The Oregon Ducks head to Boulder, Colorado, to take on a Buffaloes team that, frankly, has been a disaster this season.
Karl Dorrell was canned after an 0-5 start, and while the situation has been better under Mike Sanford, who led Colorado to its win over Cal and a close loss to Arizona State, this program still has a long way to go to get back to relevancy.
Dan Lanning’s Ducks have been rolling of late, even after a so-so performance against Cal in Berkley. They shouldn’t have too tough a time defeating the Buffs on Saturday afternoon.
Here are three keys to securing a victory for Oregon:
Don’t Get Complacent
Colorado is one of the worst offensive and defensive CFP teams in the entire country. Whether Oregon chooses to attack on the ground, go through the air, blitz more, blitz less, whatever it may be – it is the more talented team and should come out of Boulder with a victory.
However, that doesn’t mean it should let off the gas. A berth in the College Football Playoffs is on the line. While the difference between a 25-point and 40-point victory is probably not that significant, a 10ish point win would raise eyebrows.
This is a great opportunity for the Ducks to put some points on the board early (something they have struggled with) and coast, keeping some of their stars fresh for the rest of the season while putting together another excellent performance on both sides of the football.