Oregon’s latest surge was enough to shake one of college football’s most predictable voices.
When ESPN’s College GameDay panel started rolling out its picks for Saturday’s biggest games, Desmond Howard did something he usually doesn’t: he went against Michigan. The former Wolverines star has built a reputation for sticking with his alma mater, which is why his pick for Oregon over Michigan stood out so sharply.
Howard wasn’t the only one on the panel to back the Ducks. Boise State alum Ian Johnson also sided with Oregon, while the rest of the group leaned the other way. Howard’s choice was the one that really turned heads, though, especially because he’s so often been the guy backing Michigan no matter the matchup.
That’s what made the moment so notable, and it even prompted a reaction from Kirk Herbstreit on the broadcast.
The Ducks’ rise has clearly changed the way this game is being viewed. Oregon comes into Saturday looking for a third straight Big Ten win, and it does so with momentum after beating Ohio State last week. Dan Lanning’s team also has the benefit of returning to Autzen Stadium, where it will face a Michigan squad that has been sliding hard.
Michigan’s recent stretch has been rough. The Wolverines fired the highest paid offensive coordinator in the country, Jason Beck, after an ugly performance against a bad Michigan State team.
Oregon has already gone through a similar reset this season, and it’s paid off. After the Ducks moved on from Drew Mehringer, they went 2-0 and produced strong offensive outings against Northwestern and Ohio State, both ranked in the Top 25 at the time.
That’s part of why Oregon now looks like a team playing with confidence and swagger. The challenge for Lanning and his staff is making sure that confidence doesn’t turn into a letdown. Coming off a win like the one over Ohio State, that’s always the danger.
Oregon should handle business if it plays its game. Still, every coach knows the trap that can come after a statement win, and this one has all the ingredients to test whether the Ducks can keep their focus.
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Now the spotlight turns to Autzen Stadium, where Michigan comes in as the kind of test that can either validate all that momentum or stall it in a hurry. Analysts such as Pat McAfee and Nick Saban have already leaned Oregons way in the next stretch, and the Ducks are favored at home, but this is the sort of game that will say a lot more than any prediction ever could. [Read more 🡒]