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Absolutely. One could certainly argue this is a "new" era in college football and 2025 represents a fundamental change in how things should be viewed going forward. Time will tell. Player "development" should not be taken for granted for sure. This year, 9/10 of the top teams in overall roster composition all missed the final four: Georgia (#1), Alabama (#2), Ohio State (#3), Texas (#4), LSU (#6), Clemson (#7), Texas A&M (#8), ND (#9), and Penn State (#10). Oregon at #5 was actually the only one to make it (along with Miami #15, Old Miss #21, and Indiana #72). However, going back as far as the early 1990s, there just haven't been many "lower ranked" outliers getting through, instead the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson. Prior to that it was other then top schools snatching up all the talent like Urban Meyer at Florida, Pete Carroll at USC, and 2001 Miami. As a simple measure of "talent" in a program, national rankings of high school recruits in roster composition has a pretty well documented correlation. If we want to point to individual errors in the system, not too hard to do: Justin Flowe, Canton Kaumatule, Ty Thompson, Jurrion Dickey, Devon Blackmon, Taj Griffin, Jonah Tauanu'u, Aaron Klovis, others. Having a roster full of top 80, and to a lesser extent top 200 recruits, just is a strong measure of overall talent in a program. I am sure there are other ways to do it, maybe by individuals going through and re-ranking players based on their own measures. I'd read it. However, for broad discussions I don't know how one gets around the "Yeah, but that is like just your opinion, man" factor. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of incorporating post high school development in rating systems. So far, attempts to do so like re-ranking portal guys hasn't exactly blown my doors off. Former Penn State TE Andrew Olesh was a high four star and the #3 TE in the nation with not just offers but actual official visits to Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Florida. In high school, he was listed at 6-4.5 and 215 and it was pretty much assumed he was going to need to add some size to be a college TE. He goes to Penn State and ends up redshirting and now he is already a mid three-star and #445 best player in the portal and #32 best TE? His "talent" is now very average because he probably needed to add weight, which everyone already was aware of when he was given his initial rating? National rankings and roster composition is just a fairly accurate measure someone can point to, to use in attempting to facilitate the discussion going back all the way to the days of SuperPrep, PrepStar, Parade, Lemming, and so on. As for Indiana? Sure. And for any one single player, Cignetti might pass. However, I doubt he is turning down most of Jared Curtis, Jackson Cantwell, Xavier Griffin, Chris Henry Jr, Immanuel Iheanacho, Luke Wafle, and so on if they were all willing. I don't know, maybe he would be passing on those guys to mine Tulane, North Texas, and Illinois State for gems, but my guess is he too would opt to be shopping off the top 80. [ just one opinion here and happy if others don't agree 🙂 ]

