David Marsh

So far looks that way. It is interesting though because for Utah is the biggest game and the pinnicle of most of these kids college football careers the notion of opting out didn't even cross their minds. On the other side... Ohio state is royally disappointed with just a Rose Bowl and has a bunch of opt outs who don't see this as a worth while game. That will probably result in a stronger Utah advantage. When was the last time Ohio state lost to one, let alone be two Pac-12 teams in a single season?

They already hated him because he will be wearing green and yellow full time... But this is peak Kelly and Cristobal levels of hate out the gate. I already love Lanning.

I think UW has gone from minor rebuild and get back on track (from the Petersen era anyways) to a full blown rebuild under DeBoar now. I think UW is probably looking at 3-4 wins next season just quickly looking at their schedule. They also don't get to play as many of their more difficult games against their rivals in the comfort of home. Huskies are going to be down for the next year at least and probably look at going bowling again in 2023... Unless DeBoar turns out to be a very bad power 5 hire.... In which it may take longer.

Utah plays tomorrow... And Utah at the end of the year may be a more worthy team than their record shows. We will just have to see how they handle a semi depleted Ohio state team due to opt outs. Cinci belongs as a number 4 team but the sad fact really is that there are probably only three teams that may be playoff worthy... This year I think there are only two in Bama and Georgia. Expanding the playoff would probably not change that aspect of college football. More strong teams will change that dynamic... So hoping that Clemson comes roaring back (can't believe I just said that), Ohio State gets back on track (or that), Michigan continues to build... And that Oregon under Lanning becomes a real force to be reckoned with. And I suppose that USC and Oklahoma can be solid teams too... The simple fact of the matter is that there need to be more good to great teams on college football. I think 2020 messed a whole lot of teams up and 2021 was a bit of a mess because of the 2020 aftermath.... So here's hoping that 2022 is a correction and things across the board improve.

2nd string QB and 2nd string center all at once... That game was a special kind of disaster. After this last Alamo Bowl I'm more convinced the Alamo Bowl is cursed for Oregon. Next time Oregon gets an Alamo Bowl I think they should just decline lol.

True... I also think Walk did a better job at center than Forsyth. I've seen way too many low snaps this year... Not catastrophicly low but consistently slightly low which could always cause a problem.

Lanning's defense is fun to watch. Glad he isn't bring Georgia's offense with him though... This offense looks like a more boring version of Oregon's offense over the past few years.

Everyone is returning except George Moore. Really looking forward to seeing what Klemm can get out of this offensive line. I've been less than impressed the last few years to be honest.

I think the problem with Bowl season has less to do with college football fans and more to do with the media (namely ESPN) and the players perception as to whether or not these games are worth it. As fans we would love meaningful and fun bowl games. The ones I have watched have been pretty fun on the whole. But I was not terribly invested in the Oregon game because I knew how many players were missing which made the game really feel like a nice scrimmage than an end of season reward.

On the whole this last year was a mediocre season. It was 10 wins but failed to win the Pac-12 and reach a NY6 Bowl game... But it still came with a win over Ohio State... and at least we didn't lose to an FCS school.

YEP...Danimals is the name of a yogurt-smoothie thing... I think I can pass on this nickname for Lanning.

I think this is so important to think about. We would have been happy to keep Cristobal because Cristobal does a great job winning the off-season. We usually enter the off-season feeling kinda meh but hopeful for next year and with a GOOD early signing day we are usually feeling very optimistic for the future in that regard. Then we have a decent Spring and usually an ok Spring game... enter the summer... get some big recruiting momentum over the summer months. Then we are back in the actual season and we are wringing out hands from this lackluster offense and a defense that should be much better than it actually is on the field. But his recruiting gives us profound optimism which really allows us as a fan-base to overlook so many of the on-field flaws. The off-season for college football is LONGER than the season so we spend most of the year feeling good with recruiting wins. With all those recruiting wins we are feeling on the verge of truly breaking into the final four and in truth... I feel with a good quarterback and just half the injuries Oregon would have made it to the playoff this year. I don't think the results once in the playoff would have been pretty though. But there is always next year... and that is what kept PK and fans in a perpetual cycle of hope. Though the real question is does that cycle of hope lead to the promised land or does it just keep leading to on-field disappointments? So in that regard, MC leaving forces Oregon to hire someone who may be an upgrade to the program and give us a real shot at that promised land.

