Here's The Early Test That Could Prove Season-Defining For The Oregon Ducks

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning confers with wide receiver Troy Franklin (11) in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

By STEVEN VAUGHAN, 750 THE GAME

At the end of college football seasons, we tend to look back and say, “that was the season-defining game.”

What if we tried to figure out what defining game will be before it happens?

John Canzano says he has been looking at schedules of all the Pac-12 schools. For Oregon, there is a game on the schedule that jumps off the page.

“In Week 2, they go to Lubbock. They go to Texas Tech,” Canzano said on 750 The Game. “It’s not an easy place to get to. It’s not a bad team. And it’s a road game in a world where we all know it’s difficult enough to win and really difficult to win on the road in college football.”

The game against Texas Tech could be a big confidence boost for the Ducks. The Red Raiders are a team that flirted with theTop 25 last season, they return all 11 starters back on offense, and Canzano thinks that if Oregon wants to be contenders, we’ll learn a lot in that matchup.

“If Oregon is going to be worth a damn, we are going to find out who they are in Week 2 when they go to Lubbock,” said Canzano. “It won’t be Week 4 at home against Colorado. It won’t be Week 12 against Oregon State at home. It’s not going to be that late. We’re going to find out who Oregon is in that Texas Tech game. We’re going to find out who they are and what they are pretty early in the season.”

Luckily for the Ducks, they have some returning players that have some chemistry from last season that could help them start fast.

“The guy I’m really looking forward to seeing is Troy Franklin,” Canzano said of the returning playmaker who was a second team All Pac-12 selection last year. “I saw him in the spring game. I think he’s going to be that guy for Bo Nix. And I think we are going to hear Bo Nix to Troy Franklin making big time plays throughout the Oregon season. I’m eager to see that from go. Particularly in Week 2.”

The Oregon Ducks have a lot of expectations on them heading into the season, and that matchup against Texas Tech on Sept. 9th (4:00 p.m., FOX) could be the key to the whole year.

Listen to the segment at the 2:05:00 mark of the podcast below. Catch the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano weekdays 3-6 pm in Portland exclusively on 750 The Game.