Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich and Nebraska head coach Mike Riley are old friends. The coaches competed against one another for years in the Pac-12 before Riley bolted from Oregon State to Nebraska in 2015.

Now in his second year at the helm of the Cornhuskers, Riley will once again face Helfrich and the Ducks. This time it’ll be with a new team, a new batch of athletes and in an atmosphere far superior to Corvallis’ Reser Stadium.

Here are the matchups to watch.

Oregon Wide Receivers vs. Nebraska Secondary
This will probably be the biggest matchup to watch on Saturday. Nebraska has nicknamed its defense the blackshirts because of their fast, physical and hard-hitting way of doing things. Likewise, Oregon is blessed with arguably the best group of playmakers in the nation, so whoever rises to the occasion will probably lead its team to victory. The Ducks can beat opponents with speed (Devon Allen or Charles Nelson), size (6-foot-5 Dwayne Stanford and 6-foot-6 Pharaoh Brown) or the combination of both (Darren Carrington). Quarterback Dakota Prukop does a great job of spreading the ball around to the playmakers. Nebraska counters with some ball-hawking safeties in Kieron Williams and Nathan Gerry (each with two interceptions on the year). While Josh Kalu gives the Cornhuskers size to contend with Carrington, the depth for the Huskers isn’t the greatest.

Nebraska Offensive Line vs. Oregon Defensive Front Seven
It’s been noted how badly Oregon’s front seven was gashed last week by Virginia’s running game. Now the Ducks will have to contend with a bigger and more physical Nebraska offensive line. Nick Gates and Dylan Utter are the top returnees along the Nebraska offensive line and make up the two most important positions in left tackle and center, respectively. It will be up to Gates and Utter to make sure their unit is on the same page and locks up blocks, allowing quarterback Terry Armstrong Jr. and running back Devine Ozigbo to run wild. Meanwhile, the Ducks need to improve in shedding blocks and filling gaps if they want any chance of slowing down Nebraska and its 47.5 points per game.

Helfrich vs. Riley
Both of these coaches know each other’s tendencies and styles. With no disrespect to Oregon State, Riley will finally be coaching a team that can compete athletically with Oregon. This matchup will be like an advanced game of chess with each coach trying to predict what the other will do. The Riley and Helfrich series has been completely one-sided with Helfrich yet to lose, but with Riley’s new team and greater ability to recruit, he might secure his first win against Helfrich and the Ducks.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka