Ranking Oregon Football's 2022 Schedule
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College football is right around the corner as Power 5 conferences across the country participate in their annual media days to preview their respective programs.
Oregon's 2022 season features a lot of high-profile matchups, so I thought it'd be fun to rank each game according to difficulty.
1. Georgia
This is probably the easiest place to start. Kicking off your season against the defending national champions is no small task. Georgia's defense loses a lot of talent from their historic 2021 unit, but the cupboard is far from bare since the Bulldogs have stacked top-five recruiting classes on a consistent basis.
Georgia has an elite group of offensive weapons highlighted by the deepest tight end room in the country which includes Brock Bowers. The Bulldogs are always strong in the trenches as well, so Oregon will need to prove they can match that physicality early on.
Oh, and it's in Atlanta, which only adds to the difficult of this matchup.
2. Utah
The Utes are the defending Pac-12 champions and have one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. While they lose some pieces on defense, Morgan Scalley is one of the best defensive coordinators out west and should field another strong group.
The Ducks will have their hands full slowing down an offense that also features the top tight end room in the conference in Dalton Kincaid and Brent Keithe, as well as Tavion Thomas, who ran wild on Oregon in both games last year.
Fortunately for the Ducks they get this big rematch at home in Eugene.
3. BYU
Brigham Young is on a tear through the Pac-12 after going undefeated against the conference in 2021.
The Cougars are one of the more underrated teams nationally that will give anyone a fight. They return a proven quarterback in Jaren Hall and should be a great test for Oregon in the non-conference slate.
Puka Nacua is the name to know for their receivers and it should be a great matchup between him and Christian Gonzalez on the outside.
4. Washington
Rivalry games always have something extra on the line and the Huskies are hoping to turn things around sooner rather than later after going 4-8 in 2021. I'm not sure if Kalen DeBoer will be able to make too much change in just one offseason, but the Huskies have kept things close with Oregon in recent years.
We'll have to see who UW trots out at quarterback but my guess would be Sam Huard. Again, another great game to have at home in Autzen.
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5. UCLA
The Bruins are coming off their best season in recent memory under head coach Chip Kelly. The Ducks almost suffered a late comeback in last year's game, but they were able to hang with a very physical Bruins front on both sides of the ball.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson returns looking to go out with a bang and he'll have Zach Charbonnet to hand off to as one of the best tailbacks in the Pac-12.
6. Stanford
Stanford has fallen off as the traditional Pac-12 power of old, but they almost always give Oregon a good run for their money, even winning an overtime contest in Palo Alto last year.
I still think David Shaw is a good coach and they should be able to turn things around a bit led by returning quarterback Tanner McKee. I think the Cardinal can finish around the .500 mark this season after an abysmal run last year.
7. WSU
Washington State had a strong end to the season under Jake Dickert after Nick Rolovich's firing and it's clear those players are bought in and dedicated to getting better.
Cameron Ward injects a lot of excitement into this offense at quarterback, but this team lost a tremendous amount of production on both sides of the ball. Things can get hairy in a hurry on the Palouse and Oregon needs to watch out for this one.
8. Oregon State
Maybe I put too much stock in what the Beavs did a year ago, but I'm convinced Jonathan Smith has them headed in the right direction.
They're gradually adding more difference makers at a variety of positions, but there's still a decent amount of work to do there. Chance Nolan looks like the guy at quarterback and Luke Musgrave is among the best tight ends in the conference.
Oregon State could be the No. 2 team in the north this year, but I think the Ducks should have this one under control even though they have to travel to Corvallis.
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9. Arizona
Look, Arizona only won a single game last year. But I'm still excited about what Jedd Fisch is building in Tucson.
A serious roster overhaul now has big names like Tetairoa McMillan, Jayden de Laura and Jacob Cowing ready to do some damage on that offense and at least keep the Wildcats competitive in most of their games.
The Ducks have to go on the road and the desert has always been tricky, so maybe this falls into the trap game category.
10. Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington gave Oregon a great test back in 2015 when the Ducks had Vernon Adams and the Eagles had Cooper Kupp. But that was seven years ago and the quarterback position is completely up in the air heading into the season.
The Eagles had five games decided by seven or fewer points last season. This game shouldn't be an issue for the Ducks, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Eastern Washington is able to make this one interesting, especially since this comes the week after Oregon faces Georgia.
11. Cal
Oregon really played down to Cal's level last year, which nearly resulted in a loss at home. The Ducks lost to Cal in 2020, but this roster is juiced with talent and the new Oregon staff should be able to ensure this isn't a close game.
Cal has one of the if not the weakest offenses in the conference after adding Jack Plummer from Purdue to lead the offense. The Ducks should take care of business, as the Golden Bears don't have much to be excited about in 2022.
12. Colorado
Karl Dorrell has a long road ahead of him to make the Buffs competitive in the Pac-12. It seems like they really captured lightning in a bottle in 2016 and 2020, but they haven't been able to find it again.
Losing Brenden Rice and Jarek Brousard doesn't make things any easier, and they should find themselves on the bottom tier of the conference again in 2022.
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