Apparently all the talk about Raiola to Oregon right now is fro Raiola and his agent. For him Oregon could be a great landing spot because of the magic Lanning has done with quarterbacks to rehab their careers.

But if we are going for a transfer it will either be someone plug and play, closer to a Dillon Gabriel and Bo Nix or a Dante Moore type which is a sit a year and develop.

I kinda doubt Raiola wants to sit a year and he is too raw of a talent to be a plug and play.

Gabriel was proven and Nix needed a system, athletes, and coaches around him to elevate his potential.

When there is a slow news cycle? Probably not... But the off season is fast approaching and we'll soon all be hungry for things to talk about.

Another factor to think about ...

If Oregon wins the national championship I think Moore is gone. If we don't then I think that's when he has to make a decision.

4 hours ago, OregonDucks said:

“My next goal on there was ‘Head coach, 35.’ I wanted to be a head coach, and I thought that was really important to me. Well, I became the head coach of Oregon at 35. The next goal on there is NFL coach,” Lanning shared, before dropping a major truth bomb. “That ain’t on my goal board no more. It’s off my board, and it’ll never be up there again.”

“When I took this job [at Oregon], I made a promise to my kids that they’re going to graduate from the same high school, middle school. Those things are way more important to me than getting the opportunity to coach in the NFL. I used to have that dream; that’s not a dream of mine anymore. I truly believe this will be my last job,” Lanning concluded.

What has also become quite interesting is how College Coaches and NFL Coaches don't really overlap anymore. If you want to be an NFL coach now you work your way up the ranks through the NFL, and that might mean you coach a position at college for a while but you move up into the NFL the first chance you get to start moving up the NFL ranks.

College coaches are pretty much the same, just circling around colleges and moving up the ranks.

Sure there are exceptions... Tosh Lupoi was a position coach in the NFL become he made his return to college at Oregon but to get to the NFL he arguably took himself down a rank from DC (at Bama though he may have already been demoted, his time as DC at Bama wasn't great) to position coach.

Then there are the catastrophic failures to make the jump. We all know the Urban Myer failure taking over the Jags after being one of the best college coaches. And now Bill Belichick is underwater at North Carolina and he is considered one of the best coaches in the NFL of all time. Both leagues are the same sport but they might as well not be because they have shockingly little interaction in terms of talent pool.

I'm not saying Lanning wouldn't be successful in the NFL but he seems built for college football.

1 hour ago, Charles Fischer said:

I wish people would give a score when they post for everyone else...

24-3 Washington at half, as the Huskies look MUCH more talented than Boise State in the trenches, and also with the skill people. Run blocking against the Broncos is much easier than against Oregon, and Husky receivers are getting open easily compared to a few weeks ago vs. OBD.

Washington defenders are overwhelming BSU at times, and the talent difference was quite a surprise to me. Damn...Fisch is going to have NINE wins in just his second year? Pretty impressive considering the tire-fire he got handled to him...

Put Some Ears on Him and He

Kinda Looks Like a RAT?

It doesn't hurtbdor Washington that Boise State lost basically ALL their offense in Jeanty.

BSU has had a fine year in the MW but nothing too outstanding for them. Their record isn't what it was last year for sure.

1 hour ago, OregonDucks said:

There is no guarantee that he’ll have success in the NFL, even if he used all of his eligibility though.

As much as I’d like, as a Ducks fan, to see him return next year, $40-50 million is a lot to turn down and potentially risk.

You're correct ther is no guarantee if success in the NFL.

But he can prepare the best he can and that's his decision to make. Has he learned everything he realistically can from college ball or not?

I'm not answering the question just posing it.

I would like for him to come back for another year personally but I also don't have a day in the matter.

I'm sure the NIL will come in and get close enough.

The bigger question is that does Dante feel like there is still just to learn and grow from college ball?

I think his current NFL evaluation is on his potential. He has a lot of potential.

But if he feels like he can develop mentally and in his leadership with another year of college ball then he'll come back.

