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Not trying to be data guy, but can fill that role for the thread. I was agreeing with the boring chalk comment in my head, so decided to research. So dark the con of man…the tourney masterfully provides the illusion of Maddness, and it certainly delivers opening week, but in the end: Since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, seeds 1-4 have dominated, winning over 85% of championships. No. 1 seeds are the most successful, winning 24 of the 41 tournaments (58.5%) since 1979. No. 2 seeds follow with seven titles, while 3 and 4 seeds win significantly less often. NCAA.com Championship Wins by Seed (Since 1985 expansion): No. 1 Seeds: ~58-60% (24+ titles) No. 2 Seeds: ~17% (7 titles) No. 3 Seeds: ~5-7% No. 4 Seeds: ~3-5% NCAA.com +3 Key Findings: Dominant No. 1s: Since 1979, No. 1 seeds have won 24 of 41 championships. Final Four Presence: No. 1 seeds account for 40.6% of all Final Four spots since 1985. Highest Seeds Win: Since 1985, 35 of 40 champions (87.5%) were 1, 2, or 3-seeds. Rare Winners: Only one 8-seed (Villanova in 1985) has ever won the championship, making it the lowest seed to win. Consistency: 15 of the past 19 title winners have come from the top line (No. 1 seeds), according to NCAA.com data for 2026.

QUESTIONS: Oregon Ducks' RB3 Uncertainty—Will Jordon Davison Secure Feature Role for Dan Lanning?Oregon's running back room didn't have big numbers or explosive plays to showcase on Saturday in the Spring Game. Is there any concern about the depth behind Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill? On today's episode of Locked On Ducks, Spencer McLaughlin discusses how big of a season RB Jordon Davison could have in 2026. What about fellow sophomore Nasir Wyatt? Could he get to 10 sacks? Oregon Football (some coaches and players) will go to Japan as a part of a showcase internationally for the program and school. Plus, discussing the outlook for 5-star WR Gatlin Bair. 00:00 Struggling to find third running back 04:21 Evaluating Simeon Price's performance 09:01 Evaluating running back performance 13:02 Jordon Davison's standout performance 22:47 College football standout to NFL 23:53 University sports as marketing tool 26:58 Oregon's strategic play

Oregon 5-star QB commit Will Mencl earns invite to Elite 11 FinalsOn3Oregon 5-star QB commit Will Mencl earns invite to Elite...Five-star Oregon quarterback commit Will Mencl has been invited to the Elite 11 Finals this summer in Los Angeles.

How Ducks' offensive depth chart prediction changed after spring game https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2026/04/30/oregon-football-depth-chart-prediction-post-spring-game-offense/89843895007/ How Ducks' defensive depth chart prediction changed after spring game https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2026/04/30/oregon-football-depth-chart-prediction-post-spring-game-defense/89843938007/

The biggest problem with the Dylan Raiola transfer to Texas Tech buzz is simple.The idea of Oregon Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola transferring to Texas Tech has fans talking, but one major problem makes the entire scenario hard to take seriously. And beyond that, there are several other factors that make the move to Lubbock a questionable fit for the former five-star recruit. Oregon Ducks On SIDylan Raiola Texas Tech Buzz Ignores One Major ProblemThe idea of Oregon Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola transferring to Texas Tech has fans talking, but one major problem makes the entire scenario hard to take seri

I hope he is a diamond in the rough! 6'3" 350 lbs and working with all the college coaches can do wonders for a high school player. Oregon Ducks On SIOregon Ducks Coaches Visit Elite California Offensive Lin...Now that the Oregon Ducks’ 2026 Spring Game is behind them, Dan Lanning’s coaching staff is back on the recruiting trail. One of the recruiting visits that the

So basketball can implement this into one off-season, yet football can't figure anything for years upon years. Do we really need 12 teams from the B1G or SEC? The answer is no, Auburn didn't deserve a bid with fifteen losses. Next year they'll get in with sixteen. I'd like more mid majors, to me March Madness has been quite dull with straight chalk the last few years. Outside of SDSU and FAU in 2023, it's been pretty predictable.

It's great to finally get the #1 QB Recruit, but you can see in rankings history that QBs are NOT being valued the way they used to be out of HS. Rating services are getting the memo from NIL valuations and 11 out of 12 playoff teams running with a transfer QB...

