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I really enjoyed this. I had not listened to them before. They really give some great insights.

5 Oregon quarterbacks starting Sunday in either the NFL or the CFL . Nix, Herbert, Mariota, Gabriel in the NFL, and Adams , in the CFL. With Masoli only one play away from playing.

Mo Mooreba!

At USC Bear was thrown to the wolves because he was really all they had. Add the hamstring injury to that pressure, and a transfer was all but a given. At Oregon, our well stocked DL room has given him the time and room to establish himself and find his footing, and boy, has he ever!

Kenyon Barner and J Stew

I am reminded of a short story I read in high school some 71 plus years ago about a fellow who sold his soul to the devil. Didn't turn out too great for him. This deal is being promoted by people who will make a commission off the sale. I'm reasonably positive that the best interests of Duck fans are not at the top of their list of goals. Right now, college football and college athletics in general are in a constant state of change. Not a time to put your feet in concrete for the next 20 years.

I kind of had the same hohum response. we are entering the getting spoiled phase.

I hate private equity that typically seems to strip mine everything it can at everyone's expense. In this case it appears the B1G is getting: $2B Outsourced Business Management Outsourced Business development, with incentives to drive growth The entity is getting 5% of the profits going forward. It seems like a reasonable deal. My concerns lie in strip mining fans which the B1G governance has to limit, but they will be under a lot more incentive and pressure from the entity to do bad things for the fans that increase profits (i.e. corruption). I'm also nervous about how this affects the flexibility of the league and it's compounded by extending the grant of right to TWO DECADES which as another poster commented sounds extremely foolish in light of the ACC experience. Is conference realignment frozen by this? Are distributions to the equity holders frozen by this? Are the media deals frozen by this? Bottom line, anytime private equity gets involved the public's pockets are going to get picked. This will be no different. The inflation of prices for everything the B1G gets a cut of will be huge as the find the pricing pain point where hardcore fans tap out. Jerseys, game and tailgating tickets, B1G network subscriptions, longer commercial breaks, etc. And who knows what the future holds and how the lack of flexibility could leave the B1G out in the cold as the industry innovates, resulting in hollowing out the league.

Tough to anoint anyone as the best in the country at their position after 5 games. Dante has a very talented team surrounding him, and certainly possesses the talent to become the “best.” The Penn State game puts him into the National Spotlight, and Heismann tropy discussion. In the end, it will be all about winning games, as a team, that will determine his rise in the college ranks. Exciting times for OBD.

Great article Alex, thanks for sharing! If Dante is not the best QB in college football, it is hard to say who is better. He is steady and level-headed, he has a very powerful and accurate arm with the ability to put incredible ‘touch’ on his throws, All that in one package, then throw in a big fast and talented O-line to protect him, speed, size and depth in the RB room, and uber-talented pass catchers! On top of that we have a top 10 Defense with an incredible amount of experience, depth and youth! Methinks it is going to be a fun season for OBD!

I have worked with private equity firms and they use questionable tactics. They will always tout their management expertise to increase values, but generally look for short term profits with little regard to the long term health. Private equity works best when valuation of assets is based upon an active marketplace. They will pay themselves huge management fees, and once they own something, they also have the rights to sell it. I would immediately vote no on the idea of capitalization of something that is so very difficult to value. How often do you see equity right to a Universities ability to generate income up for sale?

The LA schools have become Oregon feeder schools. 😂

Abdul Carter, Tyler Warren forced to wear Oregon gear after lost bets to Pro Ducks “Each and every year, we end up seeing some of these players, former college stars, end up wearing the clothing of some of their most hated rivals, thanks to lost bets on Saturday afternoons. This week, it was both New York Giants star Abdul Carter and Indianapolis Colts star Tyler Warren — both rookies who played for the Penn State Nittany Lions a year ago — who were made to wear Oregon Ducks gear for their media availabilities on Wednesday.” Buckner: “You look good. You should’ve been a Duck.” https://sports.yahoo.com/article/abdul-carter-tyler-warren-forced-122737621.html

Offord didn't play last game according to these guys. They're also saying there's a 50/50 chance he transfers with his brother. We'll have to see if he gets any playing time in the next 3-4 weeks. If he redshirts then I would guess he will follow his brother.

