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It certainly feels better that way. But the lesson often sets in better from a loss than a win. The reality is that at some point the Ducks were going to need a loss for the culture to be reaffirmed. Everyone let's stuff slide when winning. Coaches might not approve of it and the best coaches actively fight against it. But few people can ever keep themselves perfectly disciplined while winning. Losing is a call for back to basics.

Probably one more to go, Fickel @ Wisc. If he lasts until our game.

Sure, as in potentially the next head coach at either Penn State or Florida.

Oregon Ducks On SIThree Coaches Fired Weeks After Facing Oregon Ducks This...The No. 8 Oregon Ducks' 2025 regular season is more than halfway over, as Oregon prepares to travel out East for their first ever game against the Rutgers Scarl

For those that don't know, Geoff Schwartz is a former duck and was a starting NFL Offensive Lineman for over a decade, so he is as qualified as anyone to study film on offensive line performance and diagnosing where the issues are.

While the home loss to Indiana was a major disappointment on a number of levels, there is an upside to having your butt kicked and your hat handed to you. There are no longer any excuses for complacency. Last year a 6-5 Michigan team that was a nearly three touchdown underdog went into the 'Shoe and beat the Buckeyes 13-10. Ohio State was the much better team on paper, at home and only a play at Autzen away from being undefeated. The OSU fanbase was apoplectic and calling for Ryan Day's head. Something happened in the Bucknut locker room after that embarrassing (much worse than Oregon falling to Indiana) loss. Coaches and players stepped up and fixed what was wrong. We all know what happened next. What matters is how DL, the coaches, the players and their leaders respond to this setback. I just can't see things going the way of Penn State. Rutgers needs to be a get right game and I believe it will be.

I remember our last regular season loss before this (Washington in 2023). I recall us being the most dominant team in the country the remainder of the regular season afterwards. Hopefully that was a function of the culture that is still in place and we'll see a similar response where Oregon becomes the team "nobody wants to play". P.S. It was a similar situation then of encountering a team with coaches that knew how to beat us, and players motivated enough to pull it off. I'm glad we played IU and lost to their superior coaching and player motivation. It exposed all the flaws of this team so they can be corrected going forward.

This is a great take. PSU will indeed most likely target an existing head coach, but really the only slam dunk is Cignetti. Hartline or Patricia would be great choices, plus it could potentially weaken tOSU.

Nebraska QB Dylan Riola's comment on Matt Ruhle's possibly leaving for Penn State - "He ain't goin' nowhere," provides further justification for Nebraska being the only member of the Big Ten without AAU accreditation. 😁 https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/nebraska-qb-dylan-raiola-addresses-matt-rhule-being-linked-to-the-penn-state-job-he-aint-going-nowhere/?eid=c7d8647c6247db8d08c59fe44bc30380a147aa90b9e33099045cd46ddc6a485b&ftag I hopes Dylend ain't a Englesh majer. 🤪

Another take on the proposed private capital deal from a Michigan site on the Wolverines and the Trojans possibly vetoing the deal. Strange bedfellows after SC blew out the Wolverines in LA last Saturday? 😁 I understand the concern. With the fluidity of all things college football, is it in the best interest of sure-thing Super League teams to lock into an existing conference affiliation through 2046? Even members of the conference currently in the lead, finance-wise? Maize n BrewThe Big Ten’s $2.4 billion private equity deal may be in...The Big Ten wants to ink a $2.4 billion private equity deal, but needs unanimous approval from university presidents. The University of Michigan seems highly skeptical and perhaps even opposed to it,

Good points. Preseason, I would have predicted that Oregon would be 5-1 right now with a loss to Penn State. Unfortunately, some teams are looking better than I expected and it’s never easy to win road games against good teams so we could have a few more loses on the remaining schedule, if Oregon doesn’t continue to improve. We’ll have to see how things shake out but I’m not as confident in our odds to make the playoffs as I was a week ago. Oregon’s margin of error just shrunk considerably.

One problem with these mega conferences is that Ducks vs. Hoosiers could be one heck of a rivalry, but the return game in Bloomington is not until 2028. Maybe payback in the Playoffs?

Thank you, Darren. If it's Good Rocky on the rebound, bouncing back against Apollo Creed and Clubber Lane at Rutgers: Yo! Adrian! 😍 A loss could mean going on the road and coming up short, not to, but in Mason Dixon. Or worse? 🤬 GET RIGHT AT RUTGERS! Knock the SHI out of Schiano in SHI Stadium! (SHI Stadium! You cannot make things like Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), being a Rutgers graduate, and the name of the stadium up. 🤪 It's only a movie, right?) Thanks again for another entertaining and timely read.

