Hello FishDuck community! oregonjoneses checking in from the heat of Florence, Arizona.

At 76 years young, I’m a bit of a desert-dwelling geek. After 25 years in Oregon—including 12 years working the consoles at the Oregon State Police Dispatch Center—I’ve traded the rainy Willamette Valley for the cacti of the Sonora. While my professional life was spent navigating the frequencies and logistics of the OSP, my heart remains firmly in Eugene.

The Origin Story

My "fandom firmware" was first installed back in the 7th grade at Waldo Junior High in Salem. My basketball coach, Mr. Dickey, hard-wired my loyalty by organizing a three-day trek to Mac Court for the Oregon High School Championships. Seeing that magic on the sunken floors as a kid changed my life.

Since then, my wife and I made it an annual tradition to attend the Spring Football games. We would always make a weekend of it, staying up at Belknap Hot Springs to soak and enjoy the river before heading into Autzen. Those are memories I carry with me even in the Arizona heat.

Current Project: Softball Stats & Insights

While I love my Football and Baseball (I’m a regular at PK Park when I can get there), my primary focus right now is on the diamond. We are heading into Coach Lombardi’s 8th season leading the Women’s Softball team.

Just like my days at the dispatch center, I like to keep a close eye on all the moving parts. I’m currently processing the data and getting ready to share regular updates and information on the squad. I truly believe this 8th season is going to be something special.

I may be living in the desert now, but my blood still runs green and yellow. I’m looking forward to connecting with you all!

Go Ducks!

Has Dan Lanning reached his peak as a head coach? Meaning, the Nike money obtains him talent to the point he can make the Playoff and win a game or two, but the final eight teams all have talent, so coaching becomes the differentiator. — Jorge A.

Mandel: I get that Lanning’s teams have suffered blowout CFP losses the last two years, but I don’t consider that a knock on his coaching ability. His teams have been wildly successful. They’ve only lost five games in the last three years, and all five were to teams that won or reached the national championship game (2023 Washington twice, 2024 Ohio State once, 2025 Indiana twice). They also beat those 2024 Buckeyes during the regular season, and the two Washington losses were both decided by three points.

The Ducks have also had some bad CFP luck the last two years. They drew an uber-talented Ohio State team in that 2024 quarterfinal; the Buckeyes would have been a higher seed in the new format. With true seeds, Oregon might have reached the championship game. And last year the Ducks had to face Indiana with seemingly no running backs left on their entire team. Oregon probably would have lost anyway, but perhaps it would have been more competitive.

If college football were as simple as “the team with the most NIL money wins,” Texas Tech would have won at least one CFP game last season, Steve Sarkisian would have a national title by now and Mario Cristobal would have two or three. You still have to hit on the right players, come up with the best gameplans and call the right plays.

History has shown that if a coach can win at a high level, year-in and year-out, he’s probably going to break through at some point. See: Tom Osborne. Or Bobby Bowden. Or Mack Brown. Or more recently, Jim Harbaugh, Kirby Smart and Ryan Day.

Lanning’s day is coming.

I agree with Mandel...do YOU?

We have a couple of Ducks who are trending better in hitting after a tough start to the year. Maddox Molony was over .300 last year, and is now up to .258 and climbing. Gabe Miranda had a difficult start of the year, and has improved it to .228 and has hit three homers, and driven runs at key moments recently.

Let's check them all...

Drew Smith .478

Angel Laya .368

Jax Gimenez .356

Brayden Jaksa .355

Ryan Cooney .320

Burke-Lee Mabeus .317

Dominic Hellman .313

And yes, I know this is only 17 games into the season of 56 games...but I like the trendline. Batting averages will get boosted by some weak Big-10 opponents like Indiana (7-9), Penn State (4-11) and Washington. (6-10) And it will get dragged down later facing UC Santa Barbara (13-2) No. 1 UCLA (14-2) and No. 25 USC. (17-0)

Drew Smith will sacrifice bunt to help the team!

We did not know what to expect this year, and thus far it is looking promising. We've lost two games because of pitching, and one game against Purdue (2-1) where we had tons of hits, but not when players were on base, or not a crunch moments. Our of 17 games...you will have one like that, and another you won with poor hitting, but the hits coming at the perfect time.

I love the development I am seeing, as Burke-Lee Mabeus had just two home runs last year, and has four this year already including one last night that ignited the team.

And Drew Smith? He had five homers last year, and has six already in 2026! This team is fun to watch!

Jax Gimenez after his GRAND SLAM!

NIL, problems with the transfer portal, and the impact NIL has on other sports is being discussed.

Not reporting, just letting everyone know it is currently available.

I checked…it is on You Tube.

