David Marsh

The next level of both progression and watachability for the offense comes with a solid vertical passing game. I think Oregon has that next year with Thompson or Butterfield.

To the question of is the west really that bad? Yes and No... we have great high school talent it just isn't staying out west these days. Getting more of that talent to stay home is vital. Winning more non-conference games is really important to increase the Pac-12's look. Last year in 2020 the Pac-12 played by far the fewest games. We really didn't have a season last year and that has REALLY hurt the Pac-12 in the opening games this season. Some more than others. I think we will get a better idea as to how bad the conference is in bowl season. I am not terribly hopeful that we make a major improvement but I am hoping the Pac-12 wins half their bowl games...

Bigger isn't always better. Yes, you need size on the offensive line but you also need that size to be able to beat out their opposition. To date Utah hasn't been able to bully all their opposition even though they have one of the physically biggest lines in the Pac-12. Will Utah's linemen be fast enough to stop KT, or Sewell, or Swinson, or any of the other stars in the making? Will they be able to it for four quarters?

I did talk about how Cristobal was reshaping the conference in my article last week. Though I didn't go through all the turnover, but the more recent coaching turnover and the bigger question that every program looking to hire a new head coach has to answer... "can they beat Oregon on the recruiting trail and on the field?"

I know coaches are fined for talking bad about the refs. But announcers? Really?

Even before MC Oregon wasn't exactly churning out 1k yard receivers. The last three receivers to have 1k yard seasons are Dillon Mitchell 2018, Byron Marshall 2014, and Josh Huff in 2013. This year receiving yards are down... but Oregon doesn't have a recent track record of big time receivers.

Women's sports, in particular basketball, are getting more and more attention. Being a starter on Oregon's basketball team is a big deal, so yes she probably had the ability to go elsewhere but does that help her career, if she has a desire to go pro? It is possible she leaves but it feels disingenuous that she is being talked about as possibly leaving because she is Mycah's girlfriend. It is perhaps more likely they break up because she has her own goals and she came to Oregon for herself and not Mycah to begin with. She will make her own choice. She chose Oregon. If she follows Mycah anywhere how much choice would she have in that school's program? I wouldn't be afraid of her leaving the basketball team.

That is certainly not helping him... But the pressure is still there I am sure. He has the perigee and he doesn't want to be left out of the family tradition.

If you look at the slew of posts he had this morning they are all about his brother.and how he is making it in the NFL. There is probably a TON of pressure coming from his brother and his dad to get out of Oregon and go somewhere that he can catch enough balls to make the jump to the NFL. He probably wanted to make the jump at the end of the year because he is draft eligible. That isn't going to happen... He also has two years of eligibility which he will probably need both to make a resume to get to the NFL. It is difficult for someone to see their brother succeed and know they aren't there yet or maybe ever. The pressure for Pittman is there between his brother and his dad and he wants to go to the NFL like them and succeed. Is Oregon going to give him that chance? Not this year... Next year maybe? Will transfering give him a better chance? Maybe.

No, they cannot play immediately this year. They have used their eligibility for this year as it is. They do however, get into the transfer portal before anyone else does and get to go team shopping early enough to get themselves a scholarship before teams run out of spots. Remember in a typical year (this year has a bit of weirdness) a school can only add 25 new scholarship players. That 25 number includes high schoolers AND transfer portal players. So getting into the transfer portal earlier can mean he gets a spot on a team that would otherwise fill that spot. However, with all that said... wouldn't it be more fun to be on a team that makes the playoff than to sit on the sideline?

Will she? I would definitely not consider that a done deal if Pittman looks at leaving. She has her own aspirations that may not coincide with his and what is the likelihood of them both being able to transfer to the same school and both have scholarships? If anything she may keep Pittman at Oregon.

I am sure they are having some interesting conversations right now with several of these questions... 1. Does Pittman even want to stay with the team? If so show it, take the social media stuff down. 2. Should the coaches work with Pittman to get him some touches and get him into space to make plays? Yes, he has had some decent returns in the punt return game but the problem there is he hasn't had much room to get the ball and run with it so signaling fair catch is his only option. 3. Does Pittman need to practice with Brown more to get in rythem and build that relationship? Maybe... that is for them to talk about. Brown certainly has a relationship with Devon Williams and it is showing on the field.

Chip isn't moving from UCLA at the moment. He is finally getting some traction with his roster and if he goes anywhere else he will have to start over again which is something he is frankly not good at. He is a slow program builder... he was given the keys to Oregon and told to run with it at a time Oregon was already fully built. Then... if Chip is fired NO ONE is going to hire him for some time. That would be his third job in a row that resulted in a firing.

