David Marsh

They never changed that part of the depth chart. The entire offensive line depth chart really hasn't changed all year... Considering how much the offensive line has been moved around it probably isn't that surprising.

Utah has also not suffered anywhere near the same amount of injuries as Oregon... the announcers during the Utah game seemed to think Utah playing 5 true freshman was mindblowing.. they didn't seem to realize that Oregon has burned redshirts on a majority of the 2021 class. Also... Utah got to play against a backup QB of Stanford. Also... Utah did not have their play calling OC out with emergency surgery the morning of the game. yes... I'm still very salty about that Stanford game.

This is the biggest thing... Now I am not opposed with coaches trying something and if they are going to try something they need to give it an honest try. However, the pistol was used and used enough to determine how effective it was... the result.. not very. I will say I am super excited by some of these young players. Cardwell is going to be GOOD and I think he probably would have redshirted if Verdell wasn't injured. These receivers are going to be GOOD once we get a quarterback who can get them the ball. We saw them get behind their defenders fairly often this year, so the speed is there, but Brown just can't get them the ball at that point.

Well it could cause some problems... it does look like all these coaches are responding to Cristobal's recruiting prowess. Just another sign of how Cristobal is reshaping the conference.

I know Moorhead was a leading candidate but when did they say he actually got the job. I assume the announcement is yet to come but I feel like I missed something.

Depends on how bad the blood is between the AD and the former coach. Helf has a very personal connection to Oregon and he hasn't pursued another head coaching job since he left Oregon. If the situation was right, I could see him coming back. I don't think he really wants to be a HC at this point, there have been plenty of job openings that he would have been hired for, again he has a WINNING record from his time at Oregon by a significant margin, but he hasn't taken another head coaching job.

I think the coaches NEED to show they can produce a talented quarterback. MC inherited Herbert from Helfrich, played Shough who then flamed out and transferred and grabbed Brown from the transfer portal. Fans lost faith in Helfrich when he dipped into the transfer market and grabbed Dakota Prukop rather than prove he had a starting quarterback he recruited. Adams was necessary because there wans't a quality QB after Mariota left and Prukop continued that narrative, even though Herbert would prove otherwise but it was too late. Also the defense was dreadful... another story for another time.

Ok, so here are my thoughts. So far I have seen it written multiple places that with Riley USC's recruiting is going to improve, which it will, but for some reason it always seems to come at the expense of Oregon. Will Cristobal really be out recruited by Lincoln Riley? Well... probably not. Now if Riley was coming from a lowly P5 or G5 school then maybe I would buy this argument more but Riley is coming from OKLAHOMA. Oklahoma is already a power house program and a top recruiter in the country. Cristobal is already going head-to-head with Riley when he was at Oklahoma and winning his fair share of those recruits. Also, the 2021 recruiting cycle USC with Helton and Donte Williams did a pretty good job with their own top 10 class. Oregon still did better. Will recruiting change in the Pac-12 with Riley? Absolutely it will and what is probably going to happen first is that there will be fewer recruits going east and staying on the west coast. Oregon is still going to have to work the whole country and beating USC in recruiting, even when they have been bad, has never been easy and may be a little harder. But Cristobal has shown he will not be outworked on the recruiting trail. I expect to see things get heated but I don't expect to see Oregon simply eliminated because USC gets a better HC. Also... does Oklahoma maintain their recruiting ranking or do they fall because their new HC can't keep up with the standard Riley set?

Lets see what this Oregon team can do next year with some experience and not having what feels like the entire team injured. I believe Oregon never started the same group of starters twice all season... that is bonkers insane for a team to be 10-2 with that much turnover. I am excited about this team next year with the youth being experienced and a reduction in injuries. Yes... we will be losing some key players as well but so does everyone in College Football... replacing KT is going to be tough but that's just the way it is.

Some are unhappy others I am sure are just looking for opportunities for more playing time. The sad thing is that many will lose their scholarships and not find a new home.

I think everyone knows where Hoke belongs... at a G5 school.

USC's roster is a bit of a mess... it will take some time to straighten out. Also... the article seemed crown USC as "back" and the best team in the Pac-12. Riley was given a well opporating Oklahoma team (much in the way Chip was given a high flying Oregon team before he took over) and was able to run with it. USC is NOT a Championship ready team. They have some good pieces, sure, but they will take some time to rebuild. If they were truly Championship ready then Helton would still be the head coach.

