The No. 6 Oregon Ducks (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12) are about to take on the USC Trojans (7-3, 5-2 Pac-12) and the reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams. The Trojans, who opened the season ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll, have fallen out of the latest rankings. For the Ducks, this matchup marks the perfect time for a symbolic passing of the Heisman torch to Oregon’s own Bo Nix.
Nix has been enjoying an incredible season that has seen him total 2,723 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes with just two interceptions. He has also added five rushing touchdowns to bring him up to 30 total scores on the season. Nix is also leading the FBS in completion percentage, converting on 78.1% of his passes this season.
The incredible play of Nix was on full display in Oregon’s win over the Cal Golden Bears this past weekend. Nix threw for 386 yards and four touchdowns while adding two rushing touchdowns in the game. That performance saw a massive shakeup in the Heisman odds, as Nix now ranks second behind Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.
Williams, on the other hand, has fallen down rankings after opening the season as the favorite for the award, which would have made him just the second player ever to win two Heisman trophies. However, USC has struggled this season, picking up its third loss of the season in its most recent game against Washington. The losses may have knocked USC out of the running for the Pac-12 Championship game, barring losses from any of the current top teams.
Oregon comes into its game against USC as a favorite, especially after the Trojans have fallen out of the top-25. USC’s defense has been its weak spot this season, allowing 34.5 points per game, which is the second-worst mark in the Pac-12. This game, with the bright lights focused on the matchup between two incredible quarterbacks, could serve as Nix’s Heisman moment. Putting up gaudy offensive numbers against a Williams-led team could vault Nix even higher in the rankings heading into the final weeks of the regular season.
Conversely, a poor effort from Nix, especially to a defense that has proven to be as bad as USC’s, could take him out of the conversation entirely. Williams showed a lot of emotion in the Trojans’ recent loss at home against the Huskies. He could be playing like a man on a mission, desperate to turn around the season for his squad and get USC back in the running for a high placing in the Pac-12 as the season winds to a close.
It is tough to dethrone the reigning Heisman. It is even tougher to do so when that former Heisman is playing with nothing to lose. If it were just Nix against Williams, the advantage may go to Nix due to his play this season. However, football is a team game. Williams has fallen victim to poor defensive play in his losses. USC has allowed 134 points in its three losses, something that Williams can not be faulted for. Similarly, the USC offense has been elite and could prove a problem for Oregon’s defense, something that would not be Nix’s fault.
There are elements outside of the control of both Nix and Williams in this contest. However, that is not how the game is being viewed, and that will not be how it is viewed after the game ends. The game is being called a matchup between Nix and Williams first, and Oregon and USC second. Regardless of the outcome of the game, the story will be of one star quarterback outplaying the other.
At the end of the day, one team, and one quarterback, will be left standing. However, for Nix this game is about more than just showing that he deserves to be in the Heisman conversation. He will be looking ahead, trying to get Oregon into the College Football Playoff, a goal that is out of reach for USC after suffering too many losses this year. The Ducks suffered a loss to the Washington Huskies earlier this year, a loss that removes all margin for error for Oregon. The Ducks do not have the ability to play with the assumption that they will win, because that could lead to too many costly errors, errors that a former-Heisman can easily exploit.
Luckily for Oregon, it boasts one of the best game managers in college football. Nix has proven that he belongs squarely in the heat of the Heisman race. Since starting at Oregon at the same time as head coach Dan Lanning, Nix has led the Ducks to an 18-4 record over his two seasons. The Ducks’ only losses during that time period have come against ranked opponents.
Time and time again, Nix has shown that he can be counted on to win games that he is supposed to win, and stay close in games against high-level opponents. Barring two losses late last season that came partially due to Nix not playing at full health, the Ducks have only lost to top-10 teams in last year’s loss to the Georgia Bulldogs and this year’s loss to the Huskies.
USC is not ranked and has not proven that it deserves to be in consideration for a top-10 place in polls this season. That bodes well for the Ducks, who have dispatched two ranked opponents already this year and enter this week as heavy favorites.
There is no stopping Williams despite the quiet season USC is having. Williams has 2,958 passing yards and 28 touchdowns in the air this season. He also has 10 rushing touchdowns. His stats show he is worthy of Heisman consideration. He will be desperate to prove that USC is still worthy of hanging with the top teams as the Trojans travel to Autzen Stadium. The pressure will be on the Ducks defense to slow down Williams as much as possible in the marquee matchup.
The Oregon offense will look to give the shoddy USC defense fits, especially with Nix at the helm. However, the Ducks’ offense has proven that the team is more than just Bo Nix. Bucky Irving’s elite play in the run game has given another dimension to the Oregon offense. By giving an already questionable USC defense two aspects of the game to contend with, the Ducks could see openings for massive plays throughout the game. The run game could open up opportunities for deep passes from Nix, and in a similar way, an elite passing game could open up massive holes for Irving to rush through.
In a game that Oregon should win, the pressure is on Nix to show that he truly deserves to be near the top of the Heisman race. Luckily for Nix, this key game comes against Williams, last year’s Heisman winner. For Nix and the Ducks, dethroning the reigning Heisman champion could be another notch in the belt of a team with much higher aspirations.