It would be a shame to see him leave. This year has not been good in terms of the passing game. However, the Spring game we are expecting to see a passing explosion start to emerge and next year there will be a whole lot of angry fans if we don't see a passing game emerge... but that shouldn't be the case with the Qbs waiting in the wings.

That is a very good question. I don't think they can at this time... however, they are built in such a way to avoid a straight up shoot out. Oregon's offense has been able to grind out the clock and the defense has been able to get enough stops to make life difficult on opposing offenses to really avoid a high scoring shootout. I guess the game that is the closest to a shootout is the game against UCLA.. however, that one would have looked like a more dominant victory if not for the two turnovers in the 4th quarter.

I completely agree. I firmly believe the Beavers will win against ASU this weekend. Though as of what has transgressed so far this season I feel ASU is just ahead of the Beavers for the time being. Come Saturday... I think the Beavers show they are the better team.

I do think Arizona might sneak in two wins to finish the season if their opponents are caught sleeping. Utah got away with it but this Arizona team is playing with a fire that is rare for a team with a 1-9 record. I've been high on this team for awhile now, which is funny to say about a 1-9 team but I do think they have one of the best coaching hires of the last off season. Just give them a couple of years to prove it. Or they will just prove me wrong which is also possible.

Well the Pac-12 made this easier on me this week, everyone who was predicted to win did in fact win. So there is some changes but nothing too drastic. The game that would have made the biggest change in cementing the pecking order of the Pac-12 wasn't even played as Cal v USC was postponed. 1. Oregon (9-1) (6-1) - Oregon beat Washington State and barring a catastrophe in the last two games, Oregon will have complete control over the North. They will have to beat Utah twice in order to win the Conference Championship but in truth Oregon does match up better against Utah than Washington State. 2. Utah (7-3) (6-1) - Utah is clearly the No. 2 team in the Pac-12 at this point. They had a scare against Arizona but they did manage to finish that game out with a win. Oregon and Utah square off next Saturday which will determine which team leads the PAC. 3. Washington State (5-5) (4-3) - Washington State could not survive Oregon's rushing attack though they did prove to be pretty difficult with their downfield passing game. This team can score points and their defense is certainly annoying. For the time being they are the No. 3 team in the Pac-12, mostly because they have lost to those ranked above them and beaten those ranked below them... all except USC that is. The placement of WSU is also troubling because they are still not bowl eligable. However, that should change when they play Arizona this weekend, or not in which they will not belong at No. 3. 4. Arizona State (7-3) (5-2) - Should Arizona State be ahead of WSU? Maybe, however, ASU also lost pretty badly to WSU at home. So for the time being they can sit here at No. 4. Arizona State has to travel to Corvallis this weekend to play Oregon State. Arizona schools and North West Schools tend not to fair well in each other's climates in November. This may be a difficult game for them. 5. Oregon State (6-4) (4-3) - This is the first time since 2013 that Oregon State is bowl eligible. They could also very well rise in these rankings after this weekend with a win against ASU at home. OSU has been a strong team at home this year but not so much when they are on the road. So playing this game at home gives Oregon State an even greater edge as it will be a cool November night, possibly with rain, that will make the Sun Devils uncomfortable. 6. UCLA (6-4) (4-3) - UCLA is another team to join the Pac-12's bowling club. They defeated Colorado quite soundly to reach their sixth win. UCLA looks like a good team but certainly no where near the top of the Pac-12. Will a bowl game win be enough to save Chip's job though? We will have to find out. This is also the Battle for LA weekend, so a win over the Trojans would also go a long way for job security. 7. Washington (4-6) (3-4) - Washington once again sits perfectly in these rankings. They have lost to all the teams above them and beat all the teams beneath them. That should continue to hold true after this week where Washington gets Colorado. However, Colorado may take advantage of Washington's coaching problems and beat them. To make this even more of a terrifying possibility for Husky fans this game is away from the safety of Husky Stadium. Washington has only won one game on the road in two years. 8. USC (4-5) (3-4) - USC sits at No. 8 because I cannot in good faith but them any higher. They are without their top receiving target in Drake London and that plays a bigger role than the problem of having two quarterbacks, which usually means they have no starting quarterback. 9. California (3-6) (2-4) - The game Cal was supposed to play against USC on Saturday was cancelled due to covid protocols. This game will be made up from the sound of it and in truth both teams do have time to actually make this game up this season. Neither team is bowl eligible and it is unlikely either team at the end of the season, so it is unlikely this game will determine either team's bowl eligibility. So might as well let the Cal and USC game be their "bowl" game. 10. Colorado (3-7) (2-5) - Colorado has a real opportunity this weekend against Washington. Washington has better athletes on paper than Colorado but the coaching at Washington is a mess. Colorado has started to figure out its offensive problems and their defense remains decent. Washington's offense isn't any better after the firing of Donovan and Lake but just created more program instability. There is an opportunity here for Colorado to score a final win of the season. Lets see if they can take it. 11. Stanford (3-7) (2-5) - Stanford has had to dig deep into their reserves. If only Oregon faced Stanford now instead of when we did, there would be no doubt who would win that game. Stanford has Cal this weekend, which hopefully happens. If Stanford is still playing their reserves like they are then Cal should win that game, even coming off a covid lockdown. This game will probably be more competitive than it should. 12. Arizona (1-9) (1-6) - Arizona has reliably been at the bottom of the conference and that will not change. However, Arizona is playing with a whole lot of heart and determination. I have said it time and time again, but I think this Arizona team is pretty well coached and will be a threat in a few years time. Though the question is, can they beat Washington State and with the performance they put on against Utah the answer is a solid... maybe. I don't think it is likely, I think WSU will have too much firepower for them to match but maybe Washington is hung over from their Oregon loss and that would be all it takes for Arizona to win. The season is fast approaching and these rankings are going to shift very little. There are a couple opportunities for teams to change their status but for the most part the top half and the bottom half are pretty much set in stone. Where teams come in those halves is the real question. The Pac-12 has five bowl eligible teams now, it would be nice to have at least six and have half the conference go bowling, and WSU is the most likely team to be that sixth team but there will not be seven Pac-12 teams that go bowling unless there are some major upsets. Please disagree with me if you feel I have gotten something wrong. I always love to talk about this stuff.

