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Winning out will take care of most everything for OBD's. They control their own destiny A hard fought victory on the road against tbe Hawkeyes will enhance the perception for the Ducks. I expext the BIG 12 to get a lot of love inspite an overall lack of quality wins, other than those against themselves. No matter the circus that ESPN has turned Tuesday nights in November into, well OBD's need to win at Iowa. Its step 1 of 4 play in games for DL and his team........no matter what the mouthpieces say. Go Ducks.......

I travel quite a bit and am currently living on the East Coast. Oregon football is known from coast to coast. I’ve had people yell “Go Ducks!” at me DEEP in SEC country. We are known for our flashy uniforms and electric offenses. Coach Lanning is respected nationally. People know that we are a good team but, fair or unfair, question whether we can get over the final hump and beat one of the traditional big boys to win a national championship game. Hopefully Coach Lanning can continue to put us in position and we eventually break through. Our team is certainly built differently than the last few times we played in a national championship game. We just need the pieces to all fall into place.

Why College Football Playoff projections don't amount to a hill of beansThere's little real value in anyone making a subjective guess about something that's going to be revealed in hours, and doesn't have any significance until the actual selection show, Sunday December 7 at 3 p.m. PT on the same network. That's the day that will live in infamy. The others are strictly window dressing. Lastly, the warmup reveals are virtually useless. Whether Oregon, Texas or Louisville are in or out, whether a team is No. 6 or No. 10 or No. 18 at this stage is only mildly interesting. There's a month of the season to be played, and games like Oregon at Iowa and BYU at Texas Tech will determine who makes the cut. Conjectures and make-work assignments won't put any team in the final 12. The Ducks have to go at least 3-1 to gain a spot in the field, and a 4-0 finish would guarantee them a home game in the first round. Until they achieve that, anyone's prediction of the seeding is 200 monkeys trying to type Shakespeare. This monkey would rather focus on the Oregon offense and how they handle the blitz. The Committee's first ranking is likely to follow pretty closely to the Coaches Poll: Autzen ZooWhy College Football Playoff projections don't amount to...Everyone's scrapping for content, but this is the least meaningful content of all.

I haven’t seen George Wrighster’s “midseason” verdict posted. He has a long but good take. Oregon fans, including myself, have gotten a bit spoiled. We have a young and talented team. It’s therefore understandable why the have been inconsistent at times this season but they have positioned themselves for a playoff spot and they should continue to get better as we head into the stretch run and post season. As good as we are this year (top 10 in offense and defense), next year we should be even more dominant with a QB who has a whole year of starting experience under his belt.

SIgh. You're Fanatics, don't wait to be PO'd! SIForde-Yard Dash: Why We’re Already Annoyed About the CFP...The selection committee’s first playoff Top 25 drops Tuesday, and the Dash is preemptively fired up.

While waiting on the Grapevine Gurus to come forth with the 1st ranking of the season, what should CFB fans, with new strength-of-schedule (SOS) and strength-of-record (SOR) metrics in place, expect? In last season's reveal, two B1G teams, Oregon and Ohio State, were the top two-ranked teams. Eight SEC teams were in the Committee's initial top 25. Two B1G teams, AP Poll No. 1 Ohio State, and 2nd-ranked Indiana, could be the top two teams this evening. How much will SOS and SOR matter? We'll have to intuit this because, unlike the CBB Committee, the CFB Committee will not refer to metrics, RPI, and otherwise, as does the CBB Committee. The Athletic ($ Wall) has released a top-25 metrics-driven ranking using ESPN's Austin Mock's SOR rankings, ESPN's Bill Connelly's SP+ Resume Rankings, and ESPN's FPI SOR ranking. Using this ranking, the following teams would be in the PO field. 1. 8-0 Texas A&M 2. 9-0 Indiana 3. 8-0 Ohio State 4. 7-1 Alabama The same as the latest AP Poll in a different order. 5. 8-0 BYU 6. 7-1 Georgia 7. 8-1 Ole Miss 8. 8-1 Texas Tech Will we see this much love for the B12? With GameDay along for the ride, BYU is in Lubbock on Saturday, playing the once Tortilla Tossing Texas Tech, 9 AM ABC. The Cougars, playing behind a Bear, are hoping to leave Lubbock while exclaiming, "Oh Boy!" and "Every Day the PO's Getting Closer!" 😁 9. 7-1 Oregon - Mock No. 5, SP+ No. 4, FPI No. 8. 10. 7-2 Oklahoma 11. 7-1 Louisville No. 12 6-2 Notre Dame would be out of the PO in Favor of No. 24 North Texas. 👍👌😎 Other B1G Teams in the top-25: No. 19 USC, No. 20 Michigan, No. 21 UW, and No. 25 Iowa. I hope the CFB Committee will have seven B1G teams ranked, however ... Some other Forum Friend will likely beat me to it, which is more than fine, of course, but I'll post the Committee's 1st ranking once its released. Then, as ESPN so intends, we can get PO'd over nothing. 🤬

