The two biggest trap games on Oregon’s schedule in 2022
We are less than 50 days from the start of the Oregon Ducks’ 2022 football season on Sept. 3 against the Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta.
Many game previews will be produced before then, but at Ducks Wire our eye was caught by something Athlon Sports put out this last week. It took the teams in college football who are likely going to be in playoff contention at the end of the year and tried to identify their possible trap games.
For anyone who is unfamiliar, a trap game is loosely defined as an opponent on the schedule that should not give a team any trouble, but could end up pushing it to the brink and potentially result in an upset.
So when looking at the Ducks’ schedule, where are the potential trap games? There may be a couple. Here are the two Athon Sports identified:
Sept. 24 at Washington State Cougars
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
There’s arguably no “trappier” team in the Pac-12 North than the Washington State Cougars. The notion of “Pac-12 After Dark” has been a thing for a long time, signaling crazy, late-game heroics that happen long after much of the country has gone to bed on a Saturday night. Washington State is usually involved.
The Ducks have lost two of their last three games to the Cougars, and have to always be on their toes when traveling to Pulloose.
Nov. 25 at Oregon State Beavers
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
You can trust the Ducks will never go into a rivalry game against the Beavers without giving their full attention to Oregon State, but the timing for this year’s matchup between the two is what makes it a trap game.
Oregon and Oregon State will meet in Corvallis a week after the Ducks play host to the Utah Utes, which is slated to be one of the best games of the year after how the 2021 season ended for Oregon. Could the Ducks be riding too high after a win, or potentially nursing too many injuries after facing Utah?
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