David Marsh

For most players having your top schools means they've all bought in and have competitive bids. There is always a bit of a bidding war... Or at least bidding jostling. But as Charles and myself have said that most recruits aren't purely NIL. Oregon will probably miss out here as the Ducks are rarely the highest bidder from the sound of it.

This was on the same page you linked.. New USC transfer receiver is a mystery with hard-to-define upside TROJANSWIRE.USATODAY.COM It will be fascinating to see what USC can do with this new transfer. I'm not trying to poo-poo division 3 athletes... Nor am I trying to say there isn't some talent at the Division 3 level. But are the Trojans that desperate that they need help from the Division 3 level? This feels more like an Oregon State move than what should be a USC move. This player may turn out to be a huge diamond in the rough... but that would be super surprising to everyone.

I think it has something to do with the faces as well. They're cartoony but like the type of cartoon face that if you take you eye off then they'll murder you in your sleep.

Why are human mascots so creepy and off putting. Glad we have the Duck!

As for the field needing an update... I'm sure that's coming. I don't foresee them doing a big renovation on the field but just updating the conference logos. Matt Knight Cout got a MAJOR overhaul that I think was probably planned ahead of the Ducks joining the B1G. They redid the surface and the design in a big way. I would be surprised if the court overhaul was either scheduled for this off season or was planned before last season started but was delayed because they might as well wait to do it all at once. I doubt Rich Brooks Field needs much besides those couple zones of turf. It'll be done before game one for sure. .... As for the court ruling. Basically it was based off how the Pac-12 basically took voting rights away from the LA schools when they announced their departure. Then Colorado announced they're going to the Big 12 and they lost voting rights. Then Oregon and Washington went to the B1G and Zona, ASU and Utah went to the Big 12 very shortly after. All lost voting rights. Then Cal and Stanford left. So based on the precedence of the LA schools losing their voting rights, which I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who would have disagreed with that at the time, everyone who left lost their rights in the conference meetings. OSU and WSU had all the power and decided not to payout the money fairly. The original intent from all members.was to not payout the LA schools for leaving anyways. That's the logic behind it toy knowledge. Agree or disagree with it if you like I'm just presenting it the best way I understand it. But at this point the DUCKS will soon officially be in the B1G and they'll probably roll out a video of the field being updated because that's the Oregon way.

This doesn't mean Lanning and constip recruiting. They're probably still working on Lincoln Cure as well. It hurts... But it isn't over until they sign and even then it's not necessarily over.

I want to keep the game around personally because there is tradition with it and in an era that is chucking so much tradition out the window keeping something traditional around feelings meaningful. Will it last as a yearly event in the long run? Probably not but we can keep it for now. Oddly enough the only way to keep the rivalry game alive in the long run needs Oregon State in a P4 conference. Probably the ACC or Big 12 because they aren't B1G enough of a brand. This would at least give the feeling this game is fair or at least mutually beneficial. If OSU is a Mountain West team then I only see this game hanging around brcause it gives the Ducks effectively a non travel game even when away and it would be a decent payday for the Beavers when they come to Autzen which they would desperately need after the Pac-12 funds all dry up. But the game won't be anywhere near competitive. And rivalries do need a back and forth on the field. Last year it kinda felt like Colorado and Colorado fans were insisting on a rivalry with Oregon but the reality is there hasn't been that much back and forth in results for us as Duck fans to feel a rivalry vibe. It was a conference game which gave it meaning but not a rivalry game. For the Civil War to keep its rivalry feel it would need to feel competitive at some point again. If nothing changed and the Pac-12 survived I don't think Lanning was going to let the Beavers have another win for a very long time regardless. But if the Beavers are G5 any notion of competition will die quickly and so will the rivalry.

Yeah.... I wouldn't use any of those words to describe Lanning. Those feel like older terms you want in coach from like the 80s maybe. I wouldn't even use those words to describe Pete Carroll. For Lanning I'd describe him as... Confident, charismatic, humble, incredibly smart, ever learning, and self assured. I'd say he insists on excellence. I'd say he wants to dominate every aspect of the game but he does not strike me as someone who needs to be the dominant individual in the room, far from it. He's a leader and he builds relationships so others follow him. He is rooted in substance. And any Duck fan who saw Ducks vs Them for the Colorado game would run through a wall for that man. Not because he's an alpha male or dominant but because we believe in him which is far more powerful.

Still a long way to go until December. If it's about NIL we know that Division Street will get into bidding wars usually at the very end. If it's about relationships... Lanning has plenty of time to build them.

I don't think it's been leveled... But the field's tilt has certainly changed and Oregon has reacted better than everyone. I don't see really any other non-traditional powers doing better, none are in the realm Oregon is in that's for sure. Though there are plenty of traditional powers that are struggling pretty badly. They have the resources but lack the organization to make anything of them.