College football returning production 2026: Starters back for every FBS team - CBS Sports

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We invite you to always explore the “News” on the menu bar in the header.

When you click on the word “News,” you will see an index of multiple links to sports news sites for your enjoyment!

From now on, except for a very few circumstances, our threads will be just one page. Advertising only appears on the first page and we want to make as much money as possible for the site.  The bonus in doing this is that it will be easier for everyone to move around the thread.

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When you click on the word “News,” you will see an index of multiple links to sports news sites for your enjoyment!

From now on, except for a very few circumstances, our threads will be just one page. Advertising only appears on the first page and we want to make as much money as possible for the site.  The bonus in doing this is that it will be easier for everyone to move around the thread.

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Big Ten Program Shows Nate Bittle Heartwarming Gesture After Oregon Ducks Loss

We all know college football recruiting, contracts, and NIL are unregulated chaos right now, but the article really shines a light on the slimy realities of this 'business'. Is this really what college football fans want to cheer for on Saturdays? I know we would all answer that a little differently. Props to Dabo Swinney if he really is trying to hold the line. I feel like transfers sitting out a year would help curb a lot of this activity.

Here are some excerpts:

Coaches have griped for years about the out-of-control nature of tampering across college football. But this was a rarity: A head coach [Swinney] going public with precisely how his program was wronged. And not just any coach, but one with two national title rings.

He laid out the story of Luke Ferrelli, a transfer linebacker from Cal who had just enrolled at his school, moved into an apartment and went through classes and workouts for a week. And then, suddenly, he bailed for more money at Ole Miss.

"Right is right even if nobody does it," Swinney said. "And wrong is wrong even if everybody does it."

But now that players have agents, impermissible contact has dramatically escalated. "The tampering got much more brash and blatant," one agent said.

"I don't even see why schools get mad about it," one agent said. "If you don't want your kid to be tampered with, sign them to an agreement that's fair and the kid won't be looking to go elsewhere."

"You almost have to tamper at times with these schools, because they don't want to pay their own players," the same agent argued. "They just don't."

According to agents, the easy way to facilitate December tampering was via three-way phone calls. The agent would call the GM or coach, then add the player to the call. That way, it's the agent showing up in phone logs and not the player. Some even held these pre-portal agent meetings over FaceTime and Zoom.

"They'd done three-way calls with their coaches for four different clients as early as November," the agent said. "He's up there waxing poetic about how bad tampering is, and I've been helping you tamper for a month."

Swinney and other coaches have likened the renegotiation process to extortion in some cases and know they're contending with agents who could be bluffing about offers from other schools. But that's how it works when there's no data or transparency about how much college football players are earning.

"Once the kid gets on campus, that s--- has got to stop," an SEC GM said. "To me, that was the cardinal sin in that situation." "He's literally in class," an agent added. "There's no way to defend it."

One ACC GM felt the Ferrelli move was nowhere near as troubling as Miami swiping star quarterback Darian Mensah from Duke at the portal deadline. The Hurricanes' last-minute push to flip Mensah away from the ACC champs resulted in Duke suing the quarterback and settling for an undisclosed sum to release him from his two-year contract.

"It's like they robbed a bank in broad daylight, walked out with no mask and no alarms went off," the ACC GM said with a chuckle.

One month after Swinney's news conference, NCAA vice president of enforcement Jon Duncan sent a memo to member schools warning that his group has been charged with pursuing "significant penalties" for tampering violations -- including any contact between agents and coaches about players who are not in the portal. He vowed work is underway to modernize and streamline the investigative process for more expedited resolutions.

"Simply put, communicating with an agent for a student-athlete who is not in the transfer portal is a tampering violation," Duncan wrote.

GMs surveyed by ESPN said they haven't turned in other programs for tampering in recent years because they view it as a waste of time. It's not easy to obtain evidence and prove it like Swinney did. More importantly, staffers don't want the NCAA imaging their phones and finding proof of their own tampering efforts.

"Nobody's clean -- except maybe Dabo," the Group of 5 GM said.

After years of perceived investigative inaction, GMs and agents say they'll believe a reckoning is coming when they see it.

"I hate to say it," one agent argued, "but the rules are a suggestion at this point."

"Let's say they do penalize Ole Miss or one of these teams," an SEC GM added. "At the end of the day, it's still going to end up in a courtroom."

Tampering has become so easy to do that trying to stop it might be futile. Perhaps it's wiser to confront some of the contributing factors such as fixing the calendar, regulating agents or dealing with the schools who are spending far beyond the revenue sharing cap.

"It's like trying to stop a runaway train, man," an ACC GM said.

Beat the Twerps, er, Terps!