Posting maestro, NJ Duck, previously posted CBS Sports, Brandon Marcello's 2026 Top 25 post-Spring College Football (CFB) Poll Rankings. Thank you, NJ. I re-post the article to open things up for comment. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-rankings-2026-top-25-post-spring/ My comments on Marcello's ranking follow. More importantly, what are your thoughts on this ranking from a Big Ten broadcast partner site? I'm using the Massey 2026 College Football Rankings as a comparison to Marcello's rankings and for a team's strength-of-schedule (SOS) ranking for all 138 FBS teams. Massey's ratings are one of the more respected and detailed computer rankings available to the public, with none of the arguably biased rankings associated with broadcast entities' rankings, such as ESPN's FPI and SP +. https://masseyratings.com/cf/fbs/ratings Massey ranks Oregon No. 4, one spot below Marcello. Ohio State is No. 1 per Massey, Marcello's No. 1 Texas is ranked 9th by Massey. Marcello ranks 10 SEC teams and eight Big Ten teams in his top 25. The comparison between Marcello's and Massey's rankings of nine SEC teams and eight Big Ten teams, with my comments, for what little they may be worth, includes the Massey SOS rankings: CBS - No. 1 Texas/ 4 Georgia/ 8 Texas A&M/ 9 LSU/ 10 Oklahoma/ 13 Ole Miss/ 14 Alabama/ 16 Tennessee/ 20 Missouri/ 23 Florida Massey - No. 5 Georgia - SOS 26/ 6 Ole Miss - 18/ 7 Alabama - 24/ 9 Texas - 1/ 17/, Oklahoma - 5/ 18, Texas A&M - 19/ No. 19 Tennessee - 23/ 21, Missouri - 20/ 23, LSU - 13/ 34 - Florida - 8 Both rankings are understandably bullish on the SEC. But Massey has Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Oklahoma, and Florida ranked significantly lower than CBS, with Ole Miss and Alabama ranked significantly higher. CBS - Is this another No. 1 Texas rope-a-dope? Especially with the Longhorns having the most difficult schedule in 2026, per Massey. I agree with Massey that No. 8 A&M, with 10 players drafted by the NFL, and with a more difficult conference schedule than last season, is overranked by CBS. Both No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 9 LSU have more difficult schedules than last season. LSU QB Sam Leavitt and John Mateer were both injured last season. Will Leavitt be an improvement over QB Garrett Nussmeier? Even when healthy, the Sooners' offense under Mateer was not that productive. And will Lane Kiffin be able to assemble the new parts into a greater whole? Florida is ranked by Marcello at No. 23. With the No. 8 SOS and a new coach from the G6 replacing a coach who was hired from the G5? Georgia Tech transfer QB, Aaron Philo, and a new OC, Buster Faulkner, who is also joining the Gators from Georgia Tech, are going to morph Florida into a top 25 team? Hmmmm. I believe Massey's No. 22 Louisville with the 55th SOS should have been ranked by CBS. Both Massey and Marcello have Texas Tech, post QB Sorsby's gaming issues, ranked 11th. Even with questions at QB, with the nation's 69th SOS and a decided B12 roster advantage, I think Texas Tech will finish 11-1 at the worst and with a good chance of going 12-0. Massey has Alabama, a team that could not run the ball last season, and is breaking in a new starting QB, ranked 7th. I think DeBoer's seven-year contract extension was premature. Ole Miss is Massey No. 6. Pete Golding led Ole Miss to a home win over G6 Tulane last season and defeated a Georgia team coming off a lengthy 1st round bye. In the two years of a 12-team playoff, the eight teams coming off a 1st round bye are 1-7; the only win was authored by Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, on the way to a 16-0 season. Superstar QB Trinidad Chambliss, courtesy of some judicial home cooking, is back, but does Golding have the chops to succeed in the SEC? SEC sleeper? South Carolina. But USC(e), with an SOS ranked 17th, has a hard row to hoe. Tomorrow, a look at the Big Ten rankings.

Two former QBs from Chandler HS in AZ battling it out for the starting job at Oregon next year - Raiola also went there! Hope we have better luck with this 5-star QB from that state than the last go-around! 😃

Saw a video once of a kangaroo slam dunk. Why not?

College Baseball: 64 teams get to the playoffs out of 308 total D1 teams = only 21% make the NCAA playoffs. (20.77% to be precise)

Love me some data, take from it what you will! Pro Leagues (Approximate Percentages) NBA (Basketball): ~53% (16 of 30 teams). NHL (Hockey): ~50% (16 of 32 teams). NFL (Football): ~43% (14 of 32 teams). MLB (Baseball): ~40% (12 of 30 teams). MLS (Soccer): ~60% (18 of 30 teams). College Sports (Approximate Percentages) College Football Playoff (FBS): ~9% (12 of 130+ teams under the new 2024+ format). NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball: ~19-20% (68 of ~350+ teams)

Absolutely. Waz stated in an interview recently that he needs to play them and get them experience--and a home game yesterday, and a hostile environment in Corvallis last week was perfect. It worked out well to give them a taste of experience....and yet still win the game. It is also evident that some of the young pitchers have some high upside for the future--the next Tanner Bradleys being molded.

