All Potential Means is You Haven't Done Anything Yet; All a Gaudy Reputation and Ranking Means is You Have Work to Do

Chip Kelly doesn't care about rivalries or records; all he cares about are winning games. But as fans, it's still interesting to note some of the accomplishments of the Oregon offense and try to put them in perspective.

Through 8 games the Ducks have averaged 54.4 points a game and 572.8 yards . 2008 Oklahoma is the gold standard of modern offenses, scoring 51.1 per contest in a 14-game season. With sophomore Sam Bradford at quarterback, they hung 62 on Nebraska, 61 on arch rival Oklahoma State, and 62 on Missouri in the Big 12 title game. Bradford threw for over 4400 yards and 48 tds.

The Sooners boomed all season, but they lost the national championship game 24-14 to Florida. A team with equal speed and talent completely grounded their offense.

Oregon faces a severely undermanned Washington team this Saturday and 60 points is a realistic possibility. The Ducks are four wins from a perfect season. The offense will face sterner tests in the weeks to come, on the road from an athletic Cal defense led by linebacker Mike Mohammed, from an Arizona defense that leads the conference in most statistical categories, and from the Beavers, who'll be charged up for a rivalry game in Reser stadium.

Each of those tests will have to be met with equal focus and attention, and the Ducks have given every indication they'll achieve that. Listen to the players talk after practice, and there's no apparent let up in their commitment to Kelly's steadfast refusal to buy in to the growing hype. It's starting to look like Super Bowl week after practice, with media members swarming from player to player, portable mics in hand.

The Ducks have been a fast-paced, high-efficiency operation, but now every day of practice is crucial. Because they are not only preparing for this week's opponent, the immediate goal, they are building the tempo and execution they'll need to face Auburn, Alabama, TCU, or Boise State.

Critics like Matt Hayes of the Sporting News say Oregon's offense is an illusion, a product of dominance over inferior competition. He says Oregon is overrated because they haven't played any good defenses, pointing out the rankings of the Ducks' opponents so far: Washington State, 120th, New Mexico, 118th, USC, 98th, UCLA, 94th, Tennessee 86th, Arizona State, 38th, Stanford, 30th.

Maybe those defenses aren't highly rated because they had to play Oregon. A 50-point, 600-yard day can jam up your stats. It's like taking a snowman on a par three.

Win the Day, sure, but now that they've reached this level, this is the ultimate prize, to keep winning and scoring until the end, and silence all the critics.