On3

Drew Mehringer reflects on what he took from his time working alongside Will Stein at Oregon

18 Nebraska players suing for over $1Mil in deals.

Warehousing challenged wherein an entity is buying all future deals for the athlete.

Nebraska players challenge CSC in potential precedent-settting NIL arbitration - CBS Sports

We invite you to always explore the “News” on the menu bar in the header..

When you click on the word “News,” you will see an index of multiple links to sports news sites for your enjoyment!

From now on, except for a very few circumstances, our threads will be just one page. Advertising only appears on the first page and we want to make as much money as possible for the site.  The bonus in doing this is that it will be easier for everyone to move around the thread.

You will always be able to refer to the previous thread for reference.  To see the previous thread for this topic click Here.

This Thread is for News Articles ONLY.  You can always start a new thread with any of these articles for discussion

We invite you to always explore the “News” on the menu bar in the header..

When you click on the word “News,” you will see an index of multiple links to sports news sites for your enjoyment!

From now on, except for a very few circumstances, our threads will be just one page. Advertising only appears on the first page and we want to make as much money as possible for the site.  The bonus in doing this is that it will be easier for everyone to move around the thread.

You will always be able to refer to the previous thread for reference.  To see the previous thread for this topic click Here

Visit this thread often for new upcoming videos

This Thread is for News Articles ONLY.  You can always start a new thread with any of these articles for discussion.

The Fair Catch Kick: A Bizarre Rule Change for Lanning to Exploit?

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When you click on the word “News,” you will see an index of multiple links to sports news sites for your enjoyment!

During the football season, podcasts were included with the game for that week. Podcasts still are taking place, just not as often. 

I also have noticed that the podcasts now are covering more than just football. For instance, the one following includes some talk about basketball. 

Those podcasts will now be posted under this thread as they occur. To see the previous podcast thread click Here as we will keep the thread to no more than 50 podcasts at a time.

Check back often for some informative listening.

This Thread is for Podcasts ONLY.  You can always start a new thread with any of these podcasts for discussion.

How the BIG-10 Football Schedule Can Become Fair

Then he texts me on Friday to explain that some Illini female athletes did not come through with the points expected....and there is a crack in the door for Oregon. Well, the Women of Oregon busted through that door to win the B1G Indoor Track Championship along with the Men!

You can see the form chart predictions below, thanks to ChileDuck. The top one is the Mens, and the bottom shows how strong the Womens Illinois team is. Go Big-10!

They say Cinderella is dead in college basketball. I'm hoping that's not true. The tournament is better with the mid majors.

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but go Miami.......of Ohio!!!! Heck with that other Miami.

Based on conference games only during the last two years, here are the results. Only the Bruins had a respectable record.

Bruins 26-14

Ducks 17-23

Trojans 14-26

Huskies 11-29

BIG 12

Just like in the PAC -12 , the Arizona Wildcats have thrived in their new conference.

Wildcats 30-8

Sun Devils 11-27

Buffaloes 10-28

Utes 10-28

ACC

Cardinal 20-18

Bears 15-23

Besides this forgetful season (5-15) Oregon posted identical conference records the past three years.

2022-2023 12-8 (PAC 12)

2023-2024 12-8 (PAC 12)

2024 -2025 12-8 (B1G 10)

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2026

BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball

Laya Claims Second B1G Freshman of the Week Honor

EUGENE, Ore. – Four weeks into the season, Oregon true freshman Angel Laya has now claimed the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week honor twice. Laya’s latest award came after a big week in a midweek game against Oregon State and a weekend conference series win at Purdue.

Laya continued his hot start slashing .400/.500/1.133 with a 1.633 OPS in Oregon’s four games while belting three home runs and scoring six runs. He was instrumental in securing a road conference series win at Purdue by slashing .364/.500/.909 with a 1.409 OPS while hitting a pair of home runs and scoring four runs.

Angel Laya at Purdue

In Oregon's series-clinching win on Sunday, Laya homered twice while going 4-for-5 with four RBI and four runs scored. In a Tuesday matchup with No. 18 Oregon State, the Ducks' right fielder homered and tripled while going 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.

On the season, Laya did not strike out until his 39th plate appearance of the season and has just three Ks in 61 plate appearances while slashing .370/.443/.778 with a team-high six home runs.

2026 Laya Honors

Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week (3/9/26)

Live Like Lou Las Vegas College Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team (3/1/26)

Perfect Game National Freshman of the Week (2/17/26)

Big Ten Freshman of the Week (2/16/26)

Oregon All-Time Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honors

Angel Laya (3/9/26)

Angel Laya (2/16/26)

Burke-Lee Mabeus (2/24/25)

Now that I’ve introduced myself, I want to dive into what I’m seeing on the diamond. As I mentioned, I’m a bit of a geek for the data, and Coach Melyssa Lombardi’s 8th season is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing "builds" we’ve seen in Eugene.

