To continue our offseason evaluations, we're running through three pressing questions facing each Pac-12 team entering 2017. We'll continue with Oregon.

1. What will Willie Taggart’s Oregon look like?

Willie Taggart will bring a lot of changes to Eugene, and it will be interesting to watch. Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

He already has said that portions of spring practice will be open and that he’ll discuss injuries, both of which depart from longstanding Oregon tradition. His hashtag of choice is #DoSomething rather than #WinTheDay, which might just be semantics, but again, it’s some kind of a departure from the past for the Ducks. Taggart is the first coach hired from outside of the program in about four decades, so within the season and the offseason there are going to be noticeable differences. But most importantly for the fans will likely be how different the product looks on the field. At USF he was known for his offense and coming into the 2017 season, he has put together quite the defensive staff for the Ducks so the pieces seem to be in place. But, will this be a group like last season -- one that sometimes appeared to quit on itself on the field during games? One that reportedly slacked on workouts? Or, has a new coach invigorated this program with a new energy?

2. Can the Ducks find a pass rush?

The Ducks ended last season with 25 sacks. But the more troubling fact was how much the Ducks needed to blitz in order to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. When the Ducks sent four or fewer pass rushers, they registered 13 sacks (ninth in the Pac-12). Compare that to conference-leading Washington, which tallied 37 sacks with four or fewer pass rushers, or to Colorado (led then by now-Oregon defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt), which totaled 22 sacks without a blitz. ... So, yes, when sending four or fewer the Buffs came up with almost as much pressure as the Ducks did in all of the 2016 season. The pairing of Leavitt with former Washington State assistant head coach/defensive line coach Joe Salave’a will be an interesting combo that, on paper at least, is intriguing enough to make most believe that this defensive line unit will take a major jump forward next season. But, due to attrition, suspension and medical retirements, Oregon’s pool of returning talent isn’t as deep as any incoming coach would probably like. But Leavitt and Salave’a finding the right fit there is key, because without a quality pass rush next season Oregon will continue to struggle defensively.

3. How big of a jump will quarterback Justin Herbert make as a sophomore?

Last season Herbert became the first true freshman to start for the Ducks in nearly 35 years. But this offseason is going to be critical for him, not only as a player entering his second year of starting, but also as a player going through a coaching and offensive change. For most quarterbacks who start (at least a handful of games) their freshman seasons, the growth made by their sophomore seasons is significant. Just look around the conference to see evidence of that -- Washington’s Jake Browning threw for 2,955 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a freshman, but as a sophomore he threw for 3,430 yards, 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions; Washington State’s Luke Falk completed 64 percent of his passes in six games as a freshman, but completed 69.5 percent of his passes in 12 games as a sophomore. Herbert will have a full offseason to put on some weight and dive into the scheme changes that Taggart will bring, both of which could present some new issues when returning to the field. But, he’ll be playing behind a much more experienced offensive line that will return four starters from last season as well as a healthy Tyrell Crosby, who started the previous two years for the Ducks, so that should be a major boost.