Is Oregon on Upset Watch Against JMU?
After what was an amazing day of college football on Saturday, the committee has made its final selections for who’s in and who’s out. For Oregon, they were one of the four lucky teams that weren’t playing in a conference championship game, and also didn’t have to worry about getting one of the final seeds. However, for James Madison, a group of five teams that was looking to sneak in, barring a Virginia loss, which is exactly what happened, and has led us to the December 20th matchup between Oregon and JMU, with the winner facing off against Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. Both of these schools have had very different journeys leading up to this point, and it's very possible we can see an upset.
Oregon has had a solid season to say the least, with its only loss being to the undefeated, undaunted Indiana Hoosiers. Some of the Ducks’ key wins have been against Iowa in Kinnick, at Penn State during the whiteout in double overtime, and at home against USC. This résumé has helped Oregon stay locked in at the five seed, which some believe is the best position to be in, given the weakness of that side of the bracket. Quarterback Dante Moore has been phenomenal, with 24 touchdowns and 2,733 yards, along with running back Noah Whittington, who has just under 800 yards rushing and six touchdowns on the year. Oregon’s defense has stood strong this year for the most part, allowing just 30 or more points once, to Indiana. We all know what happened last year in the playoffs, where Oregon earned a bye, but ended up getting blown out by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Dan Lanning will have his boys ready and is going to use last year as motivation for the game against JMU.
As for the Dukes from Harrisonburg, James Madison has also had a successful season, which includes a 12-1 record along with the Sun Belt title, where they defeated Troy at home. A lot of people have overlooked JMU as the best group of five team, when Tulane and North Texas were getting better chances at getting the playoff from the committee. Yet, none of that mattered to James Madison, as they did nothing but win and win convincingly, which is shown by their record. Led by quarterback Alonza Barnett III, who has 21 touchdowns to show for this year, the Dukes have dominated their opponents on both sides of the field. Although they haven’t been tested yet this year, Autzen Stadium will be an environment unlike any other place they’ve played, and may ruffle some feathers on their sideline.
Oregon is not as big a favorite as people think, as they have shown signs of vulnerability, especially in big moments. James Madison could very well keep this close for the most part, but the fourth quarter will tell who comes out on top and how each of these teams does in late-game situations. At the same time, Dan Lanning isn’t taking anything lightly and will make sure he gets his guys ready for the first test of many. As for JMU, this isn’t going to be a “happy to be here” game, as they do have a legitimate shot at an upset.