About a month ago I wrote an article about the proposed changes to roster sizes in football and what looked like an overall cut. A cut that would have effected walk ons in particular. Link below... Football Roster Reductions Would be a Mistake | FishDuck FISHDUCK.COM One proposed rule change coming up for college football is reducing the team rosters down to 85-95, but... But now it seems like there has been a complete change in direction and a push to increase roster sizes. In football's case to 105. The On3 article doesn't mention walk ons last I checked. NCAA expected to approve increased scholarships across multiple sports, 105 roster limit for football WWW.ON3.COM The NCAA has approved new roster-size limits, paving the way for programs to give several more... This would be interesting as this might signal more specialists get scholarships. It's hard to imagine how top teams can load up even more talent but they'll certainly find a way. What are your thoughts? Is this good or bad for the sport?

Found my forum post on Pleasent.

I'd be a bit surprised if Pleasant doesn't breakout. In the USC game last season Bridges was in as Florence was injured. The coaches pulled Bridges down the stretch and replaced him with Pleasant to cover Brenden Rice and it worked! It wasn't perfect coverage but it was tight enough to keep the windows too narrow for Williams to make those passes under distress. Which is a tall order as Williams makes those passes all day.

If you're interested in this topic it's worth a watch. Personally... Based on my article link above I think it would be a good fit. But I don't think USC wins anymore games.

For LA.... Absolutely. Or he might just keep it... That's a viable option for him too. I mean you have to give it to him ... He doesn't care what anyone thinks of him. Love him or hate him, he doesn't care.

I have to agree but for some slightly different reasons. Lincoln Riley is a Perfect Fit for USC and That’s Their Problem |... FISHDUCK.COM It has been absolutely delightful as Duck fans to watch USC’s problems, not only this year but over more than... Just change out this article being about Riley for Sanders.

I think fans are itching to get in their own stadiums. Having early season neutral site games just don't feel the same. I'm not opposed personally. I think the whole season needs to be restructured and I'll have more articles about that in the future. I have one brewing about conference championship games and the playoff that needs some editing.

I'm fine with the Ducks flying under the radar a bit. Just means we get to rock the boat even more when we win it all!

How many stadiums have real grass. Just thinking of the former Pac-12... USC, UCLA, Stanford.... Cal maybe? I think the two Arizona schools were turf. The heat makes grass expensive.

Nice thing in a way is that early signing day has moved up this year to December 4th (a Wednesday). The B1G championship game is on December 2nd so that's championship weekend. So the big recruiting push for the majority of players is wrapped up. The portal is opening up which is the next big recruiting push. The reality is that it feels like move up bowl season or cancel it. Recruiting is the priority for most teams because bowl games are seeing so many more opt outs. Hard to do both but there are ways to make it easier..

Here's my look at the whole extra time thing. It really doesn't matter a whole lot until the papers are signed and even then with the transfer portal that doesn't even matter as much anymore. Coaches will tend to stay in contact and continue to recruit until it's all over and they are at another school and then there might be some back channel recruiting about the portal. If a player verbals today I know they are mostly locked in but it isn't ever over in this environment. If he's truly a Duck then he'll be a Duck in a couple weeks. The NIL games in the background heat up and cool down but they never go away.

The 2024 season will only happen once. And injuries are so critical and no amount of simulation can predict how they work out. A team might come out flat and play below their potential and that might cost a game. It's all human and simulations are fun but you're right they really can't predict a whole lot other than the Ducks should be a good team like how Ohio State and Georgia should be good teams. This is basically making the paper rosters play out. I guess it's good to know that the Ducks have a good roster on paper.

They are absolutely playing the NIL game. In this case if Pickett really and truly knew where he was going 2 weeks ago he could have committed two weeks ago. Drawing it out helps the agents involved and allows players who may have equal feelings about their finalists play the NIL game. Now ... Before I go too deep in this one and sound like a Texas, USC, Beaver or Husky fan.... LSU has a coner's coach who has a fantastic relationship with Pickett and was keeping LSU in it even when it seemed like they were out. Then proximity absolutely played a role here as there seemed to be a bit of a reluctance to the distance of Oregon. This isn't a new comment but something I've seen come up several times in his recruitment. It's why Miami seemed to be such a big contender. But what might have been the tipping point is the desire to play in the P2 (his dad mentioned playing on the biggest stage and in the biggest games) that means Miami is eliminated as the ACC is not in the P2. So if the distance to Oregon feels too far and the desire to play in the P2 is strong and LSU has one of the best relationships and comes in strong late with a nice NIL offer. LSU gets the win. The Ducks are going to be ok and will continue recruiting. In Lanning we trust.

DeBoer is still running high on the Bama brand and Saban is still knocking around that program despite his retirement. Bama probably kicked their NIL payments up a notch because the Saban discount is somewhat gone but Bama still has a massive brand, super high expectations and prime recruiting territory. The question is what happens if DeBoer can't win a national championship in a couple years? His seat is going to heat up a bit then. Playoff appeances aren't good enough for Bama.

That seems high to me. Sure the LA market is big. When USC is good I think they were a major chunk of the Pac-12 market but there are a lot of fair whether USC fans. All you have to do is watch basically any time Oregon came into LA and kicked their butt to see the fans streaming out of the stadium long before the game was over. As for UCLA, they have worked really hard to pack the bottom section of the Rose Bowl and prayed the camera didn't pan up... Because when it did all you saw was an empty stadium. But realignment is about media markets, branding and pretty much nothing else.