I do think Oregon's offense and defense match up pretty good against Utah. Utah has liked to be the physical team and bully teams at the line of scrimmage and if they can't do that then it starts to go poorly for them. Utah wants to run the ball first and if Oregon can shut down that run game then they will be looking at long third downs, which in truth hasn't been an Oregon strong point, but still much rather have long third downs than short ones. I also expect Cardwell to make a bigger impact this game than against WSU. He had some very nice runs, he also had a couple runs that were for a whole lot of nothing but he is improving quickly. He is a bigger back than Dye and that could pay dividends.

He got his hands in deLaura's face a lot during the game. The scheme WSU was using really kept Sewell from making too many big plays. So I guess WSU managed to scheme out one of our front seven stars... but not the other (the other being KT)

Wonderful explanation. Though I would also like to say Cradwell's patience waiting for the play to develop was incredible. His feet were moving but he kept himself under control and then exploded once the gap opened up. That is some incredible patience and vision from a freshman runningback. If he was running any faster the whole play wouldn't have gone anywhere because it wouldn't have had time to develop.

The truth of the matter is that this duck team isn't expirenced or good enough at this time to realistically give too many snaps to the back ups. Well that is actually not true at all. This team has given a TON of snaps to back ups. Just not in garbage time. There have been so many injuries this year that basically only a few freshman will be redshirting. Everyone has been pressed into service at some point this year. Even Thompson and Butterfield during the Stony Brook game. We have only started the same defensive starters in two games this year. We have started the same offensive line in like maybe 3 games this year. Back ups are seeing playing time as starters or immediate back ups who are needed on the field. But... Yes... The coaches are betting the house on Brown to date with these runs... And to be honest... I love that Cristobal is willing to take the risk. Will he be taking the risk next year with Thompson or Butterfield? Probably not ... Both are primary passers who can run. Brown is more of a runner who can throw a bit. So use his strengths and let those youngsters develop a bit.

I love this line because it sums up the PAC so beautifully. This conference is so much fun because everyone knows they can take anyone else out if the conditions are right. So why fear anyone? Just create asuch chaos as possible. Now if they could take that attitude out if the conference and win some early ooc games and some bowl games I'd be a whole lot happier.

I don't think that is unreasonable for them. WSU needs someone who can recruit and coach in their difficult location. If Dikehert wins out and gets WSU to a bowl game... Why not promote him? More importantly for the conference he needs to win that bowl game. USC is another matter. To be honest I would be surprised if they promote from within... But I doubt they will. Granted they have examples of failing to promote from within and failure because they promoted from within all in their recent history.

Because as Cristobal said when asked about it after the Arizona game they had a "real relationship" and I believed Cristobal then and I believe it all the more now. Now... contrast this with what has gone down with Washington. If Lake had real relationships with his players, he would still have his job, regardless of the record. His players would have pulled for him to stay. Instead... well Lake is gone and I haven't seen any tears over that. Same thing goes for Helton at USC, if Helton had strong relationships with his players, his players would have pulled for him to stay. Cristobal has his player's backs and his players have his back. That is a real relationship.