Last year’s "Version Seven" was a breakthrough, taking us back to the Women’s College World Series and proving we could compete at the highest level in the Big Ten. But as Lombardi says, every year is a "start from scratch" project.

The "Frequencies" I’m Monitoring:

• The Power in the Circle: We returned nearly our entire pitching staff from last year’s WCWS run. Having Lyndsey Grein and Elise Sokolsky back is like having two veteran dispatchers on the desk—they know how to handle the pressure. Grein is a workhorse, and I’m watching to see if our bullpen depth can help keep her fresh for June.

• The Sophomore Surge: I’ve been crunching the numbers on our "Young Guns"—Rylee McCoy, Kaylynn Jones, and Stefani Ma'ake. They were massive as freshmen, but the "sophomore slump" is a real bug in the system. So far, McCoy’s power at first base looks like it’s only getting better.

• The New Connections: Replacing the speed of the Luschar sisters and the glove of Paige Sinicki at short was a tall order. I’m keeping a close eye on the transfers, specifically Addison Amaral (Notre Dame) at shortstop. She’s got big shoes to fill, but the data from her time in South Bend suggests she’s up to the task.

Elise Sokolsky

Early Season Sit-Rep

We’ve had an up-and-down start with some tough losses in the early tournaments (that game against Auburn was a glitch in the system!), but we’ve also knocked off some top-25 teams like Duke and Liberty. To me, that shows the "Version Eight" hardware is capable; we just need to optimize the software before conference play heats up.

I’ll be posting regular updates as we move toward the home opener at Jane Sanders Stadium. I’d love to hear from any of you who are attending games in person—give me the "eye test" to go along with my stats!

Go Ducks!

Today Oregon faces Jarvis Evans of Purdue, ERA of 4.02 and he will face the Ducks Cal Scolari who has an ERA of 0.64, thus this should be another good one!

Now that I’ve settled into the FishDuck forums, I have to talk about the massive shift in the softball landscape. For those of us who have spent years watching the Ducks, the "professional ceiling" always felt a little far away. Not anymore.

The Big News: The Portland Cascade

As some of you may have seen, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) officially announced the Portland Cascade as Oregon's newest professional team! They’ll be playing their home games right up at Hillsboro Ballpark starting this June.

For a guy like me who spent years at the OSP dispatch center, I love seeing a local "unit" finally get a home base. No more touring models—we have a team to call our own.

The Duck Connection: Paige Sinicki Goes Pro

The best part? Our very own Paige Sinicki has officially landed a spot on the Cascade roster! Watching her win the Gold Glove at Oregon was a treat, and seeing her stay in-state to play professionally is a huge win for the program. She’s joined by former UW star Sis Bates, so the middle of that infield is going to be a defensive masterclass. It’s a great example of the "Oregon-to-Pro" pipeline that Coach Lombardi is building.

Tracking "Version Eight" (2026 Season)

Back in Eugene, Coach Lombardi is in her 8th season, and the data on this squad is fascinating. She’s calling this group "Version Eight," and from my vantage point in the Arizona desert, the hardware looks solid:

• The Rotation: We returned nearly the entire staff from last year’s WCWS run. Lyndsey Grein and Elise Sokolsky are our veteran "operators." They have the experience to handle the high-stress calls.

• The Sophomore Class: I’m keeping a close eye on the "Young Guns"—Rylee McCoy, Kaylynn Jones, and Stefani Ma'ake. They were massive as freshmen, and if they avoid the "sophomore slump" bug, this lineup will be lethal.

• The New Shortstop: With Sinicki moving on to the pros, I’m watching Addison Amaral (the Notre Dame transfer) very closely. Filling Sinicki’s shoes is a tall order, but Amaral has the range to make it happen.

The Big Ten schedule is going to be a gauntlet, but the "fancies" (stats) suggest this team is built for a deep June run. I’ll be monitoring the box scores and sharing my analysis as the season heats up.

Go Ducks!

Source

Read the full article here...

What are your thoughts on this year's edition of Dana's boys?

Arkansas announced this week that Tyson Foods is paying to have a patch on every Razorback’s uniform, and 90 percent of the money from the deal will go to athlete NIL deals. Arkansas is the second power conference school — after LSU — to announce its jersey patch sponsor since the NCAA voted in January to allow them.

We’re going to see dozens more of these deals in the next few months, so today I took a shot at guessing which patches will adorn the jerseys of each power conference football team this fall.

