David Marsh

From what I have read on recruiting sites is that this Oregon class isn't going to be about getting a lot of recruits as the roster is quite full and will continue to be full. So the focus is going to be more on big time players that fit Oregon's needs. Lanning will use the portal to fill some holes and he has done a fantastic job in doing so so if we miss out of any players we want on the prep recruiting side of things there is a chance we get someone from the portal. This is a super exciting time to be a Duck.

Video games are fun. Personally I haven't played a sport video game since middle school but I enjoyed them back then. You get to play as your favorite team with your favorite players and play out a bunch of what ifs. Now I tend to play strategy games when I have the chance to play. I've personally enjoyed playing Europa Universalalis IV as it lets me play out a bunch of historical scenarios and just have a good time. Granted even then I don't have time for a grand strat game so I usually just play StarCraft 2 which is significantly shorter play time. What's incredible is the ever growing esports communities and competitions. It sounds ridiculous that there are professional videos gamers but in truth is it really any different than professional chess players or athletes? They all play the games at a way higher level and faster than any of the common folk. I don't expect older generations to understand but it's growing in popularity. For many having a college football game is super exciting.. Personally, I'm not interested but this will also be a recruiting tool down the road.

Interesting connection. But i don't think a Lanning hired Samples for this particular connection but because of his overall track record as a coach and a recruiter. Oregon is geographically isolated in terms of talent. There are only one or two players that are worth a scholarship offer out of the state in any year. There are two to three walk on candidates. Oregon has historically struggled to break into Washington for recruitment but the tides have turned under Lanning in that regard but still there aren't enough prospects to fill a roster that can compete for a national championship from Oregon and Washington. Not are there enough if you throw in California as well. For the Ducks to be successful they need to grab players out of Texas and the South. Under Lanning he has had a very holistic approach to recruiting where the whole staff works on recruiting players and not just position coaches. I think that is a bigger aspect of Lanning's secret weapon. Leverage his best recruiters while also making players feel they have deep relationships with the whole staff.

Never count Lanning out. Lanning and this Oregon staff are absolute pros in flying under the radar. Oregon appears as a contender for many recruits but disappears... Only to reemeege triumphant. Also Division Street doesn't get into bidding wars this early for NIL. They'll put out a fair offer and wait until December before they decide to jump into any massive bidding wars. We don't have direct proof of this but Oregon will lose out on recruits early only to make a push for them later. Lanning never stops recruiting.

Fun fact. I have a coworker who is from Michigan and B1G country. He was saying that as the University of Chicago was a founding member and left they could return if they wanted to and bump the member school that replaced them from the conference. That member school is Michigan State. It would be funny ... But Michigan State would get a speedy invite "back" to the B1G if that were to happen.

The thing is that there was money available to keep the Pac-12 alive. ESPN and Fox both decided that they didn't want to. How Fox and ESPN Dismantled the Pac-12 | FishDuck FISHDUCK.COM FOX and Disney/ESPN control virtually all of college sports. The Pac-12 has failed to make a deal with either of... The Pac-12 made massive mistakes... But they still could have survived if ESPN and Fox wanted to let them.

They'll have a competitive price until their contracts run out with their other platforms and then they'll up the price. They have full control over the majority of sports and can afford to wait. This is a common strategy for most major media companies right now. Only Disney (by extension Hulu) and Netflix are actually turning a profit right now. Maybe Amazon but that's by extension of the Prime service. Paramount+ saw a significant increase in their subs once the star trek licenses expired on other platforms and they gained full control. Star Trek remains one of the most streamed franchises. I would personally love a steaming platform that was relatively cheap that had all Duck content as I don't use the rest of the "cable" package (YouTube and Hulu live are both effectively cable on a streaming platform). But streaming has moved from being a cheaper option to an ala carte option that can add up real quick. Hoping the pricing is good and stays good but I'm skeptical. College football in particular is in the hands of really just two companies and they're calling all the shots.

USC is going to be fine at quarterback... And probably receiver. Is Moss going to be as good as Williams? Highly unlikely but with Riley he'll do pretty good. If Riley is your head coach you should feel good about quarterback. It's all the other positions on the field they should be concerned with. Without Williams last year I think USC would have missed a bowl game.

It's fun though... For the same reasons we all watch what's going on in Colorado and USC and anywhere else. And it's so entertaining because our Ducks are in a good spot. We'd probably still talk about it if Oregon was coming off a 3 win season but most of us would probably be less engaged in the off season. So we are all hungry for football and in trying to fill the void with junk food.

Roberts is going to play for them. MSU needs bodies. The hardest thing about the spring transfer Portal window is that teams can lose players but have no opportunities until AFTER the season is over to fill those holes either via the portal or recruiting. So teams that lost a lot of talent in the portal, especially the spring portal will grab bodies to fill the roster so they have options come the fall. Every cycle there are a lot of players who never find a home. At this point the amount of talent in the portal is minimal but I'd say Roberts is probably one of the better options.

Armstead was recruited as an offensive lineman by some. Part of Oregon's pull for him was we wanted him on defense. Or at least were open to him on defense.

Looking at that linebacker list is pretty sad ... A good few at the top end of that list were complete flops. Quarterback was pretty depressing too with how many flops.

