Cacker Guy

That's an interesting perspective. I can see where you are coming from I think. I guess college football is such great entertainment that it generates so much interest - and therefore money - that the entertainment industry (and the almighty dollar) is now driving college football. Which in turn is driving other sports. It is sad in a way for us who played sports back in the olden days for fun and school glory. But I don't see how it can be reversed. There is always Willamette vs. Linfield and so on I guess. This snowball effect reminds me of a time I was convinced college scholarships were ruining high school sports -- players changing schools, parents badgering me about more touches for their son, kids specializing in one sport, etc. -- all to increase their chances of a scholarship. I wish they would have made the same effort in academics or career tech! It really bothered me, but what can you do? It's a different world. I'm curious to see how this will all shake out. I'll root for the Ducks, and I think they will be fine.

I kind of like this idea, but without the B12. 24 teams, 8 per division. The championship game would need to be worked out, but it's quite doable. It almost preserves the Pac 12/10/9. Is this even possible or economically feasible under the current ACC media rights deal? I'm too lazy to try to figure that out myself. I guess if you consider it adding 9 teams to the ACC it probably is.

I like Lanning a lot but this seems early to me. Last season was pretty good, but losing to both hated rivals on questionable game calls doesn't seem to warrant a raise and extension. Yet. I really hope he continues to grow and improve.

I truly hope Mario is successful at Miami. I know this may be unpopular, but I actually like him. I think he worked his tail off in Eugene, and I think his efforts really helped us after the Helfrich and Taggart regimes. I think he genuinely cared for his players, and his players respected him and that reestablished some team discipline. However, watching his offenses perform was excruciating. Maddening. I am happy that he left, and I think we are much better off with Coach Lanning. It doesn't bother me at all that he went home to his family and his roots and his alma mater. Yeah, maybe he checked out before the second Utah game, but ... whatever. So I wish him well at Miami. As long as they don't do better than the Ducks.

I agree, Dr. Hilarious. MH was not an HC. Even if he made better DC hires, he didn't have IT. There were discipline issues right off the bat, on field and off. I was immediately very concerned about this. It reflects weak leadership. This is it in my opinion. In my HS experience, being a coordinator is almost an intellectual activity. Not quite of course, but compared to HC you don't have to deal much with player discipline, motivation, and a host of other things. You mostly game plan and practice plan and coach your position group (usually QBs) and call plays during the game. Sure there is more, but it's pretty cerebral. When I was OC I could be strangely detached from some things that as a HC were vitally important -- I lived and breathed them and coached with my heart and my guts as well as my head. MH just wasn't a good leader.

This makes sense. Thank you. Peterson had been WR coach at Oregon for about six years before he went to Boise, so I figured he had some "within" connections. Not nearly as much as Helfrich in 2012 though I guess.

I know this is water under the bridge, but I really wanted the Ducks to hire Peterson. How did we miss him? Was everyone all in on Helfrich and no attempt was made to lure Peterson away from Boise at the time? I was very disappointed -- I thought he might come to Eugene if we tried hard enough.

Absolutely! It's almost too easy -- if you're not careful you can end up having more subscriptions than you want! I have actually never had cable, though I get a few local stations with my old "rabbit ears." Streaming suits me just fine.

I've seen this many times in 20 years of coaching. Some guys are great position coaches and can't quite step up to be good coordinators (Pellum at UO?), and even many great high school coordinators are lousy head coaches. So much more is involved in the HC job -- so much of it is leading players and staff, working with admin, parents, boosters, off-season programs, feeder programs, managing staff, etc. etc. Plus the on-field leadership and coordination. Motivating players and keeping them out of trouble. I have great respect for guys who can do it -- there is just so much to the job. Plus you need tenacity, thick skin, and tremendous physical, mental and emotional endurance and toughness. I really liked Helfrich as a person and I think he was a very good OC. He didn't quite have all the necessary skills to be a good HC. But there is no shame in that, since it takes an extraordinary man to do it. And he tried. I wish him well and hope he is happy. Here's hoping Coach Lanning is that extraordinary man, who can lead, manage everything, and stay humble and likeable.