This is funny what they are guessing for Oregon:

Oregon: Tillamook
T.J. Brasil, my producer on the College Football Enquirer podcast, is a proud Oregon track alum. He asked the obvious question: Are they just going to add a second Nike swoosh? It’s a fine question. Nike founder Phil Knight has long been Oregon’s sugar daddy, but the existing apparel deals already allow for a pass-through to pay players and heavily advertise the apparel maker on the uniform. So the Ducks grab an extra revenue stream thanks to a proud Oregon dairy company.

On3

My Duck-Buddies: Somewhere around the 3rd inning I will be making my brunch, as the timing is important and I'm not going to disrupt my eating schedule. I am doing intermittent fasting for health benefits, (search in YouTube for information) and when I break my 17-18 hour fast--I gotta eat! So if there is a delay in reporting in the middle of the game--that is why.

Let's Go Ducks!

Collin Clarke

Sold shoes out of the trunk of his car.

Got dropped by two banks.

Got sued by his own supplier.

Got hit with a $25 million government bill he couldn't pay.

Today his company is worth $100 billion.

And you've definitely got a pair of his shoes in your closet.

Philip Knight was born in 1938 in Portland, Oregon.

His father ran a newspaper.

When Phil asked him for a summer job his father said no.

Go find your own work.

So Phil ran seven miles every morning to the rival newspaper.

Got himself hired.

That was Phil Knight at 18.

Already refusing to accept no as a final answer.

He ran track at the University of Oregon under a legendary coach named Bill Bowerman.

Bowerman was obsessed with one thing.

Making shoes lighter.

He believed that every ounce you removed from a runner's shoe was like removing a pound of weight from their body over the course of a race.

He would cut apart his runners' shoes and rebuild them by hand.

Looking for fractions of ounces.

Phil watched and filed it away.

He went to Stanford Business School.

In a class about small businesses he wrote a paper that would change his life.

The paper asked one question.

Could Japanese shoe manufacturers do to German shoe manufacturers what Japanese camera makers had done to German camera makers?

In other words — could cheaper, high quality Japanese production destroy the German stranglehold on the athletic shoe market?

Adidas owned the world in 1962.

Phil Knight wrote a paper in a classroom saying they didn't have to.

Then he decided to prove it.

He borrowed $50 from his father.

Flew to Japan.

Walked into the Onitsuka Tiger shoe factory.

Told them he represented a major American distribution company.

He had no company.

He had $50 and an idea.

The Japanese executives asked what his company was called.

Phil Knight looked around the room desperately.

And said the first thing that came to his mind.

Blue Ribbon Sports.

They shook hands on a deal.

Blue Ribbon Sports didn't exist an hour ago.

Now it had exclusive rights to sell Japanese Tiger shoes across the entire United States.

He came home and started selling shoes out of the trunk of his green Plymouth Valiant at track meets across the Pacific Northwest.

Just Phil. His car. And a box of shoes.

Sales were $8,000 in year one.

Then $16,000.

Then $34,000.

Then $84,000.

Doubling every single year.

But banks wouldn't lend him money.

Every time sales doubled Phil needed more inventory.

More inventory meant more cash.

And the banks kept saying no.

Two banks dropped him as a customer entirely.

He was perpetually on the edge of collapse.

Payroll would come due with nothing in the account.

Suppliers threatening to cut him off.

He described those years as operating in a constant state of near death.

One wrong move away from bankruptcy.

Every. Single. Day.

For eighteen years.

Then Onitsuka Tiger tried to replace him.

They had watched Blue Ribbon grow from nothing to a serious operation and decided they wanted a bigger American distributor.

They were going to cut Phil out of the business he had built from $50 and a trunk full of shoes.

Phil Knight could have accepted it.

He had no money to fight back.

No manufacturer. No brand. No leverage.

He had nothing.

So he did something that should have been impossible.

He started his own shoe company.

From scratch.

He needed a logo.

He paid a graphic design student named Carolyn Davidson $35 to design it.

She came back with a simple curved shape.

Phil looked at it and said he didn't love it.

But he didn't have time to find anything better.

The swoosh was born.

For $35.

Today that logo is worth billions of dollars.

He needed a name.

His first employee Jeff Johnson woke up from a dream one night with one word in his head.

Nike.

The Greek goddess of victory.

Phil didn't love that either.

But again — no time.

Nike it was.

In 1972 Nike launched at the US Olympic Trials.

Phil announced that four of the top seven finishers had worn Nikes.

The first three had actually worn Adidas.

Phil Knight didn't care.

He was building a story.

And nobody builds a story by telling people you came third.

Then the US government came for him.

A letter arrived demanding Nike pay $25 million in import duties.

