Solar

Yeah, this isn't really politics, there's just not much a president or anybody else can do. You offer non-revenue sports for non monetary reasons or you don't offer it at all. The players of the sports that generate the revenue get paid for playing. It's demand driven are a meritocracy with the supply of that product that creates the demand. It's the legal system we have in this country applied to a corner case with high visibility.

It depends on how long the layoff is. Most NFL teams that are division champs will sit their players the last game of the season if they can manage it, and it doesn't seem to harm them much to have the bye week during wild card weekend, so 2 total weeks between games is okay. The problem is when everyone has 3-4 weeks off, and the winner of the first rounds knocks the rust off while the higher seeded team is still rusty is when it gets bad. Separately, if we pay attention to trends, about 75% of playoff teams are contenders due to NIL and the draw to make the playoffs. I don't think going to 24 will change the ratio that much after a few years to adjust. But the dilution of talent will continue to affect the "elite", and every additional round makes it roughly 50% less likely we'll win a Natty. 25% chance with 4 team playoff, 7.5% chance with the 12 team playoff and 3.75% chance with a 24 team playoff. 24 is nearly 25, as in "25 ranked teams" that we consider the threshold for being relevant. So all relevant teams except 1 are in the tournament. Seems to line up. All that being said I think 16 is probably best as a Duck fan that appreciates more level competition.

That's more like it. Thanks!

Disappointing article. Our fastest guys are all basically 11 second sprinters (except Moore)? I hope they missed more than just Gatlin. What about LB Jackson? There has to be others missed.

I think that the larger the field the lower the probability we win a Natty under Dan Lanning. If the playoffs stayed at 4 teams, we would be basically guaranteed to win a Natty in the next 3-5 years. But it didn't. The field expanded requiring more near 50:50 probability games to be won cutting your odds in half with every additional game. And then there is NIL combined with the expanded playoffs that is levelling the playing field by spreading out the player and coaching talent. No matter the size of the playoff field, about 2/3-3/4 of that number of teams has a chance to win given enough years for boosters to adjust. It's just probabilities, and we can be in that conversation every year as contenders, but as one of 8+ that could win it all. I think we are going to win a whole lot of games next year and I plan on enjoying every single one, but I've decided the probabilities of winning a Natty are so poor I'm not going to get wrapped around the axle about it.

Brandon Finney? I assume he was left off the list because he was already an All American, but it would be quite the disappointment if he doesn't have a "monster second season" next year.

All respect and gratitude to 30Duck. He will be missed here and 100 times more to those closest to him, I am sure.

We are ranked high enough. We'll have to see how our offensive line is same as every year, and see if there are any freshman surprises like last year to help us along. I think the 2025 season was peak depth for this team. It's all downhill from here as the expanding playoff and NIL continue to redistribute talent to a broader number of teams. So injuries will have greater impact to our team as well.

This is like Disney saying they need to raise Disneyland price to ensure they can offer new rides in the future. They are just repricing to find the pain point of their customer base, which has increased with the willingness of the B1G teams' larger fan bases to travel to small little Autzen. Demand has increased for the same supply, so prices will be increased.

Sooooo... you're telling me there's a chance!?

Pairing this article with the one about DAT still living in Eugene has my wheels turning...about a .2% chance, but how cool would that be?

I always thought of Crayola because he seemed immature. I stopped calling him that since I figured out how bad the rest of the offense was. I don't think they ever scored another touchdown after he went down.

Back in the 90s my best friend and I were on the football team and my friend hurt his ankle. Coaches didn't care back then, he still had to run the conditioning drill where you jog around the field with each person laying down at the next 5 yard line while everyone hops over them. I think we did 2 or 3 laps. He came to school the next day in crutches having actually done that drill on a broken ankle. I also once played half a football game with my thumb broken all the way through at the base next to my wrist, from tackling the biggest guy in our league on a kickoff return. Those were the days of being young with a high pain threshold.

I couldn't agree more David. I've mentioned several of these points in previous comments, but your overall perspective is great. Success is winning a whole bunch of games and making the playoffs. Anytime you make it deeper into the playoffs than the year before it's a success, and if you don't make it as far the next year it can feel like a step back. I was a Jumper in track and field. I just did long and triple jump, but not high jump, partially because it took forever, but also I hated finishing by missing the bar 3 times in a row. Needless to say, for me finishing the season with a loss is a very sharp side of the double edged sword of the playoffs.

Man we need a great LB so bad. Please please please..