If he can get into the NFL he needs to take the opportunity to do so. He isn't a physically large player which doesn't make him terribly desirable as a running back or really even a receiver as the body type for receivers is now taller and bigger. So if he can get paid from the NFL then he needs to take the opportunity.

I get that feeling... He has received his punishment... He is banished to a G5 school at FAU and I doubt he even sniffs at a P5 job for another 5-10 years, if ever.

I don't think MC lied about wanting to stay and end his career at Oregon when he was hired. I think things changed in some dramatic ways in the last few months. Most importantly I think the health of his mother tilted the scales dramatically. Pair that with Miami willing to pay insane amounts of money to get MC... The contract itself is big but the buyout was also massive at nine million. Cristobal wanted a large buyout when he was hired at Oregon to try and ensure the fan base he wasn't going anywhere. And at nine million it was a steep price for Miami to pay just go get him to leave Oregon. I think Cristobal danced around the discussion if he was leaving or not the last week or so before he actually left which as fans feels disingenuous. Though unsurprising.

I want to say danimals were a type of yogert thing from the 90s. I'm not a 100% sure but it sounds familiar.

I would also like to reiterate that because Taggart and Cristobal left, it resulted in Oregon getting paid instead of having to pay to get rid of them. Isn't that reason enough to thank them? Also how many more years did anyone really want to watch a Cristobal offense?

That's fair... I know this will be my last article probably that talks directly about either of those coaches for a long time at the very least.

I truly believe there will be an actual competition this off season. Nix was brought in as a safety net... Lanning and Dillingham may have some tape to look at and study over time on the freshmen qbs for Oregon but that takes time. Nix is a known quantity for both coaches... Dillingham for having coached him and Lanning for having studied film on Nix to prep for Auburn. The risk for their first season at Oregon is too high for them to put full trust in players they have little knowledge on.

Though not a freshman but Crocker has started to look like he is putting things together a bit as well. I don't think he is going to be inline to start but we need reserves just as badly.

I'd say year two to be more generous... USC has a lot of good pieces but just as many bad ones still. The transfer portal will help alleviate some of these problems and do so quickly but even with the transfer portal and Williams, I think USC is two years away from being a contender for the CFP. For the Pac-12... decent chance of that though.

Oregon definitely played with a bit more tempo. The play was called and executed... A whole lot less time of players set... Clock winds down to about 10 seconds... New play call... Change play... Snap the ball inside 5 seconds.

I know Cardwell has a ways to go but I still really love his potential. In an ideal world I think he would have redshirted but this Oregon team somehow managed to win 10 games with half the roster injured at some point or another. I think with a passing game that can open up the run game we see better things out of Cardwell. And Dollars flashed some major potential last year... Sadly he sat out all this year with injuries.

AB had some nice games ... But I won't be sad to see him go either. I am looking forward to seeing the spring game and what the QB room shapes up to be in the process. The defense turned out to be the bigger problem last night ... But that's what happens when your team plays players you've never heard of... The defense has really struggled all year with consistency but that's a topic for another thread.

It will be an interesting hire... Certainly a few of the names released today as targets are super young and don't have much of a reputation to go with them. Not inherently a bad thing at all... But not flashy and not big names. However, what Lanning could be doing here is bringing in some young coaches who could very well become lifers at Oregon. Not every coach wants to be a coordinator or head coach.... So there is a chance a few of these guys being brought in just want to be position coaches at a good school for a long time.