Twenty five million dollars.

Nike didn't have $25 million.

Nike barely had enough to make payroll.

The government claimed Nike owed taxes on every shoe manufactured outside America.

The fight nearly killed the company.

Three years of legal battles.

Three years of not knowing if everything he had built would be seized by his own government.

They settled for $9 million.

Phil called it an absolute war.

He survived it.

Then came Michael Jordan.

In 1984 a Nike executive pushed Phil to sign a rookie NBA player to an endorsement deal.

Phil wasn't interested in basketball.

Nike was a running shoe company.

He reluctantly agreed to meet the rookie.

His name was Michael Jordan.

Nike signed him for $500,000 a year plus royalties.

Unheard of money for a rookie who had never played an NBA game.

The NBA banned the original Air Jordans immediately.

Said they violated uniform color rules.

Nike paid Jordan's $5,000 per game fine every single time he wore them.

And turned the ban into the greatest marketing campaign in sports history.

The shoes that were too dangerous for the NBA.

Every kid on every playground in America had to have them.

Air Jordan generated $126 million in its first year.

Today the Jordan brand alone generates over $5 billion annually.

From one reluctant meeting with a rookie basketball player.

Phil Knight took Nike public in 1980.

On that day he was worth $178 million.

His first employee was worth $6 million.

Today Nike is worth over $100 billion.

The most recognized sports brand on the face of the earth.

Built by a man who borrowed $50 from his father.

Who made up a company name on the spot in a Japanese boardroom.

Who paid $35 for the most valuable logo in sports history.

Who operated on the edge of bankruptcy for eighteen straight years.

Who got sued by his supplier, dropped by his banks and hunted by his own government.

And refused to quit through every single moment of it.

The swoosh on your shoes right now started in the trunk of a green Plymouth Valiant at a track meet in Oregon.

Sold by one man with $50 and an obsession.

Just do it wasn't just a slogan.

It was the only strategy that ever worked.

I recently did a full scouting breakdown on Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman and wanted to share it here in case anyone is interested. I'd also love to hear what you guys think about his game and his NFL projection.

Thanks!

He won a National Title at Notre Dame, and as an assistant at Ohio State. May you rest in peace coach. Say hi to all the legends up there.

Purdue is where Coach Waz coached for a few years, so not only does he know Big-10 ballparks well, but he knows this one superbly. Surprisingly...Purdue is a decent team, a team that could beat us if we don't play (or pitch) our best. The Boilermakers are 8-3 as they swept Marist, won a series with Portland, barely lost to No. 11 Southern Miss 5-4 and beat Beavis in a tournament, 5-2.

So come ready to play, as their pitcher, Cole Van Assen has an ERA of 4.16 (respectably good) and we counter with our ace, Will Sanford. (ERA of 0.00) Purdue has some really tough relievers, and some others that don't look so hot. I imagine to take a game off of us--they will throw the best relievers at us in the first game?

Saturday's game is at 11:00 AM PST, and Sunday at 9:00 AM PST? (Charles...get used to it!)

Will Sanford

Oregon football has added Western Kentucky to its 2027 nonconference schedule, setting up a first-ever meeting at Autzen Stadium on Sept. 18, 2027

The matchup with Western Kentucky is set for Saturday, Sept. 18, 2027, at Autzen Stadium and will mark the first-ever meeting between Oregon and Western Kentucky on the football field. With the addition of the Hilltoppers, Oregon's 2027 nonconference schedule now includes a home game against Eastern Washington, a road trip to Baylor, and the newly announced home date with Western Kentucky.

For Oregon, the scheduling move continues a familiar balancing act. The Ducks have paired a Power Four road game at Baylor with two home contests, giving them a mix of challenge and flexibility before Big Ten play begins.

https://247sports.com/college/oregon/article/oregon-football-adds-western-kentucky-to-2027-nonconference-schedule-276643064/

Yay Ducks!

Oregon’s Most Iconic Games in Ducks Football History

Reliving the Glory Days of Oregon Ducks Football

CBS Sports' Brad Crawford has identified 26 of the college football (CFB) games in 2026 that will have the most impact on which teams are chosen for the 2026-27 CFB Playoff (PO).

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-2026-miami-notre-dame-ohio-state-indiana/

The folks at B1G HQ in Chicago should remind Brad that CBS is no longer an SEC broadcast partner. 13 games on his list are of the it Just Means More variety. Hmmm.

Eight B1G games are on the list in the order of ranking below. The No. 1 game does offer Brad a measure of hope for absolution.

No, 22 - 10/17 - Penn State at Michigan - A battle of experienced coaches new to the B1G.

No. 13 - 9/12 - Oklahoma at Michigan - Payback for the Wolverines?