I know we have written about it many times, but the level of knowledge or familiarity of Oregon by the rest of the country still amazes me in how little they knew of us. David Marsh pointed out another example yesterday in the forum concerning the inept actions of the current coach at Miami. He did the same stuff here, and we were shouting about it at the time....but nobody back east were even aware. Even when he was hired there, and Oregon writers were warning 'Cane fans....they did not believe us. It goes to show again that the time-zone-thing is REAL. The majority of the nation had very little interest in Pac-12 football, and with the games on so late--we were rarely watched back east. I know many would want future games set up with old Pac-12 teams at night....but 75% of the nation will NOT watch them. When Oregon went 12-0 last year....they realized they knew nothing about us, and perhaps gave us too much credit? Now we lose a game to the No. 2 team in the nation, and the Ducks are an afterthought? More proof....they don't know us at all. They think they do, but not like teams in the east because the few things they know about Oregon from the past are the uniforms, and that Chip Kelly started the "No-Huddle" here. I especially believe this is true with all the pundits who write, and do broadcasts. So many times the things they report has a tone of "surprise" in their voice. And what do you want to bet that NONE of them know....even now, that Oregon was the No. 1 Athletic program in the Big-10 last year? (EIGHT outright conference championships) in our first year) It makes me wonder....how LONG is it going to take for them to actually be familiar with Our Beloved Ducks?

https://www.wsj.com/sports/football/lsu-head-coach-auburn-brian-kelly-hugh-freeze-6964e5e3?st=Txno7X&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Sharing your feelings from your heart connects with a ton more people than you would think, and David...you hit something here. So many times I say to myself...."I gotta watch that B1G game," and record it, but never get to it. Meanwhile I make sure I watch the USC or Washington games recorded. Just habit I guess, and intense feelings built over many, many years. You are right; we don't have intense feelings about most of the Big-10 teams, but we will--especially when one beats us like the Hoosiers did. I agree with GatOrlando, in that in a decade--we will be familiar with the B1G teams, and will have more interest in the other conference games. With that said, I have watched quite a few "other" B1G games, but usually containing future opponents. The Iowa-Minnesota game is a great example... I miss the Pac-12 a little, but I love so much more the attention Our Beloved Ducks get by being in big games, and being in one of the two Super-Conferences. We have so much more respect in this conference...

And, Iowa's DBs are not going to be shy about close coverage, bordering on interference. Lanning likes to use the phrase "going to the doctor" after games. I'm hoping they've had multiple reviews of the Indiana x-rays because Iowa is going to double-down on them.

To me, the nostalgia for the Old Pac is akin to Friday night football. Well, we're going to stay loyal and attend most of our Friday night high school games, before we spend Saturday watching the SEC, B1G and Big12. The viewership for Pac12 After Dark across the country reflected that. It was only going to become more of an afterthought in the public consciousness. And, Friday night high school games are showing dwindling interest too. Was UCLA in Pullman - 67-63 and 44-41 entertaining? How many people saw those as televised games? Did they get voluminous post-game coverage? Were they worthy of keeping a conference together because those games tickled our fickle bone? Perhaps it's akin to watching some entertaining 4A Oregon high school games, while the real powers are playing 6A? Listen, I'm a nostalgia guy and post here periodically about games and stats from across the history of college football. I'm sympathetic to nostalgia. But, I also like 60's and 70's popular music while understanding the world have moved on and commercialized a much different genre of music while my age group's interests are waning as we die off. USC recognizing the changing landscape was assisted suicide to a conference that was dying. The "doctors" at ESPN, Fox, etc. had told Kliavkoff in the waiting room, that even with USC/UCLA the chances for survival were slim. You can entertain removing life support, or "enjoy" a slow death. Joining the B1G was making oneself eligible for the Mayo Clinic.

