olumu.  There's no sign of a defensive player on their team in the class of any other those guys. 

And it's not an unstoppable offense at its best--even with a QB like Mariota.  Over a period of seven quarters and one overtime, Stanford held them to just 14 points.  A very good defensive line can throttle the zone-read, as LSU and Stanford proved. 

I can see why someone might call them "quietly good."  I don't see them making much noise this fall.  They're still well ahead of Colorado, Arizona, Cal, and Arizona State, and they play a pathetic OOC schedule.  They will get lots of easy wins.  But there are more tough wins on their schedule, thanks to their weaknesses on defense, than they've had since Harbs arrived here.

Re: P12 Power Rankings - CTcard - 08-16-2016

(08-15-2016, 09:40 AM)Langdude link Wrote:Maybe this has already been discussed - forgive me if so. But Gemmell mentions the Duck o-line. What is its status? Will it be really good? If so, with Freeman, it could be Oregon that powers yardage and clock (a la Stanford) toward H.eisman and championship status, even with a merely serviceable QB...

pcgoode and Hulk have basically answered your question, but a few more bits.

It looks like Gemmell was just looking for something good to say about Oregon with that comment about the OLine, and it's relatively safe as Oregon's OL has usually been fairly good.

Oregon is an interesting situation. I also give them the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise, but there are a lot of questions.
Will they have a capable QB?
Will they have a capable OL?
Their defense was bad last year mostly because they couldn't cover anyone. They were pretty stout up front. Now, they've lost their front seven. Will they have any defense?

One thing they won't be doing is running the clock, it's just not in their nature. They are usually a run-first team with a questionable QB situation right now, so it will be interesting if they manage to make good use of their stable of great receivers.


Re: P12 Power Rankings - Langdude - 08-20-2016

Good point, CT, regarding their nature as not working on possession time. They are just not used to it...

-m.