I like the idea of having multiple pitchers play during a mid-week game. It gives all the guys a taste of what it's like to be in the spotlight, even if it's just for one inning. This will pay off in the long run as some of these guys will be called upon during the upcoming playoffs.

On Wednesday April 22nd, the Ducks landed # 1 QB Will Mencl. On Tuesday April 28th, the Ducks lost out to Kansas for the # 1 basketball player Tyran Stokes. Today Oregon got Fred Payne, a three *** star player according to 247 Sports. He was ranked the # 187 best player available. Let that sink in for a moment. This is all I need to know. The University of Oregon's hierarchy emphasizes football over basketball. I don't know if they're trying to force Dana Altman out or if they simply don't care about basketball. It's not a good look when they can only fill Matthew Knight Arena to 50% capacity. Better players generate more wins, which in turn fill the arena which brings in a lot of money. Altman has two more years on his contract. I'm guessing Duck basketball will be an after thought until he is replaced by a young guy who has the charisma and can better relate to the players. I've always like Coach Altman but think his time as coach is running out.

No Shelstad, but a 3-Star point guard? Yeah, that will win games...

Maybe Pritchard gave him a call....

Going to 76 will bring in additional and much-needed revenue. College athletic departments have two Moneyball sports game inventory to market, football and men's basketball. With basketball a distant second to football. This expansion may hurt the NIT, but would the athletes rather dance in the biggest ballroom? I believe so. Consider the gauntlet Oregon men's and women's CBB teams face in the Big Ten, with the difficulty increased by travel demands. On the men's side, an 11th or 12th-place team in the Big Ten would deserve a spot in the tournament. And in CBB, the PO committee focuses on strength-of-schedule. On the football front, Greg Sankey went to the SEC playing nine conference games because he thought Tony Petitti would fold, and 2026 would see a 16-team PO field. On December 26, 2026, let's see where the SEC sits when the PO field is determined. Miami and perhaps another ACC team, if the Canes do not finally win a conference title, will be in the field. The B12 champ is in. The highest-ranked G6 team is in. The B1G and the SEC champs are in. If Miami comes through, that's seven at-large (AL) spots to fill. The Big Ten will take at least two of the AL spots, with a solid shot at a total of four teams in the field, and possibly more, depending on the outcome of the Ohio State at Texas, Oklahoma at Michigan, and Mississippi State at Minnesota games. Three-loss Bama made the field last year because it's Bama. How many 3-loss SEC teams will knock out two-loss teams from other P4 conferences, especially two-loss teams from the Big Ten? I'm happy to see the CBB field expanding, and I hope enough SEC teams suffer three losses and Sankey's constituents, except ESPN, demand a 24-team CFB PO field. Tony Petitti was smart to support CBB expansion, and when it comes to CFB, Tony will soon be the smartest person in the room.

