Tag: Duck Football

Oregon Ducks not in top tier when it comes to odds to win national championship in 2021

The Ducks currently have the 14th best odds in the nation to win the national championship in 2021, which could reflect on the Pac-12 as a whole.

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The buzz surrounding the Oregon Ducks now that spring ball is over feels pretty loud. Not only are fans excited after seeing a litany of young players fly all over the field at the Spring Game, but the Ducks were recently ranked as the No. 10 team in the country heading into the summer, with star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux coming in as an early favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

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So the Ducks feel like a shoo-in to make it to the College Football Playoff and potentially contend for a championship this season, right?

Las Vegas might be telling us to pump the breaks there a little bit. According to BetMGM , the Ducks have been given the 14th best odds in the nation to win the national title next season, listed at +5000. For reference, Alabama leads the odds at +250, and Clemson is at +350. Here are the top 15 teams according to the odds:

  • Alabama (+250)
  • Clemson (+350)
  • Ohio State (+500)
  • Oklahoma (+700)
  • Georgia (+900)
  • Texas A&M (+2500)
  • Wisconsin (+3500)
  • LSU (+3500)
  • Florida (+4000)
  • Notre Dame (+4000)
  • Miami (+4000)
  • Penn State (+4000)
  • Iowa State (+4000)
  • Oregon (+5000)
  • North Carolina (+5000)

For Oregon fans who are enthralled about the start of the new season, those odds may be a bit discouraging, but it is only a measure of where the Pac-12 is at as a whole. While this may be one of the better Oregon teams that we’ve seen in a few years, they don’t yet have the national respect to be an odds-on favorite to win it all. Time can change that.

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‘It’s just getting started:’ Mario Cristobal has message for Oregon recruits after NFL draft success

The Ducks have created a pipeline for recruits to make a leap to the NFL, and Cristobal doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon.

Once the Oregon Ducks’ 2021 Spring Game came to a close and head coach Mario Cristobal was given the chance to speak to the media, an air of cool confidence was palpable. His team was fresh off of an encouraging performance where a whole host of young players put on a show, with true-freshman and underclassmen making plays all over the field.

While the Ducks were popping pads on the gridiron, a litany of former Oregon players was hearing their names called at the 2021 NFL draft, marking the first time since 2015 that five or more players from the program got drafted. This culmination of events — the present talent in Eugene and the realization of NFL dreams — left Cristobal with a single notion that describes where the Oregon program is currently at.

“It’s just getting started. That’s the best way to put it,” Cristobal said. “For us to brag about it, it’s taking care of itself. Even bigger days are coming.”

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Bigger days are certainly at the doorstep, with the preseason ranked No. 10 Ducks ready to embark on a season where they have aspirations of making it back to the College Football Playoff. A group of seasoned veterans led by Kayvon Thibodeaux, Johnny Johnson III, Anthony Brown, and CJ Verdell is ready to go out with a bang, and the young talent on the roster is surely ready for the challenge. True-freshmen receivers Troy Franklin and Dont’e Thornton showed that on Saturday, while linebackers Noah Sewell and Justin Flowe looked primed and ready to go. Everywhere you looked on the field last weekend was a who’s-who of highly-rated recruits succeeding at the next level.

For Cristobal, a world-renowned recruiter, there is nothing better to see, as he can use this to further increase the talent pipeline that currently runs through Eugene.

“You’re upping the talent level that’s coming in, but you’re pouring yourself into player development,” Cristobal said. “It’s showing up and it’s showing up big. Some of these guys are Top 10 picks. That trend is only going to keep going. We all see that.”

Oregon saw former LT Penei Sewell be selected by the Detroit Lions with the 7th overall pick in this year’s draft, and S Jevon Holland went a round later at pick No. 36 to the Miami Dolphins. Three more guys got drafted in the ensuing rounds, and a handful of others signed as free agents. That matters to recruits who are looking for a way into the NFL. 

Now, you already have Thibodeaux being projected as the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, with cornerback Mykael Wright generating first-round buzz as well. There are somewhere between 15-20 players on Oregon’s current roster who could get some buzz in NFL circles next April. That matters.

“It’s a collective effort. Everybody. We take a lot of pride in that,” Cristobal said.

Oregon’s coach may not go down in the history books as the best game-manager who ever lived, but his ability to bring highly-rated recruits under his wing is second to none. We’ve seen that over the past couple of years, and it’s starting to pay off in a major way. Success breeds more success, and the future has never looked brighter. As Cristobal would put it…

“It’s just getting started.”

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