Lanning is living in Colorado fans heads rent free after that speech and beat down. So much so they seem to want a rematch... Too bad Colorado helped blow up the conference and the only rematch they can hope for is in the playoff... But that should be just as one sided as the last meeting.

What happens if Oregon State has a terrible season???? If Oregon State has a fantastic season their ratings will be meh... But if they only reach a bowl game... Or even fail to make a bowl game... What happens then? Same applies to WSU. The answer is oblivion by the way.

Their other sports will be in the same conference as Gonzega... The West Coast Conference... So whatever media deal they have there will apply to them. At least for basketball. Being as I couldn't remember the name of the conference... That's not a good sign.

With the ACC having some games on CW I think it's possible to get some viewership traction. But without a full conference behind them the viewership will be minimal.

That's one way to spin it I suppose. Polishing a turd feels more appropriate.

I think the B1G is counter balancing them a bit now. I guess in a way the consolidation of conferences might erode some of the SEC's influence ... Some as they'll have to share with the B1G.

Those deep non-threes look like they are shooting them almost granny style. Granted the best way to shoot free throws from a statistical standpoint is to shoot them granny style.

"As the other power conferences stretch across the country, I cannot help but think that the still “regional” SEC is kicking back and loving every hot and humid minute of it, smugly thinking, “Look at these clowns.”" I think the SEC (and more importantly ESPN) is eyeing some ACC teams. Probably FSU and Clemson at least... And maybe Miami. In terms of football the SEC is geographically blessed with loads of recruiting talent and high fanbase interest gives teams in their surrounding footprint high value.

Their loyal fans don't give a crap about them. Their spring game was an embarrassment and not just the lousy product they put on the field. Oregon packed it's spring game on B1G fashion. If the pac-12 still existed the Ducks would have had the largest crowd by a mile. In the B1G we have an upper end turnout for the spring game but not the top. Oregon State fans just don't care to show up. They did a great job filling their stadium last year... But only half the stadium was available due to ongoing construction to SHRINK their stadium. I say let them go to the Big 12 (other thread) and make them pay back the money to the rest of the former PAC. The Big 12 is just the conference of Power left overs.

I suspect there would be a lawsuit and that one might go the way of the other 10. I also wouldn't be surprised if there is already an agreement in pace if the pac-12 were to fully dissolve. I'm not optimistic that would be the case but so far the legal argument that OSU and WSU should be the only voting members is based on how they are the only conference members remaining. Which could be challenged if they leave. As far as I'm concerned the Big 12 is the least prestigous of the Power 4. They are the conference of left overs right now. The ACC has some valuable programs and they'll be pillaged next. OSU and WSU would fit in there .. but would they add anything? Probably just enough to be valued by the left overs.

Breaking into the Deep South is a tall order. The midwest, however, is doable especially with Oregon being a member of the B1G. Also college football being reduced to a power 2 gives Oregon potentially more pull in the pacific islands because its a bigger opportunity than say going to Utah or BYU. But with this staff I feel confident that they will fix this problem. I mean they have already dived into the portal multiple times to try and fill the gap which is also a viable strategy these days. It'd be nice to have recruits fill these roles but the portal is able to provide a few big bodies every year. As I have said multiple times at this point there aren't that many quality linemen in the portal but Lanning has a knack for getting them to Oregon. This staff has already done wonders in building Oregon's defense as they have already fixed Oregon's soft underbelly problem. Has Lanning Fixed the Duck Defense’s Soft Underbelly? | FishDuck FISHDUCK.COM The Oregon Ducks’ defense has maintained one major problem for the last three years. Simply put, it has a soft underbelly that has... it's only a matter of time until they secure a pipeline for these big bodied linemen.

As long as he doesn't have to play hero ball. And going at no. 12 is probably the best thing for him from the draft. High enough he is expected to start but low enough that he is not given a garbage team that is going to destroy him mentally and physically. Sadly getting drafted too early is in part what destroyed Marcus. I'm looking forward to have two former Oregon quarterbacks start in the NFL.

Ok.. time for me to shamelessly self promote myself again. I've been talking about this issue for years now! August 2nd 2022 The Great College Football Schism is Coming | FishDuck FISHDUCK.COM The great college football schism is coming, and it will fracture college football in a way that will shake the... August 16, 2022 The Eventual College Football Renaissance | FishDuck FISHDUCK.COM The Great College Football Schism is Coming, and it will leave College Football divided between the... That second one feels like with the G5 being forced to break off that that might be the thing that happens there. August 22, 2023 The ACC Is Next on the Chopping Block for Conference Realignment |... FISHDUCK.COM Last year I wrote an article about the Coming College Football Schism where there will be two conferences... Of course the ACC is next on the chopping block... There aren't any programs worth acquiring from the Big 12. And of course we have new overlords July 2022 The New Overlords of College Football | FishDuck FISHDUCK.COM This will come as no surprise to any of you, but the NCAA is dead. It ceded away its power to the major... And to be blunt about it ... It's the media companies that are pulling the strings here. Sure some bad decisions from the pac-12 but it was the media companies that killed the conference in the end. How Fox and ESPN Dismantled the Pac-12 | FishDuck FISHDUCK.COM FOX and Disney/ESPN control virtually all of college sports. The Pac-12 has failed to make a deal with either of... This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. I find it funny that some are only now ringing the alarm.