Jackson Dart and Kedon Slovis have both looked good at times at USC. USC has not had a QB problem... offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, runningback, and parts of the secondary... yes. If Williams leaves to go to USC he loses his starting job and would have to compete with some pretty good talent. Better to stay at Oklahoma and get some of the NIL money.

I'd take Helfrich in a heartbeat. He was Marcus Mariota's QB coach for 2011 (redshirt year) and 2012 (first year starting). Even though Frost took over QB coaching duties, I always got a sense he had a very strong relationship with his quarterbacks. Also... Helfrich was Darron Thomas' QB coach and he did well at Oregon. Helfrich has a fantastic offensive mind and can certainly be trained to be a better recruiter though at the same time he knows what he wants in a quarterback. Again... Mariota and Herbert are two of his big hits. Yes, there were some misses.. though some of that can be blamed on Frost as well and Helfrich's failure to step in as the head coach is certainly a mark against him... but he wouldn't be the head coach only the OC. Though as stated is there too much bad blood with Mullens and the firing? Maybe... but who knows. One thing is for certain ... the Helfrich offense is still a GOOD offense. The offense was never a problem under Helfrich.. the defense absolutely yes and the recruiting was up and down but there were a few too many misses in recruiting (most of his classes were ranked in the teens if I recall).

It could be used as a way to get leverage for a pay raise... if that's the case then Oregon needs to pay out. If it is just a get out of Eugene move then no amount of money will change that.

And with Oklahoma now looking for coaches too that will open up more jobs.

I would like to remind everyone that Marcus Mariota was a redshirt freshman in his first season of 2012. Before Marcus, Darron Thomas was a reshirt when he led the Oregon offense to a national championship appearance. Redshirts are not signs of shame but development. Players need time to learn and adjust to the college game. Yes.. Herbert played as a true freshman and that was because he had too much potential to sit on a bench for the entire season when Prukop was the starter. Granted ... An argument could be made that Helfrich could have gotten himself another year if he just started Herbert day 1... Fans lost too much trust in him when he brought in and started a transfer QB for a second year in a row... that and the defense was the worst in Oregon history... This is really a conversation for another thread... But ... Redshirts can bring excellent results.

If he wants to go... That's ok ... It will hurt but at the same time we all knew it was going to happen sooner or later. He will be around for the championship game and I just hope this drama doesn't effect the game itself. It would be great for him to say he is going to stay through the bowl game (Rose Bowl hopefully). However, with the early signing period that is not making me hopeful... Securing the recruiting class is just too important. I know MC wouldn't say it ... But with his first game coaching at Oregon days after the signing period we all know where his focus was at. A bowl game just doesn't mean what is used to where a recruiting class is the foundation of the program.

Nothing of his players want to join him. I don't think many would follow him as established players. However, I think he will probably pull more of his recruits over to USC.

A lot of his own recruits for starters... Then it will be a real battle with Oregon and MC after he fights his current program.

It looked Oregon was pretty ready for it but that ball bounced PERFECTLY. An Oregon player should have been more aggressive jumping towards the ball but most onsides kicks don't have a bounce quite that beautiful. However, I will agree the coaching should have had the whole team ready to more aggressively attack the football.

Does USC even understand what the Trojan horse was? I mean honestly... The Trojan horse is something you DON'T want... Is this implying that Riley will destroy the USC program by brining it completely to the ground? In my Latin class at UO we did discuss how USC's classics department wasn't brought in to consult with their athletics. So I suppose the trend will continue.

Oklahoma has been a big fish in a rather small pond... Oklahoma has been the Clemson of the big-12. Going to the sec would make his job a lot harder for the same expectations. Going to USC means he just has to contend with a rising Oregon which isn't as intimidating as Bama, TAMU, or Georgia... Or whoever takes over at LSU.

Probably will end up at USC... I was thinking he would end up there no matter who they hired. They got his older brother into the NFL and that's all that Mycah wants.

Lots went wrong with the Utah game. Here's hoping that Oregon gets back to form in round two.