Cal Football Countdown: 91 Days, A Look at Oregon

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Spring Indicator #1: Replacing Mitchell

Top threat Dillon Mitchell declared for the NFL, taking 36% of Oregon's passing game production with him, much to the delight of a Cal secondary that he torched last season -- but in his stead are a flockful of players who performed well all spring. The Ducks added several early enrollees on offense this year, including Penn State transfer Juwan Johnson (who is in that huge receiver mold Cal has struggled to contain), and together all the new faces were the talk of the Oregon spring game, tallying 12 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Herbert is still the presumed #1 QB in the 2020 draft, and stopping him will be tough enough. That he'll be backed up by a bunch of new faces, an improved CJ Verdell, and should anything happen, an apparently strong backup in Tyler Shough (who nearly won the spring game against Herbert)? In Autzen? The Bears have their hands full.

Spring Indicator #2: They look legit

The young guys, I mean. And not just the ones on offense, which I briefly touched on above.

Oregon's recruiting has surged to all-time highs under Cristobal, and the class he's brought in for 2019 has been made their presence felt immediately, with cornerback Mykael Wright and defensive lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux (he who shunted USC) drawing rave reviews in particular. This is before Chris Steele, and five other four-star players arrive this summer, too.

Look, all I'm saying is the Ducks could be seriously, seriously back after some a few lean years under Helfrich and Willie Taggart. The recruiting already is.

Spring Indicator #3: Expectations are high

Between Herbert, the arriving class, the five returners at OL, and a veteran back end headed by Troy Dye, Deommodore Lenoir and Thomas Graham, the Ducks are well-positioned in the North, and are essentially a pick-em against hated rival Washington for the division crown. One would feel much better about Cal's chances if this game were at home, but the truth is Oregon has generally enjoyed a decided athletic advantage in this matchup over the last decade, and parlayed it into 9 wins (the one loss was the OT game where Kunaszyk got the interception.)