Among the top football teams in the country entering the college season, Oregon has to be at the very top.
This is an Oregon team that has experience, an elite head coach, one of the best fan bases in the world, and everything else on its side. Simply put, if Oregon doesn't win a National Title, many would consider it somewhat of a failure of a season.
I don't know if it's fair to do that in this era of college football, but Oregon is well-equipped to do so. This is a program that's been elite from top to bottom, but is missing just one thing: that National Title still eludes it.
What I don't know is whether it's fair to say or not that Oregon is by far the best team in America.
I believe that it might have the best roster in the country, but we're still talking about the Ohio States, Indianas, Alabamas, Georgias, and other elite programs of the world. Not winning a National Title doesn't mean Oregon isn't just as good as those teams.
Others don't think that's the case, however, suggesting that Oregon is the top team in the country this year by a landslide.
“Oregon is the clear frontrunner, and I don't know why there isn't more of a consensus that the Ducks aren't the No. 1 team in the nation.
“Every team in the country has a question on their roster, except for Oregon. The only question is if Oregon can eventually get over the hump,” Joel Klatt wrote. “But let's be real, this team has only lost three games over the last two years — all to that season's eventual national champion. We don't think the Ducks aren't right there?”
The facts are the facts here, and the simple truth is that Oregon hasn't lost to teams that don't win National Titles.
That doesn't necessarily mean the Ducks will win it all this year because every season brings its own challenges, but if things go according to plan, we should see a really good season.