The month of August is almost here and with that the start of the 2016 College Football season is only months away and the race for a playoff birth is in full swing. With that being said we took a look at the eight Oregon players who made Athlon Sports Pac-12 preseason all-conference team.

Offense

Royce Freeman: Royce Freeman, aka “Rolls Royce” was listed as the first-team running back ahead of Ronald Jones of USC and Soso Hames from UCLA. Rolls Royce accounted for second in the Pac-12 in total rushing yards with a total of 1836 and averaging 6.5 yards a carry. The sophomore back also lead the conference rushing TDs with 17 on the ground and two more receiving. Freeman is one of three running backs in the Ducks rotation but with his combination go speed and power he’ll be Oregon’s primary back and goal line power rusher.

Charles Nelson: Nelson made the second team for all-purpose players just behind Stanford’s Christina McCaffrey. Nelson played more of a defensive role for Oregon last year spending most of his time at Safety and accounted for two key interceptions and 47 total tackles. On the offensive side of the ball, Nelson was the second highest in all-purpose yards for the Ducks collecting 876 kick return yards, 115 yards on the ground and 270 receiving yards and five touchdowns. This coming season Nelson is expected to go back to his normal role as a wide receiver and kick returner and will become another weapon for coach Mark Helfrich and quarterback Dakota Prukop. Look for Nelson to add more TDs and all-purpose yards in the 2016 season.

Darren Carrington: Despite missing almost half the season due to suspension, Carrington still made the second team list as a wide receiver due to his 609 yards and averaging 19 yards a reception the second most for any Oregon receiver. Carrington’s six TDs were good for 12th most in the Pac-12 and second most for the Ducks. A healthy and responsible Carrington will be a threat for opposing defenses next season and will likely get him first team honors at the end of the season.

Pharaoh Brown: In this year’s spring game, no other player received a more welcome entrance than Brown did when he stepped on the field for the first time since suffering a serious leg injury in the 2014 season. Brown recorded six catches for 43 yards in the spring game and received first team Pac-12 honors in the 2014 season.

Tyrell Crosby: Crosby made Athlon’s first team OL and started in 12 of Oregon’s games at right tackle. He played a key role in Oregon’s offense that collected 485 yards against Eastern Washington and played 90 or more snaps in seven games. Crosby will play a major factor in the Ducks offense this season as they go for their 11th consecutive rushing title.

Defense

Henry Mondeaux: Mondeaux made a name for himself last year as the only underclassman to start for the Ducks defensive line. In 2015 Mondeaux finished third overall in team sacks with four and collected 22 tackles all season. With seven starts and 12 appearances under his belt, this coming season is prepped to be a big one for Mondeaux as he will be relied on more to disrupt the opposing offense in the backfield.

Torrodney Prevot: The senior from Houston, Texas played in all 13 games for the Ducks and was starting by the last five. Prevot recorded 48 total tackles for Oregon and accounted for 7.5 tackle for losses good for third best on the team. This spring Prevot switched to defensive end as part of the team’s new 4-3 defense under Brady Hoke. The 4-3 defense will better suit Prevot’s playing style, allowing the speedy 6’2 defensive end to focus on putting pressure and sack the quarterback.

Special Teams

Aidan Schneider: Schneider was awarded first team honors last season as well as a third team All-American honors. Schneider went 67-67 on extra points and had the highest field goal in the Pac-12 going 22-24 or 90.0%. Schneider also led the conference in scoring for kickers with 133 points averaging 10.2 points per game.

Charles Nelson: Nelson makes the list once more thanks to his 26.5 yard average good for a team-best and third overall in the Pac-12.

Follow @ACAllAmericans for quality, up-to-date sports reporting.