The coach lost control in that moment, and erupted into a fit of rage. Coaching disciplined team play starts at the top. Miami lost its last game because of undisciplined play. Is that a coincidence, or does it shed light on other issues.? Some coaches are simply better at teaching than others.

Thank you, David, for the article and the above, spot-on comment. Tonight at 5:45 PM Pacific, after ESPN milks a CBB game before and after for a larger audience, the B1G should have seven of its 18 teams ranked by the Playoff Committee: Ohio State, Indiana, OBD, Michigan, USC, Iowa, and UW. The Massey computer has these seven teams in its top 25. ESPN's Bill Connolly's SP+, with the addition of No. 22 Penn State (!), and No. 25, 6-3 Illinois, has half of the conference ranked. On the other hand, the AP Poll has every SEC team with two losses ranked, plus three-loss Tennessee. If there are so many great teams in the SEC, how can eight teams have two or fewer losses, and why don't losses in Knoxville count? I expect the SEC will dominate the rankings. Georgia struggled to put away an unranked Florida. Texas won games in overtime versus bottom-tier SEC teams Kentucky and Mississippi State. No. 3 A&M defeated Arkansas 45 to 42. On Saturday, No. 21 Michigan struggled to defeat Purdue in the B1G House. We witnessed Oregon's battle against Wisconsin in 2024 and this season. In 2024, a Nebraska team that Indiana had schooled the week prior came into Columbus and came this close to being the loss that kept the Buckeyes out of the playoff. Lower-level Power 2 teams are capable of giving the top teams a battle. I don't think games against lower-level conference opponents are that much of a problem. If only the top SEC and B1G teams were in the same conference with no easy games, B1G and SEC fans, like NFL fans, would have to handle losing many more games. But as you so perfectly point out, the schedules in these mega-conferences are the problem. From a budding rivalry and entertainment point of view, OBD and not UCLA should be playing Ohio State a week from Saturday. The first meeting of Ohio State and USC as conference rivals will not be played before the Trojans' third season in the conference. Like the SEC, I think the B1G should give each team three permanent opponents. Not only for rivalry purposes, but it would help with travel if OBD, UCLA, USC, and UW played one another every season. If you don't love traveling to New Brunswick, New Jersey, one more season to play every B1G team is no B1G deal. Again, your above comment nails it for me. I'm reasonably certain that Molly Brown enjoyed the champagne on board the Titanic. I am absolutely certain that Molly was happy to board the lifeboat.😁 Thanks again.

We have a potential Season Killer staring us right in the face. My unsophisticated take on our DUCKS this year is they are very hit or miss. I want to know which Dante Moore shows up Saturday afternoon. We can assume that Iowa will stack the box and force Dante Moore to perform. If we get check down after check down, I think it will be a long afternoon. GO DUCKS!

Most people don't like change. But change is inevitable. Because the B1G has so many teams, we don't get to play each team each year. It will take quite a while to develop new rivalries. However, I already sense a growing dislike from most teams due to our immediate success. I think Oregon is fast becoming that team out west to hate! I do miss being able to drive to away games, but I'm loving the new teams and new stadiums. I love the new teams. It's like every week is a Rosebowl game. Because of all the money now in college sports, we can expect more change to come. Expanded playoffs? Super conference? NFL lite? Whatever comes, as long as our Ducks are included, I'm all in.