If I know Dan Lanning the way I think I do then that picture right there is posted everywhere inside the Hatfield-Dowlin football complex. I'm also going to assume with reasonable certainty that the culture DL has imbued upon this team places a premium on personal accountability. I believe everyone in that locker room feels that they let the guy to the right and the guy to the left of them down. I believe that they are eager to show that they will hold up their end of the bargain to their teammates. I believe adjustments will be made. But most importantly, I believe that the loss will reinstate the "chip-on-the-shoulder" mentality that the season started with; following last year's Rose Bowl. The saying that "you learn more from your losses than your wins" is accurate across the board; and come Saturday we will find out just how much they have learned.

Teachable moments are usually better from a win than a loss IMHO. That said, how this team responds this week and the rest of the season will determine whether or not this loss lights a fire under the team and/or the coaches can make adjustments to what was obviously a flawed game plan. I'm cautiously optimistic as usual, but if the Ducks come out flat against Rutgers I'm going to be a bit concerned.

Amen Darren....now we will Oregon's Eye-of-the-Tiger emerge!

Dantge No.1 overall, Sadiq in at No. 14 and A'Mauri is 19th. All have eligibility left. Nine Oregon Ducks listed on Mel Kiper Jr.'s 2026 NFL Draft Big Board

Excellent points as usual Mike. “Cignetti and his crew adjusted to almost everything immediately.” That’s where the coaching chops were glaringly evident. Indiana has zero 5-star recruits on its roster…….and only a handful of 4-stars.

The Bear making progress It's taken time, but Bear Alexander has become one of the defense's most disruptive presences

Sources: USC, Michigan question proposed Big Ten private capital dealESPN.comSources: USC, U-M question Big Ten capital dealTrustees at Michigan and USC questioned the Big Ten's proposed $2 billion-plus private capital deal, with one sticking point being it doesn't address the root issue -- soaring costs -- that has made t

Josh Pate's playoff prediction shows dream is still alive for the DucksAutzen ZooJosh Pate's playoff prediction shows dream is still alive...Narratives change. Some teams grow and others collapse. It's all about coaching, development, execution, health and luck.

Hopefully, when you first gazed upon the featured photo above of the Indiana Hoosiers partying it up at Autzen Stadium, it has fueled something within your soul. Oregon’s loss to Indiana last Saturday better dang well be fueling the Oregon football team. Sometimes Losing is Winning

Lane and Kirby have an interesting relationship and can get away with going after each other both on and off the field. They do so this because they are friends with a sense of humor stemming from their coaching together at Bama in 2014-15. Typical barb: yesterday Lane insinuated that Kirby looked a little chunky and out of shape running up and down the sidelines against Auburn on Saturday. You can bet Kirby will have a couple of zingers ready for "Lame Kitten" should the dawgs prevail in Sanford Stadium on Saturday. Yet they really do deeply respect one another I am told. And you can bet that these two will have a good time laughing and jabbing at each another the next time they get together at SEC media days. That's just who they are.

Former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald will be a head coach again in 2026. Penn State? Wisconsin? He did wonders at Northwestern, the Vanderbilt of the B1G. With Penn State's resources, facilities, and lower admission standards? Seeing as how it's McElroy doing the predicting, I wonder why he passed on Nick Saban?🤪 CFB-HQ On SIGreg McElroy identifies former Big Ten coach to consider...The search for Penn State’s next head coach is already picking up steam, and Greg McElroy believes one familiar Big Ten name deserves attention. On Tuesday’s ep

I always love your insights Mike. Zooming out a bit, as I would get lost following you into the weeds: To start the season most thought OBD would be rebuilding to some extent, with so many starters gone. Dominant wins over subpar opponents began to turn that tide, as the first weeks of the season looked so different than last year. The win at PSU solidified that narrative for most, as it appeared to confirm that OBD were for real. Then PSU stumbles, and OBD loses at home... IMO we're simply back where we expected to be. OBD are loaded with talent but need to grow and come together as a team. They still have the potential to be great, but still need to become who they are going to be. The loss can help that if leveraged correctly. I'm still excited about this team. Just as I was preseason. Let's not let the quick expectation inflation/deflation ruin that. Go Ducks!