No. 12 - 10/31 - Ohio State at USC - In year three of an 18-team Big Ten, these two teams that battled in eight Rose Bowl games, going 4-4, meet as conference opponents.

No. 10 - 9/26 - Oregon at USC - Ranking this game above TOSU at USC gives Brad's list a modicum of credibility.

No. 8 - 11/28 - Michigan at Ohio State - Will Ryan Day close his 2-4 gap versus the Wolverines?

No. 5 - 9/12 - Ohio State at Texas - Unlike the 2025 opener between Texas and Ohio State in Columbus, the two QBs come into the game as experienced starters, with a Week 1 cupcake chomping: Ohio State vs. Ball State and Texas vs. New World 😁Texas State.

This game will not kick off at Noon Eastern - Plan on watching the game on ABC at 7:30 PM Eastern, 4:30 PM Pacific, with Herbie and Chris on the call.

No. 3 - 10/17 - Ohio State at Indiana - Both the Buckeyes and the Hoosiers brought in solid transfer portal hauls. 247 Sports ranks Ohio State as the 5th-best portal picker, with Indiana ranked 8th.

Will transfer QB Josh Hoover approach the numbers Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza put up last season?

Many of the players Curt Cignetti brought with him from JMU are out of eligibility. How will a younger Indiana team perform in 2026?

Indiana is odds-on to be undefeated when this game is played. Ohio State is a +2.5 underbuck against Texas, but will be favored in the rest of its games.

Unfortunately, this game will likely kick off at Noon Eastern, and draw millions fewer viewers who would watch the game in prime time.

Number 1 - 10/17 - Oregon at Ohio State - Coming in at No. 1 makes 13 SEC games on Brad's list, a venial and not a mortal sin.

Coming into this Week 10 game, even with Ohio State and Oregon having difficult schedules, there is an excellent chance for both the Ducks and the Bucks to be undefeated or to have only one loss.

Ohio State will be coming off a Week 9 game against USC in Los Angeles. In Week 9, OBD hosts Northwestern. Both teams will be traveling from the Pacific to the Eastern time zone. Possibly a scheduling break for Oregon. But don't overlook a motivated Chipper and Northwestern.

This game should have a significant influence on PO seeding, and will also most likely be a Noon kickoff on Fox. Nevertheless, an ESPN College GameDay Week 10 showing in Columbus is likely.

Is it September 5th yet?

My take . . . HALLE FRICKIN LUJAH

It is a touch harder to refer to Oregon State Baseball as Beavis, since they have earned my respect in that sport. Last year they finished No. 4 in the nation, but lost a ton of players off that team and are in a getting-it-together mode this season with a 6-4 record.

They are ranked No. 18 in the nation on D1 Baseball, and Oregon is yet unranked with them. Oregon State has not beaten anyone ranked, and lost to No. 11 Southern Miss, and the other three losses were to unranked teams. But their schedule to date is harder than ours, so we cannot use records as any indicator.

They split games with Michigan, beat Iowa, and lost a game to Purdue? (Who we play a series at on Friday)

I was wondering why Ryan Featherston was only used for one inning in the first game of the series, when he has an ERA of 0.00 between his start and relief innings? Then I saw the schedule and realized that he is probably the starter today vs. Oregon State. (We sure could have used him in the Irvine game we lost!)

Ryan Featherston

Does Oregon Need a Basketball GM?

The Oregon Ducks have hired Rip Rowan to their defensive coaching staff, an experienced coach at both the NFL and collegiate levels. How can the addition of Rowan help Oregon's defense that returns several key players for the 2026 season?

What Rowan Brings to Oregon Ducks Defense

Rowan’s experience coaching at both the collegiate and the NFL level makes him a valuable addition for an Oregon defense that looks to remain consistent under new defensive coordinator Chris Hampton, who takes over for Tosh Lupoi after his departure to become the coach for the California Golden Bears.

Oregon Ducks On SI

When you click on the word “News,” you will see an index of multiple links to sports news sites for your enjoyment!

During the football season, podcasts were included with the game for that week. Podcasts still are taking place, just not as often. 

I also have noticed that the podcasts now are covering more than just football. For instance, the one following includes some talk about basketball. 

Those podcasts will now be posted under this thread as they occur. To see the previous podcast thread click Here as we will keep the thread to no more than 50 podcasts at a time.

Check back often for some informative listening.

This Thread is for Podcasts ONLY.  You can always start a new thread with any of these podcasts for discussion.

As Forum Friend Mike Whitty noted in his excellent article on how to balance the Big Ten conference schedules, posted on February 19, 2026, in-conference schedules in today's college football mega-conferences vary significantly from season to season.

