oregon123

20 -13 Ducks 1 1 150

"Is it just me, or do we seem to have more player issues this year this early on?" I think it is the level of talent. The players you mentioned are probably better than almost anyone in the new upcoming pac12. They don't see a path to playing time, so they have already mentally and emotionally checked out. If you don't get to play, then practice is just a bunch of work.

"Most of the B1G conference schedule is a slog, and with the size of the conference and the way the schedule rotates, it would take 25 years before I had a chance of caring about Rutgers, etc." All it would take for me to care is one super fun and competitive game - like the Ohio St game in the regular season last year. In contrast to that, the recent Wisconsin game was kind of a lame-fest. The SEC has the best games. If the Big10 picks up some ACC teams, that could make it better. North Carolina, Clemson, Fla St come to mind. Oh and if they picked up Miami, that would be epic. Anyway, all I care about now is winning some playoff games and seeing how deep we can go.

I liked the old Pac12 games because of the QBs and the athletes. The long passes, the punt returns, the sacks, the interceptions, etc. The big10 is a little on the boring side sometimes. The Pac12 games were more competitive. The semi-old Beavers were a threat to beat anybody. Remember the Rodgers? I would watch other Pac12 games just for fun. If Purdue played Northwestern, how many of you would watch that? My guess is probably none. But the downside of Oregon in the Pac12 (or Pac10) is when Oregon played teams outside that conference. The physical weakness of the Pac got exposed. Even in the glory days, Oregon got handled by Ohio St, Auburn, LSU. They even had tough games vs Michigan St. The loan exception is when they blew out Tennessee. What would really be exciting is if Oregon played in the SEC. Those would be great games every week.

If Oregon can't win out, then they would have a lot of trouble in the playoffs, even if they did make it in. Iowa will be their third competitive game. They won one and lost one so far. How well the Ducks play vs Iowa will be a sign of what kind of playoff potential they have. Talent wise, Oregon is near the top of college football.

I seem to recall Darron Thomas throwing some deep balls. Dante has the arm for it. The team has speed. Take some shots. Especially if your just going to punt after the next play anyway.

If you played on a lot of sports teams (even recreational), you know that when you really really suck... when you FINALLY do something right, it feels like you just won the super bowl. I admire their fan base. They do care. They don't crap on their team. What would be pathetic is if their stadium was empty for that win. I hope the PAC makes a good comeback. The beavs and Wazzu would have been perfect for the new Big12, but they got left out. What if, in future years, the beavs win the PAC, make the last spot in the playoff and pull off a huge upset in the playoff? Seems less likely now with the portal and NIL because their good players would probably transfer. Remember, Utah got good enough that they ALMOST beat Ohio St in the Rose Bowl. A podunk school can over achieve, and a rabid fan base always helps the cause. A good Beavers team reflects well on the entire state of Oregon.

If I were the coach, since he was buried on the depth chart, I would have moved him to receiver. He might have done well at it. Nothing at all to lose. He is the right size and build and he has to be fast to play cornerback. Again, we don't know what his injury has done to him. He was not the first talented Duck to flame out after injury.

If you look at the team stats Iowa vs Indiana, you can see that it was a close defensive minded game. This is also a big10 team, not a pac12 team, so the average difference between those two leagues would be one has better QBs and athletes, the other has better linemen. Most likely this will be the case. I don't think this game will be easy. This could be a loss that sets up struggles for games with USC and Washington, or it could be a nice win that sets the Ducks up for the playoffs. A loss will make it hard to make the playoffs and drop the team way down in the polls. A win will make a case for best one loss team. I think the Ducks laid an egg vs Indiana. I think this game will tell us what kind of a team the 2025 Ducks really are. In my opinion, Oregon has a roster capable of winning a national championship this year. This team can also break down and become dysfunctional at times. We are in November, so the kinks should be worked out by now. I am not too worried about the players. I am mostly concerned about the coordinators and what kind of plays they will call. I am also a little uneasy about which players they will go with, especially at running back and linebacker. The one Duck player I will be paying close attention to is Matayo - can he break out of his 'funk' and start making plays again? I also hope they play a clean game and don't cost the offense first downs with holding penalties or give the other team first downs with pass interference calls. Coaching is going to matter this game. I'd like to see the special teams keep doing good things. The special teams coordinator is the one assistant I don't want to lose.