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2026 BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball Ducks Clinch Series With Another Shutout EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon baseball team remained undefeated and secured a series win over Youngstown State on Saturday afternoon with a 7-0 victory in game three of the four-game series at PK Park. The Ducks (7-0) recorded their second shutout in as many games, following a 3-0 win on Friday. Oregon got six scoreless innings from starting pitcher Collin Clarke (2-0), who was backed by an offense that put up five runs in the first three innings and scored in four of the first five frames. "Collin has pitched well so far this season, and he pitched well again today," head coach Mark Wasikowski said. "He mixes them up and locates his fastball really well. When he's doing that, he has been really effective so far this season." Seven different Ducks checked in with a base hit, and both Gabe Miranda and Burke-Lee Mabeus slugged their first home runs of the season. Miles Gosztola relieved Clarke and fired two scoreless innings before giving way to Leo Uelmen to close it out in the ninth. Oregon will try to complete its second straight four-game sweep to open the season on Sunday afternoon. "It's hard to win four games in a row against anybody," Wasikowski said. "We have to be ready to play. That's one of the things we focus on in our postgame talk and just getting our minds right. I think if they do the same thing and are aggressive on the mound, they'll be fine tomorrow." How it Happened: Oregon got on the board early against Youngstown State starter Jack Messmore (0-1), who loaded the bases in the first inning with two walks and a hit batter. Drew Smith came through with a clutch two-out hit for the Ducks, ripping a two-run single through the left side for a 2-0 lead. The Ducks used the long ball to add to their lead in the third, starting with a solo shot to right field off the bat of Miranda. Maddox Molony followed with a double, and Mabeus ripped a two-run shot to right field to extend Oregon's lead to 5-0. A Home-Run Huddle Miranda and Mabeus became the eighth and nine Ducks to hit home runs through the first seven games of the season. "They are good players," Wasikowski said. "I know we lost a lot of home runs from last year, but we take a lot of pride in being in the weight room. We feel like that is one of the staples of our program." Oregon took advantage of more free passes in the fourth inning, adding a run on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Molony. In the fifth, a pair of singles gave the Ducks runners on the corners with one out, and Jax Gimenez executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to make it 7-0. That was all the offense Clarke would need as he struck out six batters and gave up just two hits and a walk across six shutout frames. It was the second straight scoreless outing by an Oregon starter, after Will Sanford kept Youngstown State (0-6) scoreless over six innings of his own on Friday. Clarke worked around singles in each of the first two innings before facing the minimum in each of his final four frames, and he was helped in the first inning by a terrific leaping catch at the wall in right field by freshman Angel Laya. The Ducks also erased a leadoff walk in the fourth inning on a slick double play that started with a diving stop by Molony at shortstop. "Our defense is amazing," Clarke said. "I have full confidence in the world knowing that the guys behind me are going all out." Gosztola came on in the seventh and struck out the first two batters he faced before walking the next two, but he escaped the inning with a groundout. He then struck out two more in a 1-2-3 eighth inning, and Uelmen erased a one-out walk in the ninth with a double play to end the game. Collin Clarke Box Score Notes: Ryan Cooney and Gimenez each had two hits, and both Smith and Mabeus drove in a pair of runs … The Ducks worked eight walks, including two each by Molony and Dominic Hellman, and struck out just three times … Oregon has now held Youngstown State to just one run on eight hits with 29 strikeouts through 27 innings in the series … The Ducks recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time since March 2-4, 2025. On Deck: The Ducks will go for a four-game sweep of Youngstown State on Sunday. First pitch is set for 12:05 p.m. at PK Park. Quotable: RHP Collin Clarke On his go-to pitch to get back in the zone... "Today it was the change-up, normally I try and throw all pitches in the zone, but today it was the change-up. There wasn't really anything different today, last week I was in the zone with it too." On what he's learned so far from this series and how he will prepare for the next... "Prepare the right way. Go home, watch film, and keep going about the process the right way." 1B Gabe Miranda On the depth and power Oregon's hitting has... "It's awesome. I know that one through nine are going to have competitive at bats. And it's good knowing that the guy behind me is going to get the job done, whether it's with power or not." On his mindset at the plate today... "The pitcher was struggling with his command, so I was able to find my timing and that's been a real issue for me, struggling with my timing. It felt good, I saw the pitches really well, got in the hitters count and did what I do." C Burke-Lee Mabeus On how it was behind the dish today with three different pitchers… "It was my first time this season catching Clarke and Leo to close out the game, and they did exactly what we asked them to. We kept them to zero runs, and we put a lot of emphasis on 0-0 and 0-1 pitches. They did exactly that and got ahead early, so kudos to them." On his first home run of the year… "It felt good. I was looking for that. I was just trying to ambush the fastball there, and I know the report said he threw a lot of them. Once I got it, Gabe and I were both pretty pumped about that."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2026 MEN’S BASKETBALL | @OregonMBB Late Run Lifts Oregon over USC LOS ANGELES — Oregon closed the game on a 7-0 run in the final 51 seconds, capped by two free throws from Nate Bittle with 10 seconds left, to edge USC Trojans men's basketball 71-70 on Saturday at the Galen Center. Oregon (10-17, 3-13) trailed 70-64 with under a minute remaining before Kwame Evans Jr. ignited the winning run. Evans drove for a layup with 59 seconds to play, then buried a 3-pointer off an offensive rebound with 51 seconds left to pull the Ducks within 70-69. After a defensive stop and a rebound by Bittle, the 7-footer calmly knocked down two free throws to give Oregon its first lead since early in the half. USC (18-9, 7-9) had one last chance, but a turnover by Alijah Arenas in the closing seconds sealed the Ducks’ win. Evans led Oregon with 21 points, hitting a career-high 11 of 13 free throws and adding eight rebounds. He scored 18 of his points in the second half. Bittle added 14 points, 11 rebounds and four steals, anchoring the Ducks inside and finishing 4 of 6 from the line, including the go-ahead attempts. Takai Simpkins scored 12 points, while Drew Carter contributed a career-best 11. The Ducks shot 45.1% from the field (23 of 51) and made 21 of 27 free throws (77.8%). Oregon dominated the paint with 30 points and converted 14 second-chance points, capitalizing on eight offensive rebounds. The Ducks also turned 11 USC turnovers into 25 points. How It Happened: The first half featured 10 lead changes as neither team built separation. USC grabbed its largest lead at 23-15 midway through the opening period after back-to-back 3-pointers from Chad Baker-Mazara. Oregon responded with an 8-0 run and carried a 35-32 lead into halftime after Carter’s layup in the final seconds. In the second half, Oregon pushed its advantage to five points at 43-38 following a Bittle tip-in with 16:41 remaining. USC answered with an 8-0 run midway through the period, highlighted by Arenas’ back-to-back baskets, to take a 52-47 lead. The Trojans extended the margin to seven, their largest of the half, at 63-56 with 4:54 to play. From there, Oregon chipped away. Evans repeatedly got to the foul line, converting six straight free throws over the final five minutes to keep the Ducks within striking distance. Simpkins added a midrange jumper with 2:52 left to cut the deficit to three before Evans’ late heroics completed the comeback. USC shot 38.3% (23 of 60) and finished 6 of 19 from 3-point range. Ezra Ausar led the Trojans with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Baker-Mazara added 21 points, including three 3-pointers in the first half. Notable: Oregon has now defeated USC in four consecutive games on the road … Evans Jr. recorded his fourth 20-point game of the season, setting a new career high with 11 made free throws … Bittle set a new career best with four steals, adding 14 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season … Drew Carter scored a career-high 11 points, his second career double-figure outing. Up Next: Oregon returns home to play Wisconsin on Wednesday (8 p.m., Big Ten Network).

