Well, I couldn't get out of Palo Alto soon enough. Now, it's time to continue our treck north into the great state of Oregon, and our first stop is in Eugene.

Now, I know that many of you are die hard Duck fans and are much more knowledgable about your team than I ever hope to be through the various articles and depth charts that I go through, so I fully expect to get a lot of comments on this one... please, be gentle!

It appears that Oregon is going to be a very well balanced team yet again, with the ground game paving the way. At Quarterback, it appears that Dennis Dixon has a firm hold on the #1 slot over Brady Leaf, and looks to get a heavy majority of the playing time this season, as opposed to the often rotating quarterback scheme that Bellotti used last season. If this ends up being the case, it is a VERY smart move by Belotti.

The illusion is that Leaf is the thrower and Dixon is the runner; Dixon, being the more explosive player, tends to get more playing time. The truth is, however, that Dixon is actually a better runner AND a better passer than is Leaf. Simply put, he is just better and their should be no waffling about it.

Last season, Dixon had a quarterback ranking of 120 on his way to completing 61% of his passes. The completion percentage is good, and the ranking is a bit above average (the national ranking average for quarterbacks generally runs in the 110 to 115 range. Brady Leaf, on the other hand, completed just 55% of his passes and had a ranking of just 112. Now, rankings aren't everything, but in this case, I believe they it, along with the rest of the package tells the story... Dennis Dixon is the man.

The good news is that if he gets injured, Oregon has a more than capable backup, which aside from Washington, and USC isn't a very common benefit in the Pac 10 this season.

The Running back position is obviously Oregon's strength. Running behind an offensive line that will average 310 pounds is likely to generate success for any back, but when your back is Jonathan Stewart, it can be devastating for opposing defenses.

Last year, Stewart rushed for just shy of 1000 yards, but he was also injured for a spell. This year, he is likely to easily surpass 1000 yards, and may even approach the 1500 yard plateau, which would set the stage for a senior year Heisman campaign. Stewart's size, speed, and stength make him clearly the best back in the Pac 10 this season, but it doesn't stop with Stewart. Jeremiah Johnson has also proven to be a very good back, as last year, in limited duty, he rushed for 650 yards and matched Stewart for the team lead with 10 touchdowns. If that isn't enough, say hello to Andre Crenshaw, the best kept secret in the Oregon arcenal. If you don't know him now, you will by the end of this season. This sophomore is lightning quick and very explosive. If he gets enough playing time, I look for Crenshaw to see the end zone at least seven or eight times (either by running it or catching it) and most of these times will be from plays of twenty yards or more.

At wide receiver, there is only one name to look at, Jaison Williams. 68 receptions for 984 yards last season was among the best in the pac 10 and he was only a sophomore. In a conference full of extremely talented receivers, I believe that this kid is the best. Of course, Oregon also can brag about another receiver that may have a break out year, with stats that could rival Williams. Brian Paysinger had 44 receptions for nearly 500 yards in 2006, so he is hardly a slouch. Paysinger and Williams will give opposing corners and safties fits this season.

The truth is that the wide receiver position is where Oregon has the best depth and behind Williams and Paysinger, they have Cameron Colvin, Garren Strong, and Ryan Mattice (two seniors and a junior) all of which are sure handed, play tall, and have break away speed, which is a good thing with Dixon's tendancy of sailing the ball a bit when he throws on roll outs.

The Tight end position is generally not a focus as a recever for Oregon so Ed Dickson might only catch five or six catches in 2007, but he is a big body and is a very good blocker, which, of course, helps out the running game and Dixon, in particular, when he tries to get outside.

Quickly, the offensive line, as I mentioned is going to average about 310 pounds and ironically, it will be anchored by the smallest of the bunch. Josh Tgchirgi is a potential All-America at left guard and with the added experience and size of the rest of the line, they will push around smaller defenses at will, opening up lanes for Stewart and company big enough for a Mac truck to roll through.

If Oregon has any challenges on the offensive line, it would be with starting Jeff Kendall at Center. He is experienced but at 297 pounds, he is undersized as centers go. He's got to be awefully strong to keep himself from being pushed out of the middle, and if he gets injured, Oregon would need to rely on a freshman with no playing experience at the heart of the offensive line.

The only real offensive question mark for Oregon is with their kicking game. Oregon appears to be starting Morgan Flint at kicker, and the only kicker with any experience, Matt Everson, has been demoted to third on the depth chart. Does this mean that Flint is that good or is Oregon going to struggle with the kicking game, the more well informed Duck fans have a better insight to that. Keep in mind that Everson was just 6 for 6 in PAT's and just 1 for 3 in FG attempts in 2006, so he hardly had a boat load of experience, himself.

Basically, it comes down to this. For a defense to hold down this offense, they must have big, strong, and fast defensive linemen and line backers. They must have exceptionally good cover corners and safeties that can act as stop-gaps, to effectively eliminate the quick slants. I can see teams like USC, California, and maybe UCLA having enough defensive prowess to do this but aside from them, it's going to be difficult for any other Pac 10 team to hold Oregon under 35 points per game, and that should lead to a very good 2007 for the Ducks.

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