What's on the Line in Oregon vs. UCLA

Autzen Stadium will be center stage on Saturday as the marquee game in college football for week 8.

Author:
Mark Wang
Publish date:
Oct 21, 2022 3:53 PM EDT

In this story:

Standing and record-wise there is clearly a lot on the line with Oregon and UCLA facing off on Saturday. But take a look behind the curtain and there are a few more things on the line as well.

For Chip Kelly: Redemption

Chip Kelly has looked his closest to when he was at Oregon in a long time. Kelly was the former offensive coordinator for the Ducks under coach Mike Bellotti and was the head coach when Oregon made the national championship game back in 2010.

After some time in the NFL and a few rocky years at UCLA, Kelly looks like his former self and has UCLA soaring.

He's turned Dorian Thompson-Robinson into a legit stud and dark horse (at best) Heisman candidate. He has UCLA off to a 6-0 start, with big wins and a ton of confidence coming into Autzen. In his first return to Autzen a few years back, he got beat by the Ducks and he now has a chance to not only launch UCLA into the playoff picture but knock off his former team on their turf.

For the PAC-12: A potential playoff bid or an excellent Rose Bowl contender

The Pac-12 now potentially has three contenders for the Playoff. One LA school is undefeated, the other is still playing incredibly well, and Oregon is an absolute juggernaut that has knocked off a number of big opponents.

With the insanity of last weekend, it's made for a lot of shakeup, which has the potential for a Pac-12 team to get on a lot of radars as we head into the back half of the season.

After USC lost to Utah on Saturday their chances have significantly dropped, but Oregon and UCLA have a massive opportunity to make noise. With UCLA undefeated and Oregon's only loss being to defending national champion Georgia, both have shown they can win big and have been winning in style against some very good opponents. Both are now in the top 10 and I think one will stay in the top 10 the rest of the way if they win out. That starts with this game.

For the Ducks: A chance to show they're in a championship window

Oregon has been at a high level for a few years. But they seem to be just one position group, or one player, or one coaching staff away from competing for a championship. In Dan Lanning's first year the Ducks seem to be gelling when needed and getting hot.

While I still have questions about the secondary, though I will give credit that they've improved, this is a team that seems to be championship caliber. Maybe not this year, because why on earth would the CFP let a Pac-12 team back in, but I think in a year or two. Especially if Bo Nix stays.

Both teams have a chance to make a lot of noise with a win on Saturday, and with the absolute insanity that happened last week, it made the chance even bigger. With Gameday in town and all eyes on Eugene, this one's gonna be a fun one.