Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.

#24 Oregon Ducks 10-2 SU; 7-4 ATS

Fargos Take For the second time in five years, Oregon got no love from the BSC computers. After getting the shaft in the 2001 BCS Championship, the Ducks went 10-1 last season yet did not get invited to a BSC game, subsequently losing to Oklahoma in the pre-New Years Day Holiday Bowl. What will it take for the Ducks to get some respect? They will surely get it this season if they can go on the road and defeat USC, California and Arizona St., the top three teams in the Pac Ten. It likely wont happen so another minor bowl is in the cards for the fourth time in five years unless something remarkable takes place. The offense will be potent once again as its 34.5 ppg last season was the second most in school history. The top ranked defense in the Pac Ten from last season has to be retooled so we could see some fun games from the Ducks in 2006. Translating them into wins might be a different story.

Returning Starters on Offense 7 Quarterback Kellen Clemens is gone but all is not lost. Junior Dennis Dixon started four games in place of the injured Clemens and he not only produced but gave the Ducks an option of running the ball from the quarterback spot. He completed over 66 percent of his throws while tossing six touchdowns and just three interceptions. Leading rusher Terrance Whitehead and leading receiver Demetrius Williams both need to be replaced but help is on the way. Sophomore tailback Jonathan Stewart is a star in the making while receiver James Finley is capable of a breakout season. The strength of the unit is on the offensive line as all five starters are back. This unit is being tabbed as one of the three best in the country. Dont expect much of a dropoff on the offensive side in 2006.

Returning Starters on Defense 6 Finishing tops in the conference in defense was a huge accomplishment last year but an even bigger one will be to come even close to that this season. A lot of cogs to that defense are gone including All-American defensive tackle Haloti Ngata who often saw double and triple teams coming his way. The line does bring back two experienced ends, both starters in 2005 while two of the three linebackers also return. The biggest concern is in the secondary where both cornerbacks need to be replaced including Aaron Gipson, who led the country in interceptions a season ago. It is quite possible that three redshirt freshmen will have the top four spots at the corners. Free safety J.D. Nelson needs to provide leadership to the group. Oregon has allowed fewer ppg in each of the last four years but it will take a special effort to keep that run going.

Schedule As mentioned earlier, the Ducks face a huge test this season, both in and out of the conference. They have three non-conference games this year but only one of those, a home game against Portland St. is a sure win. The other two, a game at Fresno St. and a home contest against Oklahoma could both go either way. Oregon starts the season with a Pac Ten game at home against Stanford and following the game against the Sooners, it has back-to-back road games at Arizona St. and California. Besides the game at USC, all of the other conference games are manageable but five of the nine Pac Ten games are away from Eugene and that includes the season finale at Oregon St. in the Civil War. Overall, the six road games are the most since 2003.

You can bet on If Dixon continues where he left off last season, Oregon will be in very good shape to win the games its supposed to win and possibly pulling off some upsets along the way. This is probably the most difficult schedule since 2001 but we all know what happened that year as a tough seven-point home loss to Stanford kept the Ducks from a shot at the National Championship. Oregon is 17-8 against the number since 2001 when playing on the road and that includes a 9-4 mark as a road underdog. Four of the first five games could see the Ducks in that role but the first three are all against teams that Oregon defeated last season so there could be some revenge factors that need to be looked at as well.