Beyond Dante Moore's Heisman hopes, Oregon's path to a championship hinges on surprising offensive line improvements and a dominant ground game.
The Oregon Ducks are a preseason favorite to compete for the national championship thanks to quarterback Dante Moore returning for another season in Eugene.
Moore would have likely been a top five pick in next week's draft, but he chose to return to college football to work on a few skills before making the jump to the NFL in 2027.
Moore is expected to be in the running for the Heisman Trophy. With those expectations, one would think the Ducks will be built around passing the football to showcase their star quarterback.
CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli has a rather intriguing prediction for Oregon's offense in the fall. He thinks the Ducks will lead the Big Ten in rushing.
"Listen, Dante Moore has returned, and the Ducks have Dakorien Moore and Evan Stewart at receiver," Fornelli wrote. "They also added another stud freshman WR in Gatlin Bair, but I think this team's identity will be its rushing offense.
"Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill will combine to be an unstoppable force that, combined with an elite Oregon defense, makes this team one of the toughest to beat in the country."
That's a bold prediction from Fornelli, and one that hinges on one of the biggest question marks for the offense headed into the season.
College football analyst Josh Pate isn't sure the Ducks will have a good offensive line in the upcoming season.
“Also, I would like to talk about Oregon, because I don't have a ton of questions about them other than the O line," Pate said. “Now, if they don't have it, they don't have it.
"If Oregon does have it on the offensive line, this team may win a national championship this upcoming year... There's not a big question mark elsewhere on this roster relative to the rest of the country, except the offensive line position.”
The offensive line was a liability for Oregon last season against Indiana and Texas Tech. Pressure led to Moore making poor decisions. It also hurt the Ducks’ rushing attack.
For Oregon to lead the Big Ten in rushing, the offensive line will need to be dominant. There's no way to know how the offensive line looks until their new faces get to play on the field this fall.