Because if his potential doesn't catch up fast enough for the NFL he'll flame out real fast. Another year of college probably solidifies his NFL career for the long run.

For the Community lovers out there!

1 hour ago, Washington Waddler said:

In regards to Husky whining and complaints about NIL/portal funding of Oregon football, the Seattle sports scene reminds me of LA, or any other mega city where the victory hungry spot light siphons off support and interest to whoever is doing better.

Case in point: at Husky Stadium, I saw numerous purple puppy farm fans wearing Mariner and Seahawks hats or jerseys, and in some cases, both.

As in LA, the $$ is there. It just has no loyalty.

Kinda my biggest reason for not wanting the NFL in Portland. The Ducks and lesser so the Beavs are THE teams in Oregon.

Sure there are the Blazers but they chronically mismanaged and they are basketball so it doesn't have the same pull as the NFL.

I hope this is thr start of an em-BEAR-issment of riches for next year's class.

I am aware that joke is un-BEAR-able and I should feel bad.

I have faith the coordinator hires are solid. Especially Hampton... Mehringer will get a chance to prove himself.

It will be interesting to see who Lanning hires to fill some of the holes now left by promotions. In the past couple of cycles Lanning has done a mix of internal and external hires. Samples was outside for running backs where as Michalowski and Wadood were internal promotions.

Showing willingness to promote from within is a powerful recruiting tool for any staff positions.

45 minutes ago, EastBayDuckDad said:

Yes, this may be the harbinger of the death of traditional bowl games.

Bowl games have been increasingly on life support since the 4 team playoff. 2017 really started seeing players sit out of bowl games for the draft and by 2021 players started sitting out NY6 on playoff games... Ohio State v Utah in the Rose Bowl was a big one.

It was only a matter of time before whole teams started sitting out.

And the winner this year will probably be Indiana.

It's their year for a lot of things but I firmly believe it's our year for a national championship right now.

1 hour ago, VegasDuck said:

Benson to me is the #1 WR. TD vs Indiana, Clutch catch vs Iowa, TD vs UW and a punt return vs USC. He needs the ball thrown his way more often.

Interesting stat I saw that before the injuries to Moore and Bryant his snap count per game was going down. Basically he was losing his hold on his position in the lineup.

With the injuries he stepped up in a big way. He absolutely needs the ball thrown his way more.

One of my observations from game one was that he was sneaky in that he ran a good route and was a reliable receiver.

More recently his speed is flashing and he is getting even more dangerous.

Get him some touches and force the defense to guard everyone.

I bet they can't.

Mendoza probably wins the Heisman... I'm fine with that.

As long as we block them from a national championship I am even more fine with it.

1 hour ago, MicroBurst61 said:

IE: eight to nine conference games for SEC/ACC.

I mean the SEC probably got one more team into the playoff because they only play 8 conference games.

Just think... if USC did NOT play Oregon they would be right in the thick of the discussion whether they are in or out but that loss to Oregon was the kiss of death to them.

You could say the same thing about Michigan if they didn't play USC this year. They lost an OOC game to Oklahoma and then they will play Ohio State every year no matter what... but what if USC wasn't on their schedule? That's two losses and right in the thick of the discussion.

The B1G having 9 conference games this year has eliminated one of our teams from the playoff potentially... well probably not because Michigan and USC haven't looked THAT good.

3 hours ago, HappyToBeADuck said:

The Red Raiders defense is solid and aggressive for sure. However, they didn't have a difficult schedule to navigate.

There is a portion of their fanbase who firmly believe they will hold Oregon to under 100 yards rushing, Texas Tech only gives up around 65 yards rushing per game. But TTU hasn't played an offensive line anything like what Oregon has and the old narrative that Oregon has small linemen is not true anymore.

For Washington to slow our run game down they had to stack the box and challenge Dante Moore to beat them with his arm... and he did that without Dakorian Moore and Gary Bryant... what happens when they come back?

