The “Kings” of college football, yet they aren’t the favorites in Pasadena. Such is the fate of the Ducks. But hold on, don’t count Dan Lanning out so soon!! How did the Sooners manage to knock out the Texans at Red River? Thank the Hawaiian dual-threat QB Dillion Gabriel. Went for a massive 285 yards on passing and covered 113 on rushing. Not only did the Longhorns have no answer for all the dimes Gabriel threw, but they also couldn’t stop him from changing the tides of the game when the Longhorns managed to edge past the 30-point mark in the 4th quarter. One 3-yard pass to Nick Anderson and Oklahoma gets the Red River Rivalry win…

…Yes, the North remembers, but are they prepared enough to deal with the White Walker that knocked out the Horns? Not quite, because after what Greg McElroy revealed, things are gonna get hard for Ryan Day.

“When the stakes are big, when the stage is significant, you know, Will Stein and Dillon Gabriel are going to do a great job of taking advantage of the aggressiveness,” McElroy pointed out. The Ducks are 13th in total scoring offense and 13th in total offense, and who you gotta thank for that? Gabriel and Stein. Someone after leaving Oklahoma and finding his new home with the Ducks, a very compatible bond formed between OC Will Stein and Dillon Gabriel.

You can pretty much say, the sole reason why the Ducks are still undefeated is because of this “bond”. “Stats are cool, but stats don’t win or lose football games,” was all Stein had to say, and it shows that he puts his money where his mouth is. A good average of 37.9 PPG, followed by a turnover ratio of low 7.

And on the other end? Gabriel has been averaging at least 250 yards on passing with a stable completion of 70% (on average). He has the 2nd highest QBR in the entire list and was a Heisman finalist for a da-n reason.

Yeah, everyone knows the Ducks had a midlife offensive line crisis, but that ain’t happening anymore. That Penn State game is the perfect reminder of how easily Oregon and Gabriel can dismantle the best teams out there. 4 massive passing touchdowns but got sacked only ONCE. The Lions’ defense had nothing on Gabriel and his pass plays and accuracy. They have won against the Bucks before, although it was a close call. So, what’s gonna stop them from curb-stomping OSU again?

Duck roast, anyone?

“Tell them Winter came for the Volunteers.” The SEC has invaded Columbus, and no one had their bets on the Bucks. How could they? Day had lost to a washed-up Michigan team. Ain’t no way they are serving an SEC slaughter fest, right?

Take that narrative and throw it out the window cause Will Howard and the entire Buckeyes offense were not playing around. Broke, battered, bruised, and now resurrected, Howard and Day’s $21 million golden child trampled the Vols’ defense.

Josh Heupel and Co. could do nothing but watch, and Nico Iamaleava? Yeah, well, he was a joke. Chip Kelly had the perfect strategy. Run the football like your life depended on it, and OSU did. 156 rushing yards on the board and over 300 in passing.

Every drive was painful for the Vols, and this is the same energy we all can expect against the Ducks. A single point. That is how close the Bucks were to pushing the game to OT when they faced off against Oregon for the first during the regular season.

Michigan took away Day’s shot at redemption at the Big 10 title game, but fate works in cruel ways as OSU is once against facing off against the Ducks. But can they prove their point? Are their offense and defense ready to face off against an elite Ducks team coming off of a bye week?

We shall see.