I am going to disagree with the BIG 10 News...we started one true freshman on defense, (Brandon Finney) and two redshirt freshmen in Iffy at corner, and Aaron Flowers at safety. On offense, we had one true freshman in Dak Moore, and that is it officially, although I would count Hill and Davison as joint starters now. (But Whittington started...) So, that is two true freshmen, and two RS freshmen. Still...pretty darn good considering the recruiting done in recent years, and what has been brought from the portal. Dak Moore

Well the Devil is in the details. One thing I absolutely like is that would obliterate a Super League. I'm no longer a fan of the Second P2, but millions of people are, and they matter to the future of college football if it will thrive as an institution like it thrives now. I absolutely love the idea of "play in" games for the college playoff. But only if the field is twelve teams. The second P2 won't see much in a boost in ratings, but they'll get much needed money. We're way past the late 1800s. CFB has been an money making business institution since the 70s. The kids were massively exploited, and now they're not. While I despise knowing 17 year olds are getting paid millions because they might be good, now any kid that can garnish a huge social media following can and should get paid. And average players are getting paid for the time they invest in the sport. That just. Not fair, but actually a just act on the part of the universities. Us "mummies" remember an era when integrity was an actual institution itself. Now greed, as Michael Douglas so eloquently explained, is good. The idea that the B1G is looking at preserving itself as an institution isn't horrible, it is pragmatic. Clearly the SEC is trying to scheme everyone else. So I see nothing wrong with the B1G mapping out a future for itself. We'll have to scour the details to determine if they pulled off a wise move. If course it's no surprise seeing Ohio State and Michigan trying to rule things. Methinks OBD need to win this conference five years straight so they recognize a new sheriff is in town. I've changed mind about going undefeated all year and winning the conference again. Ohio State and Michigan need a tremendous dose of humble pie. Sorry for the rant, but I'm getting tired of being ignored when it's clear "new money" is here to stay. The Rockefellers and Vanderbilts are getting rocked by new blood. We're taking the mantle damn it, and there's nothing they can do about it. Now if we can get a couple of Natty's...

Here is what The Athletic has to say about Moore... Dante Moore, Oregon Moore has been even better than anyone outside of the Ducks’ facilities could’ve imagined. He’s completing 75 percent of his passes and has a 14-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio. In the most hostile setting a young QB could face in college, against a talented Penn State defense in a White Out setting, Moore went 29 of 39 for 248 yards, three TDs and no picks. He also scrambled for 35 more yards, which was eye-opening for folks who have heard he wasn’t much of a runner. “He was smooth as hell, and no panic,” said a defensive coordinator who faced Oregon this season. “He is pretty damn poised. He can throw the hell out of the ball. He wants to look high to low. He does have a big, powerful arm. On film, he throws some unbelievable deep balls. He’s the real deal.” All the talk inside the Moore camp is that he’s in no rush to leave Oregon for the NFL. They’ve seen how the added seasoning benefitted Jayden Daniels, who flourished as a rookie last year. Moore won’t turn 21 until a month after the 2026 draft. But the NFL scouting director thinks that, because the 2026 QB class isn’t looking as strong as many expected, scouts are going to push to ramp up their evaluations of Moore, just in case there’s a temptation to leave sooner than expected because of a new opportunity. “I do think he’d benefit from more time,” said the scouting director. “We’ll see how he progresses throughout the rest of this year. Some plays, he saw the field real well. Some plays, he didn’t. He’s a smooth athlete with good arm talent. He runs well enough to extend plays, and there is something to him. He’s an awesome kid. Didn’t feel like he was full of himself. He fit with his teammates. I was encouraged by what I saw from him. I still want to see a lot more from him this year, but he’s a guy who will be at the top of the conversation with our scouts.” If he and Oregon have the year we hope--he'll be gone.

