30Duck

Current Line: Oregon -2, and Gonzaga -7 over UCLA

The Zags are the biggest anomaly in college sports. Talk about hard to recruit to, but they get it done. They lost in the Championship Game last season, lost 3 players from te starting line-up, but here they are, No. 1, and the favorite to win the championship this season.

Right, and it would be great see tOSU's O shred UGA's D.

That seems to have been the last match-up, and now I can cheer for the Big Blue, almost certainly in vain, against OH. ST. and look forward to a Rose Bowl against the Wolverines.

The potential for these Oregon Bigs is exciting, and potentially could be the best ever, but for now I think that title belongs to this Duck, and fun note, the Ducks got him from Auburn, Wa., 27 miles from Seattle.

That seems to be how it has worked, and once again, this time with even more talent and height, than usual, Oregon is a team where a lot of new players will have to start from scratch before they all "buy in".

Here's a Bear-Cat:

There are earthquakes and there are EARTHQUAKES! The loss to ASU was bad, but it doesn't compare to the one to Utah. ASU was "Man, how did that happen?" The Utah mess has us shaken to the core. The Beavers are sky high, if the Huskies beat the Cougars on Fridy, the game against the Ducks is for the Rose Bowl. If the Cougars win, the Beavers can still stick a dagger in the Ducks. The Ducks have to rise up fast to match the intensity the Beavers will have.

Yeah, we'll get a good measure of how high the ceiling is after the game on Saturday.

After their victory over Chaminade, the Ducks face the Gaels in a semi-final game of the Maui Classic.

I don't know what you know. But it appears we're good here.

Some great Takes, Darren, I too am happy to be free to root against Ohio State, amidst the world coming down around me after the Utah game, the weight of "wanting" the Buckeyes to win was lifted. Now I am free to root, as usual, for Michigan. As for Cincy, just go away Bearcats! What is a Bearcat anyway? Yes, the absurdity of the variant properties of the OSU's and the reverberations of Oregon's action/reaction from contact will set the trajectory of the team.

0 times, just like more than 90% of the teams, and Saban might not get there this season, it's incredibly hard to do.

I just don't know of a coach that Oregon would get if Mario wasn't here anymore, that fans would think, "Yeah, this is the Guy who will get us to the Playoffs every year". How many of them are there now, not named Nick Saban?

Since I saw my first Duck football game, 52 years ago I/ve wanted them to win the championship. Remember when The Ducks beat the Beavers and Jerry Allen could barely get out, "The Ducks are going to play for the National Championship!" That was a big deal, and then they did it again, and Jerry didn't have as much trouble spreading the news. This season, after it was proven that 1-time out of 10, Oregon will beat Ohio State, The talent discrepancy between the Buckeyes and the Ducks is greater than between Oregon and the other Pac-12 teams. Oregon was in contention for the CFP, but then they got blitzed by Utah, while Ohio State bulldozed over No. 7 Michigan State. Next time the Ducks play in the Championship Game, it again will be a Big Deal.

Exactly right!

Good stuff with this and the rest of what you wrote. There's a lot of thinking involved with being a real fan, and not a fair weather or bandwagon type. The real fan has expectations based on evaluations he or she has made, which could differ from others, but are still valid. A fan can be sorely disappointed when the Ducks don't play well, especially when the mistakes are glaring, and repetitive. But they are disappointed because they care! These feelings are needed so the fan doesn't fall into the apathetic stage which is fatal to a program.

Focus Ducks, this is the Enemy!

The Women wrap it up in the Bahama's at 11:30 on ESPNU and then the Men start the Maui Classic at 6:00, again on ESPNU

That will depend on the Apple Cup on Friday. If the Cougs win, the Beavs are out.