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After 3 on 3 basketball, it seems logical...

Just checking the new HTML colors for Pinned Posts...

FPI's Initial 2025 Top-25 Ranking - Wow! Only 13 SEC teams ranked! Only half of the top 10 from the SEC? Better call Paul! MIA ranked ahead of Clemson and SMU is the 3rd ACC team ranked. The 1st B12 team, K State, is ranked No. 21, with No. 24 ASU being the 2nd B12 team ranked. Yet, ESPN beats the drum for a 5-11 and not a 4-4-2-2-1-3 format? One of the three goes to Notre Dame, but using the 4-4-2-2-1-3 format the SEC, based on this ranking, would grab the other two at large bids and have ten teams in the field reduced by Clemson, the 2nd ACC team, and B12 K St and ASU and a G6 team to result in 6 SEC teams in the field. Maybe the SEC should play with itself? 6-Pack placement for OBD, one of six B1G teams ranked. 81.25% of the SEC ranked. 33.33% of the B1G ranked. Does the SEC play 8 or 4 conference games? Aren't there going to be a few in-conference losses for the 13-ranked SEC schools? It's hard to tell that the F(aulty) P(rediction) I(ndex ) is an ESecPN product. Someone, please tell the FPI software that, including the postseason, the B1G had a winning record over the SEC in 2024-25. Details, right? College Football Rankings: ESPN reveals first FPI Top 25 for 2025 season - On3 WWW.ON3.COM .

Ah, Vandy's a football school. Go Beavis, the Ducks Swept 'em!

Texas Tech and its $1 million NIL transfer pitcher from Stanford, NiJarre Canady, gave up a two-out, two-strike homer to the Sooners 9-spot hitter but prevailed 3-2 in extra innings. They're spending a lot of oil money on NIL deals in Lubbock, Texas. One of the noteworthy football transfers is Stanford DE David Bailey, who transferred to TT for a reported $4.8 million a season. Will CFB be saved from itself? If I'm the DE opposite Bailey and toiling and boiling in the Texas heat and humidity, how happy am I going to be over the guy down the line making millions of dollars for doing the same thing? No wonder the portal is packed with players. One good year in the G6 or P4, and why wouldn't you test the marketplace, if only to get a better deal from the team you are playing for? Charles is spot on - this is not sustainable. If we see the House case settled and NIL deals disclosed, how many 'low payroll teams' will be competitive in their conference and across CFB? The folks in Cincinnati are not bathing in oil money. If I'm Texas Tech, why would I support a B12 private equity deal that gives me the same return as conference mates without the same resources?

I guess Vandy was not bilt for this? NCAA baseball tournament winners, losers: SEC stumbles, ACC surges into super regionals WWW.USATODAY.COM The NCAA baseball tournament regional round was full of surprises. Unexpected teams advanced as favorites fell. A look at the winners and losers. Not a great overall showing from the SEC. However, you put that many teams into the postseason and losses will happen.

No Paige Sinicki, no Kai or Kedre Luschar. Patmon will be gone. But yet, there's a lot to look forward to. Grein is a fighter, so is Sokolski. The Ump for the game against Oklahoma had at best, an interesting strike zone. Oregon got off to a lead, a home run, the 42 times that happened before, the Ducks won. Unfortunately, Oklahoma is undefeated when they hit 3 home runs. It was a tough loss, but the Ducks never gave up. One of my lasting images of Oregon sports is Kai Luschar on deck, hoping that Katie Flannery could get on base, give her one more chance, and if she got on her sister was at bat... Melyssa Lombardi started at Oregon with the program in shambles, tryouts were needed to fill out the roster her first season, and now the Ducks made it to Oklahoma City. Some great talent has left. but I don't doubt for a minute that Lombardi will have a championship level team next season. Rock The Jane!

Hopscotch, pogo stick, hula hoop, tetherball, croquet?

Not worried at all about Dan and his staff being able to compete at a high rate in this nil environment. Not sure what goes on in their recruiting meetings where they select the kids to go after that fit their needs but in Dan I trust. My confidence will only be shaken by a losing season and, that my friends, I don’t see that happening any time soon. Go s

Who could forget the shining moment for Ballooning or Life Saving? Chess and Kite Flying also had their glorious appearances. The Olympics have a long history of the host country getting a shot with some sport that won’t last. This is actually on brand and imo is at least an actual sport. BTW I believe FF is part of the 2028 summer games. 2028 LA just around the corner!

Just posting to highlight how stupid future rankings are, we have only 2 recruits and they are 4*, so we are the No. 6 class. Oregon Football skyrockets up early 2027 recruiting ranks after latest commitments DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM The Oregon Ducks picked up their first two big commitments in the class of 2027 this week, giving them an early jump on the cycle.

4* QB in the mix Fast-rising QB prospect puts Oregon among top schools DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Four-star quarterback prospect Matt Ponatoski has named Oregon among the four finalists for which school he will attend next fall.

Steady progress. Version 7 proof that Oregon is capable of special things under Melyssa Lombardi

Ouch, “I don’t see ‘the other guy’ impressing at all,” Harsh Quote Spotlights Rough NFL Start For Former Oregon Ducks Quarterback Dillon Gabriel OREGONSPORTSNEWS.COM Dillon Gabriel was the kind of NCAA quarterback who stood out. Whether it was deep balls at UCF, gritty leadership at Oklahoma, or an explosive capstone season with the Oregon Ducks, the kid...

