.....Emerald Green and Lemon Yellow.....

It sure was fun leading up to last year's Oregon/LSU game, that game felt special to me, seems this season is going to begin more like normal.

That Duck team which clobbered Colorado was extra good,.. actually we were screwed,.. by all rights, that year Oregon should have been destroyed by Miami in the National Championship Game.

There have been a lot of new Oregon bandwagoners, comes with success. Our fans with deeper roots know, for a very long time, it wasn't easy being Green.

That's not true now though, we've been flying pretty high, and it's fun,.. this is a great time to be a Duck.

 

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/sports/2012-pre-season-preview-washington-huskies

....Seattle Times',Bob Condotta: ..UW coach Steve Sarkisian says he feels like the Huskies are ready for a breakthrough and to get back to again competing for the Pac-12 title. My take is that the Huskies may still be a year away as they have what is still an overall young roster --- they could have no more than three seniors starting in 2012. UW also has a tough schedule, especially in the first half. So I think that while UW could be better in 2012 than it was in 2011, it might not necessarily have much of a better record. At the moment, I see 7-8 wins and another Alamo or Holiday bowl-type appearance.

Verdict:

Under Steve Sarkisian, the Huskies are a team on the rise. Last year they lost six games but the only game that they lost to an inferior opponent was the Oregon State game. They lost four games to teams that were in the top twelve at the time of the loss and the other loss was at USC.

The biggest thing holding Washington back last year was the defense. The Huskies finished 11th in the league in scoring defense and total defense. They also struggled to get off the field on third downs (opponents 49.16% conversion rate was the worst in the Pac-12) and as we noted in our "stat to fear" they had the penchant to give up the big play. If the Huskies can improve this year, it will probably rest on the shoulder of the defense. Sarkisian has brought in Justin Wilcox as defensive coordinator but he's also brought in Tosh Lupoi from Cal. Those are going to be great moves in the long run but how well they pay dividends in the short run could decide Washington's season.

Keith Price showed last year why he won the job over some guy named Montana. Price finished tied for third in the league with 33 TD tosses and as a first year starter he played just as well on the road as he did at home. The Huskies must replace workhorse Chris Polk but Price's experience should help the running backs ease into replacing him (well, at least until week two at LSU). Price loses his top two receiving targets but he's still got plenty of talent to catch the ball. I expect the Huskies to continue to be tough to stop on offense....

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LSU vs Wash, matchup odds and statistics,.. http://www.oddsshark.com/ncaaf/washington-lsu-odds-september-8-2012
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Not much out of UW camp yet,.. a never used running backs story.

Huskies have new defensive coaches because they were so horrible last year. Price is a real good QB, but passing is not his strength, they really need to find a running back. I reiterate, Washington was awful on defense last year, absolutely pathetic.

I guess I'm pulling for the hucking Fuskies,.. don't like their chances though, I think you guys will clobber em.

 

...seen some of those type after we lost to LSU, some crummy Duck fans lost their passion for the remaining games.

 

...they are very few and far between, thank you. Great NW linemen are very seldom found, they're exceedingly rare, like Sasquatch.

Tusk, still sounds like Arik Armstead is staying on offense.

Chip's been signing tall/fast players for the D line, and there's a little more beef. Duck's Defense will be a strength this year.

 

Beating USC twice does seem like a tall order, although I maintain that a one loss PAC Champ would probably still be in the top 4.

I'm not so color blind that I claim the Duck's have a SEC defense, but I think this is going to be Oregon's best since 1995.

The Duck's offense has carried Oregon for a long time, normally our D tried to be solid and hang on. This year smells different, we have a very solid deep defense, and are stacked almost everywhere else. The unknowns are at the offensive skill positions, Oregon has tons of potential talent at QB and Receiver, but it's unproven talent, and the Ducks are a little thin at RB too. Were gonna be real flashy though

This year if necessary, I think our D can carry our developing offense , up to the USC game anyhow.