Luke and Mike, looks like you boys picked a B1G bad season to stop sniffing glue. 🤪 And Dabo? You just made the list, buddy. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/10-college-football-coaches-pressure-2026-mike-norvell-luke-fickell/

Another great reporting job Charles. Thank you. Go Ducks And more big congratulations to the men's BB team, winners of two out of three now

Ducks win 7-0 as Miles Gosztola finished the eighth inning with two strikeouts, and in the ninth--we saw Leo Uelmen get an inning and create a double play to finish the game.

7-0 Ducks after seven innings. Reliever Miles Gosztola, a transfer from Gonzaga takes over for Collin Clarke and walked two, but also got two strikeouts with a scoreless inning. Pretty darn good day...

7-0 Ducks after six innings. Collin Clarke has a very tough changeup...even when they know it is coming. He went 1-2-3 and now has dispensed with 13 of the last 14 batters faced. GREAT pitching!

7-0 Ducks after five innings. Collin Clarke is in a zone, as he is throwing strikes to retire 10 of the last 11 batters. Only 63 pitches after five innings... Angel Laya hits a line drive that hits first base and bounces awkward, but it holds him to a single. Jack Brooks sacrifice-bunts to advance Laya to second. Ryan Cooney hits into a hole in RF to move Laya to third and get Cooney on base. Jax Gimenez does a perfect sacrifice-bunt down the first-baseline to score Laya!

6-0 Ducks after four innings. Collin Clarke gave up his first walk of 2026, and then Maddox Molony made a superb fielding play as SS to deliver a sweet double-play! Jax Gimenez gets a hit, and Dominic Hellman walks. Gabe Miranda gets plinked to load the bases. Molony hits a sacrifice fly to score Gimenez, and the Ducks strand two runners again.

8 AM Eastern/5 AM Pacific. NBC 😴 Hey, you Hosers, forget about putting the IPAs, Moulsons, and Budweisers on ice; line up the Bloody Mary essentials, and don't forget the Tabasco sauce, eh? SITeam USA, Canada Fulfill Their Olympic Destiny As Gold Me...From the first drop of the puck, the U.S. dominated Slovakia in Friday’s semifinal to set up a final for the ages in Milan on Sunday.

5.3 million viewers on USA and Peacock, the most ever for a Women's Ice Hockey game.

5-0 Ducks after three innings. Collin Clarke went 1-2-3, and seems to got his control down further. Gabe Miranda has a big-hit reputation, and was batting cleanup...but we had not seen the big bat until now. He had a sweet swing to make the ball bonk on the practice facility roof past RF. Maddox Molony hits a screamer down the 3rd baseline to get a double. Then another bat came to life as Burke-Lee Mabeus hit a two-run homer at the top of the roof of the practice facility. Whew! We needed both those bats to come around...

