Olympic gold medalist Ashton Eaton competes in the Oregon Twilight meet

Oregon's Laura Roesler will be favored to win the 800 at next week's NCAA Championships.

(Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian)

I returned from a couple days off, in which I decompressed from the Prefontaine Classic and spent time with my 84-year-old father, to find the Oregon Ducks are consensus favorites to win the men's NCAA outdoor track & field title.

The UO men last won a national championship outdoors in 1984, so this could be a major breakthrough for coach Robert Johnson's program.

Both the Track & Field News form chart, compiled by analyst John Auka, and the USTFCCCA rankings pick the Oregon men to win next week's NCAA Championships, which begin Wednesday at Hayward Field.

The UO women are in the mix too. The USTFCCA rankings have the Ducks third, behind Texas and Texas A&M. The Track & Field News form chart, compiled by analyst Jack Pfeifer, has Oregon second, three points behind projected winner Texas.

A three-point differential on a pre-meet form chart is essentially a statistical dead heat, meaning there is a very real possibility that Oregon could sweep.

The UO women, incidentally, haven't won a national title outdoors since 1985.

It will be wild four days at Hayward Field, and the home crowd could become a factor.

A few of my own thoughts:

-- I like the UO men's chances better. Johnson has cobbled together the traditional Oregon formula of distances + throws + something else to put together a contender.

The Ducks need yeoman's work from distance runners Edward Cheserek, Trevor Dunbar and Parker Stinson. All are doubling in the 5,000 and 10,000. The addition of Eric Jenkins in the 5,000 gives Oregon the potential for impact points there.

Javelin thrower Sam Crouser and hammer thrower Greg Skipper need to score heavily, as will Mike Berry in the 400.

But the big addition for the UO men is hurdler Devon Allen, a freshman football player who is making huge strides in the 110s, and also helping on the 4x400.

-- The UO women could win, but they have put a load on sophomore Jenna Prandini.

Phyllis Francis and Laura Roesler will score well in the 400 and 800 respectively, but Prandini needs to come through in four events.

To get the Ducks in position for a team victory, it appears that Prandini must score heavily in the 100, 200 and long jump, and contribute a strong leg on the 4x100. It's a lot to ask, even of an athlete as talented and pressure-tested as Prandini.

I'm interested in what others might think of the possibility of an Oregon sweep.

How possible is it?

OK, more links:

Paul Swangard talks to the Oregon Daily Emerald about his two decades as the voice of Hayward Field.

Long Beach Poly sprinter Ariana Washington -- an Oregon recruit -- shares a special bond with her brother.

USA Track & Field selects Galen Rupp as athlete of the week.

Nike Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar reflects on Rupp's U.S. record at the Pre Classic in this Flotrack video.

Track workouts are coming together for Ryan Vail as he prepares for the Oregon Festival and the USA Championships.

Eugene-based javelin thrower Cyrus Hostetler blogs about having to watch the Prefontaine Classic fro the sidelines.

Ex-UO heptathlete Brianne Theisen Eaton is among the athletes named to the Canadian team for the Commonwealth Games.

College romance ended well for Theisen Eaton and Ashton Eaton Eaton, the world record-holder in the decathlon.

Phoebe Wright blogs about how success or failure after years of training for a professional runner is determined by fractions of a second.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce says she was running hurt in Eugene.

The experts at LetsRun.com preview the Golden Gala in Rome.

Toni Reavis: Stars past and present gather in San Diego to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jim Ryun's first high school, sub-four mile.

Jesse Squire's watch list for the women's jumps for the World Junior Championships.

Why do some colleges succeed in track & field while others don't. It might have to do with the way their coaches are paid. Squire examines the curious case of Ohio State coach Ed Bethea, who has resigned to become an assistant at Indiana.

In a notes column by Arizona Daily star columnist Greg Hansen, he writes that distance runner Stephen Sambu has chosen to spend some of his prize money on a well for his home town of Eldoret, Kena. It's the 14th item.

Arizona thrower Julie Labonte is expecting the NCAA Championships to be emotional.

Jesse Squire has the weekend's best matchups for the Daily Relay.

The World Anti-Doping Agency won't appeal Tyson Gay's reduced ban.

USA Track & Field agrees to pay the men's and women's winners equally in the USA 50 kilometer race-walking championships.

Martin Bingisser examines the age at which javelin throwers hit their prime.

Roseburg High junior Gabrielle Kearney is The Oregonian's girls high school track athlete of the year.

Connor McLean of Clackamas is named The Oregonian's boys high school track athlete of the year.

This week's edition of RunnerSpace Live.

The House of Run guys review the Pre Classic and preview today's Diamond League meet in Rome.

The front page for LetsRun.com.

The links package from Track & Field News.

Runner's World's daily wrap of racing news.

The USTFCCCA Daily roundup.

The links from Duck Sports Now.

-- Ken Goe | @KenGoe