No. 19 Oregon Ducks

Editor’s Note: Beginning every May 1, Athlon Sports counts toward the release of its College Football Annuals by releasing one spot in its Top 25 every weekday for five weeks. The No. 1 team will be revealed June 4. Check AthlonSports.com every day to see who’s next in the countdown. The 2008 College Football Annuals hit newsstands June 3rd.

The Ducks were in the national championship conversation last fall before the knee injury to quarterback Dennis Dixon silenced the talk. Or at least changed the subject to what could have been. Dixon and 1,722-yard rusher Jonathan Stewart are both gone now, leaving the ball in the hands of a first-time starting quarterback (Justin Roper or Nate Costa) and a running back (LeGarrette Blount) new to campus.

Roper finished the season as Oregon’s quarterback and set a Sun Bowl record with four touchdown passes in the 56–21 win over South Florida. And this was only his fifth game appearance of the year after opening the season fifth-string. Roper, a 6’6“ pocket passer, or Costa, a more mobile sophomore who has been battling knee issues, both have an equal shot at the job going into the fall. Whoever lines up under center will have last year’s top two pass catchers to work with. Wide receiver Jaison Williams has caught 138 passes for 2,073 yards and 17 touchdowns over his career, and tight end Ed Dickson is back after a 43-reception, three-touchdown output in ’07.

Blount is the top-rated running back coming out of the junior college ranks this year (East Mississippi Community College). All-America center Max Unger and All-Pac-10 tackle Fenuki Tupou are stalwarts in a big, experienced, run-blocking line.

Safety Patrick Chung and cornerback Walter Thurmond III are back after finishing 1-2 on the team in tackles last season. Thurmond led the team with five interceptions and a whopping 18 pass breakups. End Nick Reed put up some impressive numbers of his own with 22.5 tackles for a loss and 12 sacks, and he’s back to lead the charge up front.

USC, Arizona State and California are all midseason road games for the Ducks this season. The Civil War is slated for Corvallis on Dec. 1.

The curse With a 34–24 loss to Arizona, Oregon became the fifth team to lose last season after ascending to No. 2 in the polls.

Big loss Departed Duck tailback Jonathan Stewart finished seventh in the nation in rushing last season at 132.5 yards per game.

Push ’em back Oregon defenders led the nation last fall in tackles for losses, with an average of 9.4 per game.

Oregon superlatives:

DE Nick Reed is named Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-Pac-10.

C Max Unger is named Third-Team All-America and Second-Team All-Pac-10.

CB Jairus Byrd and S Patrick Chung are named First-Team All-Pac-10.

WR Jaison Williams, OL Fenuki Tupou and P Josh Syria are named Second-Team All-Pac-10.

CB Walter Thurmond joins the All-Pac-10 Third-Team.

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You can read the entire Oregon preview in the 2008 Athlon Sports College Football magazine, available for purchase now at the Athlon Sports store.

Also coming to AthlonSports.com this summer:
— Top 25 Heisman Hopefuls
— Live chats with Athlon editors
— Conference-preview videocasts
— Launch of the 2009 Athlon Consensus 100
— Athlon's college fantasy football draft kit

Other in-season offerings:
— Previews for every college football game
— Fantasy games
— Sideline Spirit voting
— Scenes From Saturday
— Updated Athlon 119
— Much more

Be sure to return to AthlonSports.com after June 15 when complete team previews for all 119 teams will be available.

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