“Familiarity breeds contempt.” Familiarity can also make teams careless, and upsets occur (ie. tOSU vs Mich last year). That is the basis of rivalries, and fanbases get fired up when that happens. I don’t really miss the PAC 12. We have started a new chapter, and we really haven’t built up any new contempt yet. Thrashing Rutgers, or Northwestern doesn’t really move the needle for any of our fans. However, a beatdown of our old PAC 12 foes Usuc, and anything purple is always fun. The perennial elite of the BIG needs another contemptible opponent, and it might as well be Oregon. Our team and fans are up to the challenge.

I suspect the preference of which games to watch is largely based on where you spent your younger adult life. If you grew up in the Midwest, and moved to the West Coast, I imagine you would rather watch Minnesota vs Wisconsin than Cal vs UCLA. The unsolvable problem for the Pac: the national population east of the Rockies was more attuned to the former than the latter. The Pac, regardless of USC's periodic success, was always going to have short shrift of network and viewer interest. USC clearly saw that when evaluating their financial future. Fortunately both UW and UO did as well. I'm not sure which West games I might wish for? Cal? Utah? It's a very short list. And, because of that, it is still possible for non-conference. I would rather have some rotation schedule of a couple old Pac12 teams than play Oregon State very season. But, that is more about OSU than about nostalgia for the old Pac.

I wouldn't change our situation in this college football environment for anything. We are in the right conference for the health of our program. Looking at little brother is depressing enough to make me be grateful for where we are.

When Utah and Colorado joined the Pac-12 most fans felt the same way on the west coast. It took about 10 years of rather frequent games to build up a relationship between Oregon and Utah to make that game feel exciting. Oregon and Colorado got a supercharged relationship and rivalry with the Lanning v Sanders narrative but that only lasted a year. I know it will take years to get more excited about the games against B1G opponents. It will happen but it will take even longer for me to get interested enough to watch non-Oregon B1G games. With the Pac-12 I would watch a bad Washington State team and a bad Cal team throw the ball at each other for like 700 yards combined passing. I cared about those teams, not as much as Oregon but I cared enough to tune in. I know it will all take time and rivalries aren't built in a day, week, month or even a year. They take a good decade to form and longer if those games are every other year.

Three Reasons Why Iowa is a Trap Game for the Oregon DucksThe Oregon Ducks face the final four games of their season, and coming off a bye week, coach Dan Lanning and crew face a potential dark horse for the College Football Playoff on the road: the Iowa Hawkeyes. Here's three reasons Iowa might be a tougher test than fans think Oregon Ducks On SIThree Reasons Why Iowa is a Trap Game for the Oregon DucksWith just four games left on the No. 6 Oregon Ducks regular season schedule, coach Dan Lanning and crew won't have a cake walk to wrap up the final stretch. In

It also showed me the value that the very best coaching can bring to a team. The quality of our roster is 5th and Indiana's is 77th. Yet they competed with a fury and a precision that I have not seen out of an Oregon team yet. That D was always in the right place, tackled like professionals and always had a second tackler immediately there. That precision and intentionality overcomes a lot.

The five people you meet in Iowa: Oregon's Kinnick challenge looms largeAutzen ZooThe five people you meet in Iowa: Oregon's Kinnick challe...Is this Heaven? No, it's Iowa, Kinnick Stadium, the place great teams go to die.

My hope is the football super conference arrives sooner than later and Oregon gets to go back to facing mostly teams in the west.

Oh, wow, just goes to show how different people can feel about it. I never watch any games that started after 7:00 pm, except for Duck away games (I usually, but not always attend the late home games), and then I was in my jammies and ready for the 20-seconds walk to bed after. :)

This is a great read. Robby Ashford and Mario Cristobal are featured in this article, so there is some interest for Oregon fans. I was surprised what Ashford went through at Auburn. They are an absolute abomination of a program from the coaches all the ay to the fan base. Tyler Van Dyke tells an all-to-familiar tale of being a QB under Mario Cristobal. From the hot starts to the cold finishes and all of the broken promises in between. ESPN.com'Wouldn't necessarily say I'm trash': A tale of four jour...Chandler Morris, Robby Ashford, Drew Pyne and Tyler Van Dyke are still chasing glory in Year 6.