Great take here already. Since Carroll, USC has been struggling. They thought Riley was the answer, but then find themselves stuck with him because they couldn't afford to fire him and hire a new coach. So now they throw a lot of $$ at kids. The symbiotic relationship of kid and school is dissolving, the NIL is lot more important to the player, and his family, than the name on the front of the jersey

I like Gabriel's quote, "But this is where I thrive, being in a team environment. That's how you play the game of football." Cleveland Browns' Dillon Gabriel Addresses New NFL Language, Calling Plays In Huddle WWW.SI.COM Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel is adapting quickly to the NFL. The former Oregon Duck star Gabriel is no stranger to change or competition and it's

Unfortunately, Mike, NIL doesn't require proof of value or worth. NIL is set by whatever college supporters are willing to pay for player commitments. What we are witnessing, as I averred two years ago, is the end of college sports as we know it. The strong will get stronger, and the little guys, those in low wealth communities, will be eating mud pies. I agree with you regarding the aggrandizement of legislators, but I fear that there is nothing they can do to limit college NIL payments (essentially salaries). If they were state of federal employees, or deemed essential for the safety of the union, then there could be congressional action to restrict these insane payments. Fortunately, I believe that university club teams will eventually carry the college spirit flag of the soon-to-be past.

I can't believe I'm saying this. 1) continue recruiting kids that WANT to come to Oregon 2) when these 4/5* kids are 2/3rd string somewhere else and aren't playing yet, portal them to Oregon 3) I think you would clean up the stratospheric cost for the unproven High schooler for the hungry Red Shirt Freshman Portal is a reality, and this is the new CFB. NFL only gets ~$1 million per year guaranteed. This is insane!!!

Yes please do. I love reading your takes.

I was writing an article as I was thinking about this exact same thing.... I still might finish it ... but I do think Oregon is ahead of everyone. I also think there is a very real factor that some of the other college football powers are playing massive catch-up. What USC is doing right now is not current NIL practices or even future NIL practices, USC is seriously doing exactly the same thing that Texas A&M was doing in 2022. Throwing money at all the five stars and thinking that is how you build a roster with NIL money. USC is going to land a great class at this rate but is the locker room going adjust to this influx of money in a positive way or is it going to be a TAMU repeat where it implodes? Oregon is built around sustainability and Oregon doesn't have recruiting geography on their side. I'll probably still write that article ... I have more thoughts on this as well.

Great post, makes dollars and cents. I believe the direct payment cap of $21.5 million in the first year of the House settlement will be sustained in court. I also believe the first time a committee of 7 Deloitte accountants determines that an NIL deal is not within 'market value,' will be the last time before their decision is overturned in court. Reviewing all NIL deals $600 and over to determine whether NIL is being used as a recruiting tool sounds good in theory, but it will not withstand a legal challenge. The NFL has a direct salary payment cap, but there is no cap on what an athlete can earn off of his (and her in other sports) Name, Image, and Likeness. Regardless, overspending on untested players straight out of high school is not likely to yield the same ROI as investing in seasoned players. So, a measured approach by Dan and company makes sense. CFB needs restrictions on free agency akin to what we see in the NFL. But I don't believe this can happen before CFB 'management' negotiates with a Players' Union. The House settlement provides for direct payment from schools to their athletes, but this doesn't make them employees, right? The NCAA and big-time college athletics will part company. Not if, but when. Again, a great post. PS - LOL at Finebaum today opining that 'some guy in a Walmart parking lot' is better suited to rule on the House settlement than 75-year-old Judge Claudia Wilkens.

Ever since he arrived, Lanning has appeared to be two steps ahead of being two steps ahead. I have always laughed at the suggestion that he just drops bags of cash on recruits because he seems more about getting the best guys that fit his system rather than the biggest stars out there. Just look at how he absolutely stacked the last two classes as he relied on the portal for high impact players. Now that his team is two to three or four deep at nearly every position, he's set for the next couple years and can just focus on retaining his roster and let the competition spend themselves silly on unproven high school kids. At the end of the day he's made UO a legit destination for legit dudes to come and train for the pros while competing for championships in school.

We are in a scary period. I hope you are right. If so, we will probably be okay. Very concerned that Oregon has not had a 2026 commit stick since February.

I just went on a trip to Europe with my fellow Gen-X friends. We played the board game Risk, and I cleaned up just like old times. Take care of the trenches- the lines. Invest there.

Great article Darren as usual, I say we can't even rely on signing LOI anymore. Look what happened with Dallas Wilson this year. I am begging to believe it may be better to sign four or five highly ranked recruits that have the kind of character to grow into their respective rating, and really scout the diamonds in the rough and develop them. Offensive Line especially comes to mind. It is possible to develop a high 3 star OL into a high 4 star performer. Look at Dillon Gabriel. That dude is money. Was that apparent before he got to Central Florida? Furthermore, when Gabriel was at Central Florida before going to Oklahoma? And others like Derrick Harmon, and Cam Ward before he got to WSU. The Portal has become more important than high school recruiting now. You can find real talent after a year of play. I don't like that OBD lost as many 2026 recruits as we have, but damn, there are at least 20-30 that will be as good or better that play college football this year. Those are the guys to scout, and recruit this season. Not to mention the kids on the roster now (like Darren emphasized) that will contribute in the coming year. OBD has a very loaded roster, and its going to perform way better than most of the top recruits will now, or their entire career. They wanted NFL money, its time for NFL cutting the potential and paying the performers. The smart kids, including kids that aren't really looking for "the bag" should know by now OBD are developing kids that will get drafted. Thus, I hope Lanning is actually scouting Sophomores that play this year, and any Freshman that played last year that are looking for a title and want to get drafted. ESPN has their top 300. I say only 100 from that list are worth signing. It's find those in that group, and maybe find diamonds in the rough, and find the proven players that will be around for at least 2 years in the portal. These "$2M" kids can take a hike. If a high school kid isn't bringing me $5M, I'm not justifying signing an NIL deal worth $1M. He is a liability, not an asset. He isn't going to start year 1, and that is a waste of money instead of signing a portal guy that will play the year you sign him.