oregon123

The byes have been a giant failure. They don't want to sit while everybody else plays. And then they are rusty when they play. 32 is too many. #32 vs #1 first round is like Oregon playing Portland State. Any big 4 can climb to #16 by winning games. Nobody owes anybody an invitation without earning it in the polls. Just because you beat junior varsity teams and have some wins doesn't mean you are great. The glory of the conference championship games went away when they did away with the divisions. Back then, there was some pride in your division. Now, it is just an exhibition game kind of preview of the playoffs. What they could do is bring back divisions (since the conferences are so big now) and factor that into the schedule and the polls as the season wears on. I would be OK with the top 4 conferences getting their division winners in and then playing with just them. To do that, ND would need to join a conference. The big 4 would have to pick up the pac12 teams that are worthy plus a few others. Or remake the pac12 and merge the southeast into one conference. Even with 12 teams, those at the bottom of the best 12 cannot compete. That is just how the game is.

I checked out his tape on 247. With his size, speed, moves, ability to see the holes, and finally top end speed running straight ahead, he should see the field. He looks like a giant upgrade over the guys who went into the portal. What I did not see was his ability to shed tackles. That should come as he gets older, stronger, meaner and nastier. But on most of his runs, he didn't need to as he just out ran everybody.

Good article. First, I don't buy into the hype about Arch Manning. He is a guy who "needs to get it going" his entire college career. At some point, that is who he is - a player trying to find a rhythm, getting there briefly, and then doing a whole lot of trying to get back there again. Second, what matters is talent of the field, not talent that already went to the NFL. (Indiana, Ohio St, Michigan, Penn St) Third, this is the interesting one. Sometimes players improve with another year of playing and sometimes they kind of stay of the same, and once in a while, they slip a little. Dante Moore: He already has the perfect arm, so I can't see any improvement there. I do expect improvement in how he reacts to pressure since that is really the only part of his game that he needs to work on. Matayo U: He seemed to have moved down a notch last year from his first year. As his body grows and matures, I think he will go up a couple of notches and turn it on this season. The skills players on O and D should be some of the best in the country. Are the linebackers going to improve as a group? They should be more athletic and the subs who have been hanging around should be ready to contribute, but this is a question mark. I feel the same way about the edge players. The D line: Key subs have left via the portal. Seems like the Ducks have traded backups for backups thru the portal and went down a little talent wise. Can the newer players step in and bring some juice? Again, a question mark. The O line: A whole bunch who have been patiently developing in the system. Will they be any good? Another question mark. Overall, the Ducks have some great position groups and some not too sure - only time will position groups. It really come down to the O line and the linebackers playing up the standards of the rest of the team. There is no big bunch of experienced transfers to save them. We will see how well the staff can develop these players and get them ready for the big time. I would expect to see some "growing pains" from time to time, but then for them to form into solid units by November. At least, that is the hope.

Yes that is true. But that is all part of portal life. It hits every team. We don't know which backups were planned for the future and which ones were just role players. We don't know how the staff feels about them leaving. We don't know how the staff feels about the ones who are staying. We don't know if coaching assistants had anything to do with it. We don't know if the staff felt they had more potential or already reached their ceiling. Etc. Some other backups might be passing them up in 2026? And here is what kind of puzzles me: Why so many D linemen in the portal and so few O linemen? Is it the chance to start next season or is there something else? Any way, the staff has to work around it and put in a depth chart that will work. I can see a scenario where the starting DTs get hurt and there is no quality depth and that tanks the season. Lets hope not.

Ducks have great QB, great receivers including TEs and RBs, great DBs, awesome D line and some real athletes to help out at edge. I mean this is serious college level talent. If any other team had this much fire power, I would not pick the Ducks to beat them in a playoff game. The other 'pieces' need to fill in and not be liabilities of course. I hope they do it because they will lose a lot of good players at the end of next season to the NFL or the portal.

I wish both of them played more this past season. I am glad both are still in the program. I think Nasir Wyatt is going to make an impact. The D linemen who left were probably better than the D linemen who came in the portal, but the recruits really look good. They need to get snaps so they stay hungry and don't get discouraged.

I am more interested to see what role they get on their new teams next season. And then of course, what kind of an impact they have. The track record of those leaving the Ducks is very, very low. There were a few QBs who shined in the SEC, but other than that, not too much. If memory serves me: Dante Dowdell, Lake Seastrunk, the OT who went to BYU were stars. And I am not counting the ones who left right away like the QB who went to Cal and the RB who also went to Cal a few years back or the WR who went to Florida. Tyler Schuck had a good year at Tech. I am also not counting the ones who went to 'junior varsity' programs like Nevada, Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky or "Southeast Idaho Community Tech".

I was impressed with NFL pass coverage. It was a step ahead of college. There were no windows when the DBs did their thing. Drake Maye not only was not good at moving in and out of the pocket, he misfired too many times to give his team a chance to win. But some of that was Seattle's defense that would not let New England run the ball and thus made them one dimensional. As a Portland resident, I rooted for the Seahawks to support the northwest. But if Portland had an NFL team and Seattle did not, I know that almost nobody from Seattle would have been rooting for Portland. Funny how it works out that way. As I was watching Seattle's D line in total amazement, I don't think the backups the Ducks lost to the portal were of the same caliber. But I did wish that Tionne Gray and Terrance Green stuck around as quality backups and rotational pieces. Finally, that game was yet another reminder that the quarterback is the most important position. Darnold did not have time either, but he made decisions and throws under pressure that Maye was not making.

Tobi Haastrup and Markus Dixon One edge leaving and one coming in. Oregon needs pass rushers. Simeon Price and Iverson Hooks are my wildcards. They might break out.

When you lose assistants, you also lose future players - because assistants recruit. I would rather have the best players than the best coaches, if it came down to that. But I don't think that is the choice. Coach Lanning has seen it here for 4 seasons now. The first year was some rebuilding and learning how to be a head coach, then 3 seasons of getting almost to the top. He knows what he needs to close the gap. I can tell that in the players he is bringing in now, that they are more athletic and have a higher upside. I trust that the coaching promotions would also have a high upside as well. He must have been mentoring them along for such a time. I predict 2026 is going to be a season that us Duck fans have never seen before. We have seen the Ducks kick butt on the weak, the mediocre, and a few times on good teams (but not always on THEIR best day). In 2026, we should see the Ducks dominate the above average and make them look (and cry) like little girls. Just look at the upgrades and factor in the returning vets getting better with another season under them. We should also see some standout freshmen contribute. All we need is for the new coordinators to NOT BLOW IT.

He should give hockey a try. Anyone think anyone would be able to out skate him once he learned how to do it? But at any rate, he did far more than most of us who played high school football. Wherever he goes, he will be a role model.

This amount of talent acquisition in brand new. Oregon has had quality here and there, but not so much of it all at one time. 5 stars, borderline 5 stars, high 4 stars, and former 5 stars via the portal make this a stacked program. But even recently, much of the top line talent has come from the portal. I would like to see more recruits develop and turn into conference all this and all that kind of players.

Even if they got the call - Dyer was down... Oregon was reeling and getting run over near the end of the game. They still needed another play - a turnover or a tackle for a big loss to get the ball back. Back in those days, Oregon had to get better in the trenches and it was proven in these games: Oklahoma 2006 Auburn natty 2010 Ohio St 2009, 2014 natty LSU 2011 and a few games in that era vs Stanford and USC The pain that the program went through trying to bust through the ceiling but failing is laying the foundation for the team to keep getting more and more competitive as time goes on.

I see 2026 for Oregon being like the last time LSU won it ALL. Yes, the O line is a question mark. All the other pieces are there. Some young (or portal) edge help is needed for a pass rush too. And the inside linebacker group has to come together. LSU was sooooo good that year, it didn't matter who they played. And it was mostly due to the passing attack. Oregon will have that plus a great running game too. They already have returning players who can stop the run and the Duck secondary is unique and special. Oregon lost a LOT of depth, so injuries could kill the season (see 2007). If Oregon plays to their potential, it doesn't matter who lines up against them. That is because all the super teams of the past 5 years are done. There is a real opportunity.

Building momentum. We are going to need a closing date to lock in. I am thinking before Spring camps because injuries can happen. Or we could extend to just before fall camps? But since we are already predicting, waiting gives everyone else an unfair advantage. I would say leave it open until and including the last day of February. And I also think pay end of season is good. We probably need at least 8 to 10 contestants to make it worth the while of a bet.

8-4, 16, 4, 295 Going with gut feeling. Replacements are not the same guys.

I was thinking we all put in (mail in) 10 bucks and follow it all season and let the drama unfold. Winner take all. (if Mr FishDuck is OK with it? and you guys want to do it? Lets get everyone in)

Unless the Ducks break down, they make the playoffs again. My most anticipated game in the final 4 of next year's playoffs... get one more step ahead and then play for a natty But other than that, I look forward to the Washington game. It is a good rivalry. West coast football.

Since we have a lot of varied opinions, why not? It sounds like fun. (It gives us something to do) Tie breakers: Indiana's College Football Playoff ranking / Indiana's ranking within the B1G / total points scored At conclusion of regular season before B1G championship game Example: 10 - 2, 9, 3, 400 Anyone up for this?

This Indiana season has a lot in common with the Ducks 2010 season under Chip Kelly. The Ducks in 2009 were good, but not good enough. 2010 brought the Ducks undefeated to the championship, but they could not close it out vs Auburn. This championship, Indiana got the game winning INT to close the deal. Compare that to the Ducks not being able to stop Dyer at the end of the game. What if 'Dyer was DOWN' and on the next play, the Ducks forced a fumble for a big return and the Ducks sealed the game? Both had a RED HOT new head coach who had a little different formula on how to win. I compare those Indiana back shoulder catches that were timed to perfection to Chip's zone read that nobody could stop. But college football caught up with Chip and then the Ducks HAD to grow in recruiting to keep up with the success. I suspect the same will happen for Cig. Indiana had a roster full of over achievers that got so much better than they were in high school. In fact, I see a similar season in 2026 for Indiana that Penn St had this year. Lose a few star players and it is not the same team anymore. Ohio St is losing some players as well. Michigan lost a few after their natty. Same with Georgia after their second championship. But I don't think Indiana will implode like Penn St did. Quite a few teams have had 'Cinderella' seasons: TCU, Hawaii, Boise St, and most recently Texas Tech. But Indiana was the only one to carry the juice all the way to the end. You could count SMU in the early 80s, but they cheated more than everybody else at the time AND they had players who were super stars in high school. If Cig can keep it going in 2026 and beyond, then there really is some kind of magic. But I look at this last season like drawing an inside strait in Las Vegas and cleaning out the casino - a one time thing with a lot of luck. I predict an (8-4) or at best (9-3) season for Indiana and missing the playoffs. But even so, Indiana should get all the credit in the world for being the one (and only?) team to go from the bottom to the top is such a short time frame with players who were not rated super highly in high school. Pretty soon, 'Google Me' is going to be like Prime Time's 'Do you Believe?'. I can't wait until the Ducks play them again.

I define success to be what the team does in the December early signing period and then what happens with the portal. The games just follow recruiting. The expanded playoffs were needed. When it was just the AP determining champions, every game was a playoff game - all charging ahead to get that number one spot and not lose it. Two years in and the teams with byes lost 7 out of 8. Time to go to 16. The top 4 or 5 will get warm up games. It is also time to dump the group of whatever. If they are good, they can get ranked high enough to get in. Or... let their top teams play top 5 teams in the first three weeks, get a win, and then build a case for playoffs.

Doesn't all this remind you of 'Prime Time' at Colorado? It does a little to me. If it follows the same script, Kiffen will win a few games, get all the attention, and then get beat down by a 'real team'.

I like that they are trending more athletic at linebacker. I think Sonny Styles from Ohio St is the prototype. Mario was bringing in bigger, bulkier guys. Modern defenses are like: 2 beasts at DT, 2 strong and fast guys at edge who can beat the OTs, and the rest who can run, cover and tackle.

Check out the portal activity: https://247sports.com/college/oregon/season/2026-football/transferportal/?institutionkey=24102 Seems like they broke the piggy bank on the 2026 season. Maybe that is the 'new formula'? Put all your eggs in one basket and shoot for the top. How far do you think that is going to take them? I hate to say it, but with that kind of talent, they could go all the way.

The formula to stop the Ducks offense: Big aggressive, strong, fast front 7. Pressure on Dante. All receivers covered. Shut down run game. Load the box. Don't give Dante time. Athletic linebackers give the Ducks trouble. This past season, the O line was getting burned on pass rush. So they could get away with crowding the line of scrimmage. In this case, screens don't work. RPO won't work either unless there is a deep threat. And Dante was a non runner for the most part. Even when he did run, he was not very effective. I suspect that teams caught up to Stein's bag of tricks. I think Lanning hired from within so he could put in his changes. Dante has the best pure arm Oregon ever had. At least recently. And they have speed at receivers. Time to open it up. If all you do is run (or screen) on 1st and 2nd down, and then throw just to the sticks on 3rd, that is very predictable. Even more so when they watch film and know all your plays.