Oregon Is Better Than Ohio State Right Now

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Oregon will be my No. 2-ranked team in the country when this week's OGS poll comes out Monday, and I want to tell you exactly why right here.

A handful of times in the Jim Tressel era at Ohio State — currently ranked No. 2 — the Buckeyes have gone into a game against a team with a high-flying offense that experts have incorrectly predicted would run all over the supposedly slower scarlet and gray.

Two notable examples are the 2002 championship game against Miami, and last year's Rose Bowl against this very Oregon team.

OSU's defense has turned individual Heisman contenders into former Heisman contenders frequently under Tressel. But the Ducks are hardly a one-man show this year. Their offense is as explosive as any I've seen in a long time, and quite frankly, I don't think Ohio State could shut it down the way it has done to so many otherwise dangerous teams throughout the decade.

Don't get me wrong; OSU would slow Oregon down some, but all that means is that the Ducks would only hang 38 instead of the usual half a C-note. You may remember I correctly predicted a single-digit victory by Ohio State over Oregon in last year's Rose Bowl, but this Ducks team is different. With new quarterback Darron Thomas picking apart defenses; LaMichael James continuing his push to be the fourth straight sophomore to win the Heisman; and Jeff Maehl leading a deep group of capable wideouts, I can't imagine anyone left on the Ducks' schedule beating Oregon this year.

Sure Ohio State has some offensive firepower of its own, but the difference between this year and last is that Oregon can play a little defense as well now. It's certainly not great, having given up 31 points in each of its last two games, but the Ducks force more than four turnovers a game and are fourth in the country in pass-efficiency defense. And against a sometimes mistake-prone Terrelle Pryor, I think Oregon's pass defense could confuse OSU's indecisive quarterback and force him into some mental errors.

An Ohio State-Oregon rematch in a BCS bowl game in January certainly would be a dandy, but considering the bodies of work for each team so far in 2010, I think Oregon is just a little bit better at this point.