Joel Klatt Says Oregon Ducks Are College Football’s Most Complete Team
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
When the bold predictions come pouring in, that’s when you know football season is right around the corner.
College football analyst Joel Klatt came in hot with a ringing endorsement of the Oregon Ducks on a recent episode of Pardon My Take with Barstool Sports’ Big Cat and PFT.
Klatt suggested that the Ducks were one of the most well-rounded teams – if not the most well-rounded team – in college football.
“Oregon’s the only team with no questions,” Klatt said.
When Big Cat challenged his statement and asked if the Ducks could win the big one, Klatt suggested that wasn’t what he meant.
“Well, it’s not a roster question. If you go down the rest of those seven teams, Notre Dame, how are you replacing the running backs? … Ohio State – how are you replacing the defense? Who’s catching the ball at Georgia? Can you run the football at Texas and protect Arch [Manning]?
He continued, “Then you look at Oregon and you’re like, ‘oh, football-wise on the field, there’s no questions, they’re going to have maybe the best defensive line in all of college football. They have a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback [Dante Moore], they’ve got backs, they’ve got receivers, they’ve got an excellent defense… they might be the fourth Big Ten team to win it [in consecutive years].”
And while Klatt isn’t technically wrong – the Ducks are a veteran-laden team, with a 66% return rate – that doesn’t mean that there aren’t questions.
But even the most complete teams enter a season with questions. For Oregon, those questions aren't necessarily about talent, they're about whether the Ducks can finally turn roster strength into championship success.
And like Big Cat had said, the biggest question of them all is whether they can win the big one.
The roster only tells half the story, it’s the execution and experience that matters in the end.
Head coach Dan Lanning went on the Pat McAfee Show and made his high hopes known with not just his quarterback returning, but his full defensive line.
“You always talk about strength in numbers, and we’re all talking about quarterbacks, which is important. But the best teams win football games. We got some great d-linemen coming back and all those guys that came back saw an opportunity for growth and an opportunity to improve and recognition.”
To Lanning’s point, that strength in numbers has been critical to championships.
The past three National Champions were Indiana, Ohio State, and Michigan. All three of those programs were riddled with veterans who understood what football in November and December meant.
Oregon has spent years building one of the most talented rosters in the country. Now comes the part that has eluded the program for decades: proving that talent can survive the biggest moments in college football.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos