David Marsh

I think the new Pac offers more opportunities for them in football. They probably didn't switch conferences if they weren't going to get something out of it. They weren't going to make it to a P2 (B1G and SEC) conference or even a lesser power conference (ACC and Big 12). But if the new Pac were willing to carve out something special for them then I could see it being worth it.

I wouldn't mind seeing the 14J formation make a return to Oregon. This jumbo formation was super cool. Oregon Football is The Embodiment of Modern Physicality | FishDuck FISHDUCK.COM As Oregon fans, we heard all about physicality from former HC Mario Cristobal over the last four years... Iheanacho may not be a starter as a freshman but I'm sure the coaches will get him involved regardless.

But without... Everyone else... That's a stretch. I'm sure they'll keep the "Conference of Champions" slogan too just because the conference existed when all those championships were won by those teams. So the conference won all those national championships right?

He strikes me as a player who might not see the field till year three. And that would be just fine. That's the hardest pitch Oregon has these days with the roster to stacked. "Hey kid, we know you're a big fish in your pond, but you'll probably not play for a few years outside of special teams."

Just need to wear the loudest green. It'll stick out in a sea of white.

What's interesting is to see how many have transferred again. Didn't Dowdell go to Nebraska? And Cardwell to UCLA? Flowe went to Arizona and is now at UNLV. Ashford went to Auburn i.rmember but is now at wakeforest. When you see players double transfer it's hard to miss them.

Are we stealing their color before we stop playing them for a long time?

Theoretically... Yes... In reality... No. If the Beavers were better then maybe the prospect of the last civil war could draw more of a crowd. But that rivalry feels more dead than alive. Is the Civil War Rivalry Dead? | FishDuck FISHDUCK.COM A rivalry is a special thing in any sport. They are a mixture of love and hate: love for one’s team and loathing for the... Washington is an away game. USC is a maybe if both teams are undefeated but and it's a big BUT that game is at almost the end of the season and the likelihood of USC being undefeated by that point is highly unlikely.

None that aren't name Gronk... And he's retired now.

We are quickly approaching the time where Oregon needs to get more aggressive with the NIL. I get their strategy.. or what seems to be their strategy but it's approaching go time for Oregon to take some of these recruits.

Unless they're winning! In which attendance might be good because winning is still fun. And if they're winning they can dream of making the playoff... only to be outraged when they're snubbed.

I could see them getting 12 million if they embrace that 7pm time slot and play hardball with it. I could see ESPN and Fox being ok with that kind of payout if they get that time slot filled regularly. But I DOUBT the Scrap-12 will consider embracing the 7pm time slot and they will probably all see themselves worth 20mil and prime time slots. They are still pushing this notion that they are a Power Conference but they are G6. If they were smart they'd leverage their west coast time slot to their advantage. But if they were smart they would have used that Pac-12 war-chest they stole and bought their way into the Big 12.

... With a victory over the Beavers!!!! Assuming we play them again.

And my family thanks you... Because for each article I have written, and commented on, they haven't had to listen to the ramblings of a mad (in the British sense) Ducks fan... You all get those instead. And 166 is right around the corner.

Fun Titanic fact.... if the Titanic just hit the ice berg head on it would have been absolutely fine. The second in command would have lost his job if he hit the ice berg head on which is why he tried to dodge it and we all know how that turned out.

Just another layer of depth. I don't think they were counting on him for some time but knowing they had someone as another layer of depth was worth recruiting I suppose. There is also something to be said for just having more mature players. But I always found it highly unlikely Oregon was going to win this recruiting battle once BYU seemed to throw more money at him.

It comes down to the coordinators, the HC, and locker room chemistry and player leadership. FSU threw a ton of money at the portal for last year's team. Everyone (pundits) was raving how in 2024-5 FSU was in contention to win it all in rather dominant fashion. Fast-forward to the season and it turns out they didn't have a team and the wheels came off in week zero and it never recovered. Ohio State has been throwing money but has been losing to Michigan quite consistently. They had 2 losses last year! They lucked out with an expanded playoff and had a chance of redemption and credit to them they seized it. But in any previous year they wouldn't have made the playoff. Watching Ohio State this year is going to be an interesting tell as to how productive this practice is year after year.

I do believe this recruiting cycle is indicative of many programs NIL programs waking up and realizing they have money they can throw at players. Washington has loads of alumni with money and the same goes for USC. Both seem to be throwing money at recruits because they discovered they could do that. So they are really working with a 2022 framework of NIL and it is disrupting the whole system. Additionally this is year 4 of NIL and all these recruits in the 2026 cycle have been watching NIL pay out since 8th grade and they all want their turn at the big paycheck. And many believe they are worth more than they are... But right now there are plenty of programs happy to pay them out for the recruiting win. And interesting convergence of circumstance.

I saw a few comments on another site saying he was reclassifying as well. But I haven't been able to follow that up anywhere. But this one feels like it's a closer to home and a bigger payout was at play. It feels like Oregon never really had either parent fully recruited and both were wanting either more money (dad presumably) or closer to home (mom). This recruiting cycle has really become a bidding war. Yes, previous cycles had this aspect about it but this one really feels like players are going wherever the largest payout is coming from. I think Oregon will bring in a fine class but less flashy than it could have been with some of this crazy spending.

Not a great spot for a conference when your best team is in the 30s and your second best is in the 70s. Boise should be happy with this arrangement.

I guess that's different. I mean if Penn State did this the fan base would lose their freaking minds. But beige isn't a color that sparks any sort of inspiration.

UNC has a football team???

This had to come at some point for sure. This case I think is one of the more blant instances of roster tampering. The article was unclear but kinda implied by "able to compete" is Lucas a preferred walk on or is he on scholarship at Miami. It doesn't really matter in truth because walk ons can be paid enough that they are effectively on scholarship these days anyways. I could see that getting thrown into the case though if that is what happened. He left Wisconsin and went to Miami and became a walk on for their football team... Who could have seen that coming???

The whole system of Oregon athletics is working great right now. I'd say basketball might need some coaching changes in the near-ish future if things don't improve for men's and women's basketball. But hard to argue with results when Oregon led the B1G in conference championships in year one by a wide margin.

Much needed after the string of losses.