Newest Nike Sneaker Release Calls Back to Popular Oregon Ducks UniformOne of the most creative uniforms for the Oregon Ducks' victory at Penn State, the Mummy Duck brand gets a revival with a new sneaker colorway, opening the door for a black version of the mummy-themed gear. The Dark Mode Mummy Duck VaporpositesAccording to sneaker-focused social media accounts @zsneakerheadz, @sneakermarketro, and @brandon1an, the new "Mummy Duck" sneakers feature a black and dark grey base ("Black / Barely Volt / White" is the colorway name) in contrast with the Oregon athlete exclusive white and off-white bandage design. Though an actual photo of the new sneaker has yet to be released, mock-ups shared by Women's Wear Daily detail what this upcoming Duck design will look like. Nike has not confirmed the reports about the release. Similar to the original player-exclusive releases, the expected new color wave will potentially include greenish yellow glow-in-the-dark elements like the soles, tongue pull, and other smaller details as well as the same bandage pattern, frayed fabric around a raised Nike check on the sides, and the "Mummy Duck" logo of the Oregon Duck mascot in bandages on the back heel. Oregon Ducks On SINewest Nike Sneaker Release Calls Back to Popular Oregon...Arguably one of the most creative uniform releases of the 2025-2026 season, the Oregon Ducks' "Mummy Duck" uniforms and travel gear used during their 30-24 doub

Instead of the Chargers firing anyone, ESPN fired the wanker who made the prediction, Todd "McShade." Er, Todd McShay. 😁 The payback for Hubris is a witch! 👺

Oregon Ducks Trending for Four-Star Running Back RecruitThe Oregon Ducks are contending for one of the top running backs in the 2027 recruiting class. With the recent success that Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. experienced in the backfield, more running backs could be on their way to Eugene. Oregon Ducks On SIOregon Ducks Trending for Four-Star Running Back RecruitEUGENE – The Oregon Ducks are separating themselves as a program to beat when it comes to securing a commitment from one of the top running backs in the 2027 re

2-0 Ducks after two innings. Collin Clarke gave up a hit and plinked a batter, but got out of it scoreless. On offense...Ducks stranded two on base!

2-0 Ducks after one inning. Collin Clarke gave up a hit, but dispensed with the rest, although freshman Angel Laya leaped above the RF fence to rob a Penguin home run. Whew! Ryan Cooney walked, and steals second base. Jax Gimenez gets plinked, and both runners move up a base on a passed ball. After two outs...Maddox Molony gets in a 0-2 hole as a batter, and works it into a walk! Bases loaded and two outs... Drew Smith comes up and nails a zinger between the 3rd baseman, and the shortstop for a hit that scores Cooney and Gimenez!

It seems to automatically renew every year whether I pay for it or not.

OK here's the map. Geographically there's a natural break at Lake Michigan, 10 teams west and 8 teams east. Take your pick of Wisconsin, Northwestern or Illinois and move them to the east side and you have 9 on each side. Easy geography. HOWEVER, this in no way works competively with Indiana, Michigan, OSU and PSU all on the east side. You can swap some border teams around to try and get some competitive parity, but it's a real problem because Michigan, OSU and PSU sit in the center of the east side. It's hard to split Michigan and OSU, but it could be done with a rivalry guaranty. I just think it's a hard sell. Similarly that applies to Michigan/MSU. That said, I think the best split would be: West East fuskies Minnesota OBD Northwestern USC Illinois UCLA Indiana Nebraska Purdue Iowa OSU Wisconsin PSU Michigan Rutgers MSU Maryland Not sure why my columns didn't work, this is a little cluttered but you get the picture.

What?? I thought the home to do list was something that hangs on the wall by the calendar for decoration. I've barely touched it in years!

It's not just the talent coming out of high school that matters. Indiana proved that the last two years. How good are the players now? How well do the units play together? How good is the team as a cohesive whole? Bryce Boettcher didn't add anything to Oregon's star ratings, but he will be drafted into the NFL in a couple months. A talented roster doesn't just mean what the team members were 3 years ago. How are they today?

The biggest travesty was not including Justin Herbert in the list. Top 100 since 2000, and he's not on it? As noted, that would have made Oregon 3rd on this list. JH stats at Oregon: Passing yds. 10,541 Comp rate. 64% TD. 95 Int. 23 Rushing yds. 541 Rushing TD. 13 wth kind of criteria did the ES(ec)PN "brain trust" use to exclude him? Same as the idiot that claimed before the draft that Herbert would get some coach fired.

Oregon faced a great starting pitcher yesterday who only gave up one unearned run in six innings. Today we face Penguin pitcher Jack Messmore, a senior RHP, who also had an incredible game last week against Auburn where he scattered six hits in six scoreless innings versus the Tigers. This will be a tall-test for Oregon's starter Collin Clarke to keep up, and it looks to be another low-scoring nail-biter today. In the end, it was the relievers for Youngstown State yesterday that gave up the most, and I hoping for the same today--and I think our batters are better. Collin Clarke