The reality is that championship games need to go away and that weekend should just be play in games... put some of those teams against each other and see who is actually worthy of those final spots.

6 minutes ago, Jon Joseph said:

Practice? Practice!

I mean that was one of the biggest reasons to take on a bowl game was the added practice time. But now with the transfer portal I don't know if programs see that as worth while. You're not prepping next year's team because you might lose your best players to the portal and not have them on the team at all and some of the pieces on next year's team won't be added until the portal opens.

18 minutes ago, Duckman60 said:

It might cost more money to go to a bowl game then the $500,000. If that is the case, and we know its all about the money, its a wise decision.

The payout generally goes to the conference for bowl game participation. I don't know how much each team gets for conference participation. I'm pretty sure a team showing up and playing costs less than $500,000. This is meant to hurt because participating in bowl games is for the good of the conference.

It does highlight the end of season December chaos has never been greater and the emphasis on playoff or bust has never been higher.

Ooof... Chip it's a sign that you should just retire when you're looking at WSU.

Or go do TV for a few years.

1 hour ago, GatOrlando said:

Is admission requirements still something? I've always heard that the head coach at Notre Dame has a tough job, because he needs to find five star players with five star study habits. A rule that some......um... Miami....umm... probably don't follow. That place is a private institution, one that has people named Reginald, Archibald, Thelonias, and last names that have words like the third, attached to them.

I imagine it's likely the same at USC. Also a private place of higher education, but I might be wrong. After all, I went to a public University with a terrible football team, and even worse academic admissions record for said football team.

( Said football team may have some history that I'm biased against. My comments may not be entirely true, as I grew up disliking said team. My comments are not to be taken too seriously, you can't sue me or anyone around me for my emotional takes. Plus your law program is second rate to the program I support. Remember I am an alumnus 🥸. That is all)

I know a Stanford had it rough. They need to find players who could theoretically get into Stanford on their own outside of football and recruit those kids.

Then to make matters worse if a player graduates early and wants to get a master's degree they have to apply and be accept r to the master's program without football in consideration. In short... If a Stanford football grad wants to use some of their eligibility to get a master's degree degree they are going else where.

It also means their portal use is highly restricted to those who meet their academics.

Granted... I am just all around jealous of those who automatically, or effectively automatically, get auto enrolled in grad programs. I applied for four schools to get into a grad program... And then I had to pay for that degree out of pocket.

But i will say this about Stanford... They do seem to walk thr walk when it comes to heir academics in their programs.

Now Washington should take note.. because that's academic prowess.

3 hours ago, JabbaNoBargain said:

Side note, bowls need to go.

They need to be revamped.

By themselves they are unexciting but they could be incentivized.

NIL is a thing so pay the players and give the winning team more. This can be done lots of ways but still.

There should also just be a second tournament like in mens basketball and that should be the bowl game system.

Schools are going to be able to pay players directly soon and bowl game payouts could absolutely be part of the equation.

The G6 conference champs are fine for inclusion the way I see it. They played their schedules and came out the other side conference champs and based on the system they get in.

The ACC champs failed to take care of business along the way and should be grateful they have Miami representing them at all.

Bama probably shouldn't be in but the committee positioned them as such that they were going to be in no matter what.

Notre Dame probably deserves to be in but not over Miami. If they were in the ACC they probably would have won the conference and we wouldn't have this conversation. Notre Dame just needs to join a conference already. But the 16 team playoff probably will enable them to stay independent.

The B1G should probably have another team in the field too much cannibalism for that to happen. Truly competitive conferences are not rewarded for being competitive as we all know from the Pac-12.

On the academic performance front there are SO many services around athletes these days that it's hard to fail.

I was at UO when the academic support building was built and completed. Those players have a lot of help.

They also have a full time job in their sport as well so I'm not entirely knocking it.

I haven't seen anything about drug testing in a long time. I'm sure it happens from time to time. I'm sure they'll find a way to disqualify our best receivers of we make the title game.