Concerns noted and understood. However, the proposed deal gives the investor(s) only a 5% stake in the to-be-formed Big Ten Enterprises through 2046. If $2B buys 5% for a fixed term only, the conference, through 2046, is valued at $40 billion. Tony Petitti, the Big Ten, and the conference's investment bankers will not be hosed over. The conference retains all of its governance rights. After 2046, the investor(s) one twentieth interest ends.

This seems like a huge risk that is not necessary at this time. This is something the PAC-12 should have considered when the ship was starting to sink in an effort to save the conference. This is not something the BIG should do in position No.1 among all the conferences, IMO. This has a Goodfellas Restaurant scene vibe:

I get your well-made point. But CFB is a hard beast to kill. According to Fox Media Analytics president Mike Mulville, CFB viewership is up 19% year to year and 36% over the last five years. Even amongst all of the free agent transfer portal chaos and pay-for-play concerns, CFB is a growth industry.

Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Let’s see…Private equity looks at ways they can improve the BIG 10 (they just want to make money), all you have to do is sell us equity rights, in something that is very hard to value. The problem is that each University brings a different valuation to the table. Therefore, you immediately set up an argument over proper valuation, and distribution. Absolutely no way this goes smoothly.

Alex, great article and so much to unpack out of it. Looking forward to reading the FORUM posts that should come in today. The elephant in the room, in your article, is whether Dante Moore heads to the NFL after this season. A great deal will unfold between now and the Natty. Other QB's will find their stride(Manning, Lagway, others?). Will Dante continue to improve? Leaving as a #1 overall pick can be alluring, however getting picked by the right bottom feeder team is just as important. Dante has a O line that protects and affords him the opportunity to make good decisions. That O line allows the time for the skill position players to run routes, etc. IMHO, the bottom 5 NFL teams have weaker O Lines and very few playmakers. My guess only but Bo Nix will enjoy his rookie contract much more than Dillion Gabriel. Is Moore experienced enough, at this point, to call audibles? Nix and Gabriel entered the NFL with 60 plus starts. At seasons end, if all goes well, Dante will be in the low twenty's. Big diffetence! This season many Ducks have stepped up their game to new levels resulting in 5 wins. Long ways to go for sure! I cant validate this but i read an article in the BIG 10 News that stated 6 true freshmen Ducks started against PSU. 3 on offense and 3 on defense! WOW! That's difficult, as an ancient gray beard, to wrap my head around. Sure is exciting! We have the best coach who is never satisfied with where the team is at. We have size, speed and skillsets on both sides of the ball. OBDF we have future NFL talent at every position! How is that possible? This Duck squad has a manageable but challenging schedule ahead to be in the BIG title game, again. The talent is on the field, they just have to continue their hard work and focus to make it happen! This fan is up for a tOSU vs Duck title game and a rematch somewhere in the playoffs. Are you? Go Ducks......

I’m not going to dig too much into anything I have zero control over, such as how my entertainment is funded. That being said, agreeing to anything that goes until 2046 seems completely insane on the surface imo. If you want an example, just look at how bad (moving forward) the ACC current grant of rights deal looks right now…and it still has 11 years to go.

LOL...YEAH! But, GREAT recruiting tool....FOR US! Says to the world...yeah we have LA and all to do there...but if your truly serious about being DEVELOPED to the best of your abilities...the U of O is where you need to go. Thanks USuC. Now can we get OOOcla to whine about Dante's resurgence as the top Heisman candidate this year. (Please make sure to mention him as the THIRD Oegon QB, in a row, competing for that). OBD loves us some free "pub". Thanks! 😁

Yeah, the WSU DC Grinch that came to USC was one of the best DCs WSU ever had. Gave USC a good D for one year, then it was all downhill after that to the basement and USC fans swore he was a horrible DC. It appears to be happening all over again with the former UCLA DC that was the best thing since sliced bread for UCLA.