College football post-spring top 25: Texas on top, Texas Tech tumbles amid Brendan Sorsby absenceA shocking gambling scandal forces a manual override of our analytics model, dropping Texas Tech out of the top 10 as the Longhorns claim the No. 1 spot1. Texas Arch Manning. Cam Coleman. Hollywood Smothers. Texas' offense is loaded with superstars. But will Steve Sarkisian dial up some plays down the field? He seems more open to that these days after the dink-and-dunk era under Quinn Ewers. The defense is loaded, too, and veteran play-caller Will Muschamp's arrival only bolsters hopes that the Longhorns will be a more consistent bunch. Week 2 against Ohio State promises to be electric. 2. Ohio State The Buckeyes will be among the more potent offenses in the country with a load of talent returning, including QB Julian Sayin and all-everything receiver Jeremiah Smith. Questions abound with the defense, which must replace eight starters for the second straight season. Matt Patricia worked wonders in his first season calling defensive plays. Can he do it again? If so, the Buckeyes will win the Big Ten -- and possibly the national championship. 3. Oregon Might Oregon be the most physical team in the country? The Ducks' defense was dominant throughout the spring, ending the session with nine sacks at their annual spring game. Depth is everywhere. Former five-star Dylan Raiola will be a backup to Dante Moore at quarterback. The feeling here is that this might be Dan Lanning's best team yet. 4. Georgia Georgia has everything it needs to win yet another SEC title. But will the Bulldogs' pass rush return to their elite form of two or three years ago? Kirby Smart's defensive line had its worst season yet in getting to the quarterback in 2025. That needs to improve for the Bulldogs to advance beyond the second round of the CFP. Auburn transfer Amaris Williams suffered a knee injury in the spring, dampening hopes of that pass rush improving. 5. Notre Dame We'll talk all summer about Notre Dame's "easy" schedule. Critics will poke holes in the Irish's championship plans, fueled mostly by the PR hit they received for whining about their exclusion from the CFP and opting out of a bowl game in December. But don't let that cloud the true evaluation of the team's talent and a top-5 coaching staff. 6. Indiana Indiana ruled the sport last fall, running through the schedule with blowout after blowout before beating Miami for the school's first national title. Now we see if Curt Cignetti can implement a plug-and-play philosophy with similar results. The "Moneyball" numbers certainly back up the belief that TCU quarterback transfer Josh Hoover is capable of putting up big numbers after Fernando Mendoza's generational run last season. Our big question: Will the new offensive line gel enough for another Big Ten championship run? 7. Miami Duke quarterback transfer Darian Mensah flashed -- as expected -- in the spring and threw three touchdowns in the Hurricanes' spring game. The ACC's best quarterback will be counted on to do more than Carson Beck, who he replaces. It all starts in the trenches for Mario Cristobal, who pieced together an incredible group on both sides of the ball during last season's run to the national championship game. The offensive line needs to be rebuilt, and we'll keep a close eye on developments as pre-season camp begins in August. 8. Texas A&M Texas A&M had a terrific offseason in the NFL Draft, which is good and bad news after an 11-win season and CFP appearance. The Aggies' returning production is near the bottom of the SEC, but a slew of transfers, led by former Alabama receiver Isaiah Horton, has them primed for another run in the top half of the SEC. Quarterback Marcel Reed returns, which is a big boost as they break in new pieces. The best news out of the spring? The defense looked elite. Northwestern transfer Anto Saka led a pass rush that was described as unblockable. Senior linebacker and captain Daymion Sanford, the designated signal man on the field, was injured in the spring game (leg) and is expected to miss at least a portion of the season. 9. LSU Lane Kiffin might be trying to temper fan expectations in Year 1, but we're not. The offensive line has come together quickly, and pass protection appears solid. Keeping defensive coordinator Blake Baker on staff was a huge win, and we're expecting a big jump. When Arizona State quarterback transfer Sam Leavitt returns from injury in August, we'll get a better read on how potent Kiffin's always-explosive offense will really be this fall, but the pieces are clearly already in place with a load of elite transfers, including many from his run at Ole Miss. 10. Oklahoma The dark horse in the SEC. The Sooners seemed primed to make a big jump this fall after getting back into the CFP last season. The offense was a mess when QB John Mateer played most of the season with an injured hand; he didn't get much help from the running backs, either, leading to a No. 12 ranking in scoring in the SEC. A second season with coordinator Ben Arbuckle should result in a noticeable jump in production for the unit, particularly with Mateer correcting his throwing mechanics. The defense should be elite again, too, with a senior like Peyton Bowen returning. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-rankings-2026-top-25-post-spring/

Oregon Ducks Baseball's Latest Win Impacts NCAA Tournament ResumeCoach Mark Wasikowski and the Oregon Ducks baseball team are riding a six-game winning streak. This is the type of win that will stand out on Oregon's NCAA Tournament resume. Gonzaga is leading the West Coast Conference standings by four games at 15-3, 27-15 overall. The Zags have a Rating Percentage Index or RPI at No. 32, while the Ducks are at No. 26. Oregon Ducks On SIOregon Ducks Baseball's Latest Win Impacts NCAA Tournamen...On Tuesday afternoon, April 28, the No. 13 Oregon Ducks put an end to the Gonzaga Bulldogs' 14-game winning streak at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon, 4-3. The Pacif

Oregon basketball secures the commitment from Boston College starting PG Fred PayneThe Ducks have gone into the transfer portal and landed a commitment from a Power 4 starting PG.Payne is ranked by 247Sports as a three-star transfer portal prospect and the No. 187 overall player in the portal rankings. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound guard gives Oregon a downhill attacker, creator and scoring option at the point guard spot. The Ducks entered the portal cycle needing more ball-handling, more pressure on the rim and another player capable of creating offense off the bounce. Payne checks those boxes after a productive season at Boston College. https://247sports.com/college/oregon/article/oregon-basketball-secures-the-commitment-from-boston-college-starting-pg-fred-payne-283250097/

I can hear it now. All the whining and complaining about teams ranked 77-80 saying it's not fair. We should have been included! 😅🤣😂