The speed in which the college football season flies by never ceases to amaze. It feels like it was only yesterday that we were previewing the season, armed with questions surrounding what the 2018 edition of Oregon football would look like under first-year head coach Mario Cristobal.

With only days to go before the final game of the regular season is played, the answers to many of those questions have been received. Yet, there’s still some territory to cover between Friday’s game versus in-state rival Oregon State and a December bowl game to be named later.

With two days to go before kickoff of the 122nd meeting between the Ducks and the Beavers, WFOD examines the biggest questions surrounding Oregon football entering the regular season finale.

1. Can the Ducks take advantage of a weak opponent to earn their second road win of the season?

If not now, when?

Rivalry games are notorious for being upset traps for favorites, but even with Oregon’s obvious deficiencies this season, it would be nothing short of surprising to see the Ducks falter against this Oregon State side. There’s no question the Beavers have shown marked improvement as a program in Jonathan Smith’s first year as head coach, but the Ducks have a distinct advantage over Oregon State at just about every position aside from running back and maybe receiver (though Oregon’s Dillon Mitchell is undoubtedly the most talented receiver in this game). Furthermore, Oregon State’s defense isn’t just bad, it’s abysmal. For all the bouts of frustration the Oregon offense has endured this season, going head-to-head with one of the nation’s worst defenses (currently ranked 129th out of 130 FBS teams in both total defense and scoring defense) should serve as the ultimate get right opportunity for Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal and offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo. Oregon’s road woes are very real, but this is the closest thing to a gimme when it comes to facing a conference opponent.

2. Did last week’s win over Arizona State spark confidence?

It should have. Aside from another inexplicably awful half from the offense, last Saturday’s win over Arizona State was arguably the best this team has looked in a victory over a quality opponent this season. Then again, confidence hasn’t exactly been an area where this team has lacked this season. Perhaps the better question is whether last week’s win over ASU sparked consistency. The yin and yang performance from the Oregon offense is nothing new, but for the first time in several weeks, the Oregon defense pitched a commendable game. Though the Sun Devils’ dynamic running back-wide receiver duo of Eno Benjamin and N’Keal Harry each eclipsed the 100-yard mark in rushing and receiving, respectively, the Ducks succeeded in keeping both players out of the end zone and did quite well limiting explosion plays altogether. The Oregon State offense will present their own challenge given the emerging ground and aerial attacks they possess, but it feels as if the Ducks – and their defense in particular – have taken an encouraging step in the right direction.

3. If Oregon jumps out to a big lead, will we see the offense go conservative?

Watching the Oregon offense operate this season has been one of the more perplexing and disheartening things for Duck fans in 2018. With perhaps the nation’s best draft eligible quarterback on their roster, the Ducks’ offensive brain trust has been seemingly unable to get out of its own way, failing to carry over success from one half to the next due to an offensive approach that has been full on stubborn for large stretches this season.

Versus Arizona State last week the Oregon offense came out of the shoot like gangbusters, rattling off 28 first half points thanks to a balanced attack that included a terrific mixture of runs between the tackles and to the perimeter, as well as a passing game that did a splendid job of getting Justin Herbert into a lethal rhythm with his receivers. In truth, it was as good as the Ducks have looked on that side of the ball since the first half of the Stanford game back in September. Then came the second half, which oddly enough, also eerily mirrored the Stanford game. As has often been the case this season, the Oregon offense suddenly and inexplicably got conservative by generally moving away from the concepts and the aggressive approach that had them operating like a well-oiled machine over the first 30 minutes of action. Considering the vulnerabilities on the defensive side of the ball for Oregon State, it would come as no surprise to see the Ducks produce another blistering offensive performance for a half. But can/will Oregon sustain that killer instinct for the entirety of the game?