With 18, 17, and 16-team Power 4 conferences playing nine-game conference schedules, a team's conference strength of schedule (SOS) from season to season is based on the luck of the draw.

For example, in 2026, USC plays the three teams the B1G sent to last season's playoff: Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon. Wisconsin misses all three playoff teams.

With the year-to-year roster turnover in college football (CFB) that is exacerbated by today's transfer portal, I have no better idea how to balance CFB schedules beyond the ideas considered by Mike and those who commented on Mike's article.

I am the first to acknowledge that evaluating SOS in the preseason is a complete crap shoot. You can load your prediction dice with all kinds of information from yesterday, but at the end of the season, you are as likely to roll snake eyes as you are a 7 or 11.

With that said, my Big Ten 2026 SOS calculus breaks the conference into five tiers, five tiers based on The Sporting News preseason top 25 composite rankings.

The preseason top 25 predictions used in the composite: The Sporting News (TSN), Athlon, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, and On3.

Nine B1G teams are in TSN's top 25, including Others Receiving Votes, No. 30 Illinois. I used last season's results to rank the rest of the B1G teams. I only analyzed the schedules of the nine teams ranked by TSN, but you never know when an Indiana will arise or when a Penn State might crater.

Tier 1 - 1. Ohio State - TSN No. 1 / 2. Indiana - TSN No. 4 / 3. Oregon - TSN No. 5

Tier 2 - 4. USC - TSN 13 / 5. Michigan - TSN 14

Tier 3 - 6. Penn State - TSN 20 / 7. Iowa - TSN 21 / 8. Washington - TSN 22

9. Illinois - TSN 30.

Tier 4 - 10. Minnesota / 11. Northwestern / 12 Nebraska. Not ranked by TSN

Finished 2025 with a winning record and qualified for bowl games.

Tier 5 - 13. UCLA / 14. Wisconsin / 15. Rutgers / 16. Michigan State

17. Maryland / 18 Purdue

Using these tiers, I ranked the top nine teams. I adjusted an opponent's ranking by minus .5 if the game was on the road.

EXAMPLE using OBD's schedule - At USC 1.5, UCLA 5, Nebraska 4, at Illinois 2.5, Northwestern 4, at Ohio State 0.5, Michigan 2, at Michigan State 4.5, Washington 3.

TOTAL - 27

The number of home games and whether a team plays five or 4 conference games at home or on the road (5/4 or 4/5) are not included in the SOS calculus. Neither are factors such as Oregon being the only Big Ten team playing eight conference games without a break, including playing two of the eight on the road in November.

For conference championship purposes, whether a team plays five or four conference games at home matters and is factored in by giving more weight to conference away games.

I have neither the brain nor the computer power to add nuance beyond home and away games to the below rankings.

From a playoff overall record POV, with 8 home games and a 5/4 conference split, Michigan and Illinois have an advantage.

With 8 home games, a 5/4 split, and no Power 4 opponent OOC, Indiana is looking good to repeat as the conference champion, making the playoff for the third season in a row, and earning back-to-back playoff 1st round byes.

And Indiana is the only one of eight teams with a first-round playoff bye to win its second-round game, and did so while coming up Roses and turning the Crimson Tide into a leaky faucet.

SOS Rankings - The lower the number, the more difficult the schedule.

1. Ohio State - 23.5 - Plus, at TSN No. 2 Texas - 7 Home Games - 5/4

2. Washington -25.5 - No OOC Power 4 opponent - 7 Home - 4/5

3. Michigan - 26 - Plus, No. 10 Oklahoma - 8 Home - 5/4

4. Oregon - 27 - Plus, Mountain West champion Boise State, and at Oklahoma State - 7 Home - 5/4

5. USC - 27.5 - With a game to be determined, no OOC Power 4 opponent

TBD Home - 4/5

6. Indiana - 28 - No OOC Power 4 opponent - 8 Home - 5/4

7. Illinois - 30 - Plus, Not Ranked (NR) Duke - 8 Home - 5/4

8. Iowa - 33 - Plus, NR Iowa State - 7 Home - 4/5

9. Penn State - 34 - No OOC P4 opponent - 8 Home - 4/5

Ohio State is No. 1 in the TSN rankings, but the Buckeyes' schedule in and out of conference in 2026 is more demanding than when it finished 12-0 in the 2025 regular season.

Indiana plays Ohio State in Bloomington. Oregon flies to Columbus to play Ohio State.

I think No. 4-ranked Indiana has the best path to a repeat conference championship. If QB Hoover can play anywhere near the level of Heisman winner Mendoza, watch out for the Hoo, Hoo, Hoosiers.

BEAT BOISE!