I find this an interesting comment. I'm not sure I'd agree with that statement, of course, I am a Duck so my perspective may be bias a bit.
I think UT has faster WR's as a group though young. The top two apparent RB's have similar speed though your guy has probably proven himself more and Neal has much better size and power. Your QB has to be a runner so there's no comparison there. Safeties are probably close but UT has three very good ones. I am not sure what UT has at CB except athletes. They do have those. Oregon has recruited the secondary well from what I can tell. Though I know you have some well thought of DL's, I feel very comfortable saying that UT's front 7 is faster than yours. Not necessarily better... that to me is where this coaching staff earns its money... but faster and bigger and probably stronger.
I think UT's linemen are going to be faster on both sides of the ball. In general, that is what sets the SEC apart from other conferences. There are fast skill players and DB's in every conference throughout all the FBS. The SEC has a slight advantage there but it is truly pretty marginal and does not have to be a factor. The real, distinct difference is the combination of size, power, and speed you see on the lines in the SEC.
I am not predicting a UT win though I will be a lot less surprised with one than most people here. I am predicting this is a much more difficult physical, man to man match up than many seem to think.
Like any other team that plays the Ducks, it comes down to whether Jones can frustrate a strategy and system that has proven to be very, very successful.
You score quick by emphasizing smaller, faster RB's with constant big play potential. Your WR's are expected to be good WR's and your QB a good passer but you do not design to be a vertical passing team. You expect and get great perimeter blocking from your WR's and that more than anything else may set your offense apart from everyone else. You had only 20 pass plays of over 25 yds all last year but 43 rushing plays over 25 yds. That's pretty amazing considering that Clemson led the NCAA in pass plays over 25 yds at only 51.
You sort of have a zig vs zag strategy. You use a big play run game to put pressure on other teams then focus more on pass rush and pass D than run D to take away what most teams try to do to keep up with you.
This is sort of Jones' mentality too though. He emphasizes the pass more than your program has but he's still a run oriented guy. He basically wants to do most of the same things you do. He's publicly said he wants to run over 90 plays on O. That's a high goal for this era. All this together means it comes down to how well the teams are coached and how well they match up physically. The latter... I feel comfortable saying UT has a good handle on.
As far as coaching, even with a change your system does not change so your players are recruited for it and integrated into it. UT does not truly know what they have in Jones... but neither does Oregon. They can review Cincy film but Jones has far more talent now than he's ever had anywhere even if it was not specifically recruited to run his system.
Coaching intangibles... I like Jones alot but admit I do not know that aspect of your new coach. "Experts" have labeled Jones one of the best HC motivators in CFB... I guess we will see soon.