This! I think these games just reinforce East Coast bias. I have no idea how widely they are watched back east but I don't like staying up late Saturday night, so I don't even watch all that many. Plus weird things happen on PAC-12 After Dark; I'm always expecting upsets and holding my breath when the Ducks play late. I just can't get that 2019 game at ASU out of my memory.

Agree! The 1994 unis are probably my favorite. And the USC game just might be the right time to bring back these "perfect" unis.

Thank you very much for the information, Bruce! Go Ducks!

I live in California. Basic economics has largely fled the state, along with common sense. Very sad...

I agree. Plus I think that Bo is an excellent ambassador for the university. He is not just a fine football player, but also a thoughtful young man of high character. To me, this adds value. In some ways he is a walking, talking advertisement for the university -- and the football program.

Praying for you, Pennsylvania Duck! I have appreciated all your efforts here posting articles. Thank you!

I see ESPN ranks Zahkari Franklin -- who played for Will Stein last year at UTSA -- as the #9 WR in the nation this year! Any news on if the Ducks are trying to bring him to Eugene?

Go Ducks!!! Thank you for the article, Jordan!

Wow! What speed! His tape certainly reminds me of MM! Doesn't look like his OL protected well -- that might indirectly factor into his * rating.

This is what a 5-Star QB does in spring football....and how long as Ty been here? I saw a few highlights from Moore's performance in one of those All-Star games and my heart sank. He really looked good. I'm afraid he is the real deal -- he has "it." I wasn't real disappointed at the time he flipped, but I sure am now. TT definitely doesn't have it. I hope something gets jarred into place and he finds "it" -- I really do. He seems like a great kid, but at this point I have to agree with Charles -- not there and won't get there. Sigh. Moore on the other hand, looks poised for greatness.

"I hope so as well, because Oregon had 44 players who were 4/5-Stars at the time, and Fresno had ONE. That is damn good coaching... " I was very impressed with HOW Fresno St. played in that game. They hustled, hit hard, played smart and played with a real edge. They were not intimidated by playing at Autzen at all. They were very well coached -- not only X's and O's but also the way they executed and played hard and played together. I was definitely NOT thrilled when UW hired DeBoer. I think he is the real deal. I agree with Dr. Hilarious... Hopefully Lanning can reach his level and surpass him.

I am alarmed very at how many quality players have left to the transfer portal in the two years. What is going on? Is Graves alienating his players somehow? Did Marc Campbell leaving have anything to do with it? I have liked Graves, but something appears to be very wrong. Bad culture? Poor coaching? The players who left are good -- they all started on very good teams, and had productive years: Taylor Mikesell (#6 tOSU) -- 17.1 points / 3.1 rebounds / 2.5 assists per game Jaz Shelley (Nebraska) – 14.6 / 4.8 / 6.1 Angela Dugalic (#13 UCLA) – knee injury Sydney Parrish (#7 Indiana) – 12.1 / 5.4 / 1.9 Maddie Scherr (Kentucky) -- 11.6 / 5.1 / 4.3 Kylee Watson (#11 Notre Dame) – 6.7 / 4.3 / 0.9 That’s a total of 62.1 ppg / 22.7 rpg / 15.7 apg that left before this year. Now this year Jenna Isai and Te-Hina... (13.1 / 4.2 / 3.3) Why did they leave? Does anyone know? A Grave and puzzling matter indeed....

The number and quality of players who have left the program within the past two years -- since Campbell left -- is alarming. They are all starters, mostly on good teams, and having productive years: Taylor Mikesell (#14 tOSU) -- 17.1 points / 3.1 rebounds / 2.5 assists per game Jaz Shelley (Nebraska) – 14.6 / 4.8 / 6.1 Angela Dugalic (#19 UCLA) – knee injury Sydney Parrish (#2 Indiana) – 12.1 / 5.4 / 1.9 Maddie Scherr (Kentucky) -- 11.6 / 5.1 / 4.3 Kylee Watson (#10 Notre Dame) – 6.7 / 4.3 / 0.9 That’s a total of 62.1 ppg / 22.7 rpg / 15.7 apg Why did they leave? Maybe they wanted to be closer to home. Or whatever. Freshman Jenna Isai left early in the season this year. I have always like Coach Graves, but this is alarming to me. Does anyone know why they left? Is there a culture issue? Coaching issue? Didn't play enough? I am very curious what is going on.