HappyToBeADuck

On a scale of 1 to 10, Zero on the panic meter for this old grey beard. TT has OBD's undivided attention. This game will be decided in the trenches. The Duck O line must protect Dante and give him time to throw. IMHO, all the Duck skill position players will play on Sundays. TT has not faced an offense this talented. Not to mention all 5 O line starters will cash NFL checks. Patience, balance, clean play and high level execution will keep the TT defense on their heels, not their toes. On defense TT and MU must hold the edges much better and contain. Force TT to be one dimensional. OBD's defense is stacked with future NFL talent. Play to their level, hold TT to 17 or under and let's get on the the semifinals. Go Ducks........

David it certainly was a tale of 2 halves. After the long interception return from the Ducks red zone, an entirely different Duck defense finished out the game.The players seemed to channel the ghosts of a past 2nd half collapse in an Alamo Bowl! Because the announcers did a poor job of telling us who missed tackles, missed coverages or assignments, it is hard to tell who and how many #2's, 3's or 4's were in on those let down plays. Some of those players because of redshirt rules may have not played since October. Either way execution went out the window. DL and staff will have the players full attention this week. Coupled with a quarter and a half of bad duck film to review.. The good ducks will show up in Miami and give TT all they can handle. Either way, congratulations to OBD's first CFP victory. Let's get #2....... Go Ducks.....

If Davison can't go the next man up will show up. OBDF members, this is a deep blue chip roster with eager talent ready to show and show out. IE: McClellan and Benson! Most Ducks who portal out will be blue chip caliber. As many others feel, including DL and TL, it baffles me what happened to the defense in the second half. I am confident the coaches will get it worked out. Hat on hat, TT does not have the Ducks talent and depth level. However, they destroy their opponents! They have the killer instinct that OBD's lacks. It is a manageable game for the Ducks if they play clean and execute all 60 minutes. GO DUCKS.......

Texas Tech needs to be careful what they wish for! They are a high quality team that had a middle of the pack SOS. OBD's are the ASU Sundevils on steroids. The Red Raiders have not played a Blue Chip roster, 2 deep, battle tested kike OBD's . As other posters noted, the Ducks must play clean, disciplined football in all 3 phases and all 60 minutes. TT is not tOSU, IU or PSU in a white out. OBD's moved the ball all game against IU until WS got impatient in the 4th quarter. The Ducks lost because they made mistakes. TT is not on IU's level but TT will beat you if you make mistakea. DL and the staff will have the best balanced squad ready to go in Miami. Go Ducks.......

It's difficult for me to guage because of the varied competition. Example: Tulane and JMU QB's were going against the best teams they faced all year. The JMU QB played very well against OBD's. He executed well in the first half but could not punch in a TD against the Ducks frontline D. In the second half against the 3's and 4's he and his teammates rolled up 28 points. However, he did not win and that is what matters. On a do over, Tulanes QB missed wide open throws and couldn't execute. Ole Miss QB, just like Dante simply took advantage of lesser competition. Both QB's will face stout, pressuring defenses in the quarterfinals. Miami and A&M QB's cracked under windy weather conditions. Dante had wind, rain, sleet and snow flakes in Iowa and still executed very well. Beck and the Canes O will find moving the ball very difficult against the Buckeyes D. Didn't watch the Bama vs OU game. Cannot stand either team. For me, it will be easier to guage after the quarterfinals because the matchups are balanced and better. If IU dispatches Bama, as they should, Bama leaves the field with 4 losses. I ask the CFP Committee and their ESPN bosses, how are they one of the top 8 teams? As a Duck honk, at the highest level, i choose Dante. His first half performance was exceptional. He did miss a number of wide open targets, all game. Hopefully he clrans that up against TT. I am not pleased with DL and his playing Dante in the 2nd half. He rolled the dice because Dante could have needlessly been injured. I don't understand his thought process. We would not win the next game without the #1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft. GO DUCKS! It's about to get very real.

Ducks 49-13 2 -TO's 3 - Sacks 299 passing GO DUCKS!

Darren, for Happy to be HappyToBeADuck, the thought that OBD's don't win their first Natty has not entered my mind! This old Duck is a homer whose 30,000 foot view comes thru green and yellow colored glasses. Coupled with Duck bias filled to the brim with confidence for 4 more CFP victories. First Round Game: I will be didappointed if the Ducks dont cover the spread, Dante plays past the first 2nd half Duck possession and the #3's and #4's don't get significant playing time. Second Round Game: I will be disappointed if the Duck D allows TT 17 points. DL has plenty of bulletin board material for both sides of the ball to be motivated. Semifinals: If OU or Bama get past IU in their second round game, I will be disappointed. This Duck fan wants a rematch with IU and a chance to wipe that smirk off Cignettis face. (He has earned the right to wear that smirk. Now OBD's need to earn the right to wipe that smirk off into the off srason.) Natty: Whether it's Georgia or tOSU in the title game it matters not. The last time we faced either of these teams they wiped the field clean with the Ducks. That is enoigh reason for any team. End Result: Oregon Ducks National Chsmpions!

Great ponder point Alex. And great comments by the Forum posters. The road to the Natty for OBD's goes thru some nasty aggresive defenses once JMU is dispatched. TT, IU and tOSU are a combined 37-2. If Georgia,beats tOSU then that's another tough out. How Dante and the Ducks handle that juggernaut will be a snapshot for Dante to see how he has grown from the IU game. He did not read IU's schemes and sets very well. However, Dante has improved since that game. I feel, as others do, if Oregon wins the Natty that Dante will be headed to the NFL. There is no comparison money wise between NIL and the NFL. A top 5 pick is in the $50 million area. The 5th year option for a QB would be $30 million plus alone. In 2030, for a,QB starter it could very well top $50 per season in a 2nd contract. However, it is a double edged sword. The sooner the journey starts the sooner you get to that 2nd contract But teams like the Raiders, Jets, Browns etc are an absolute joke. Tbey are POS franchises that offer very little upside for a QB. Unfortuneatley, if Dante returns and goes in the 2027 NFL draft, the casyt of POS teams will be the same. Dante, get a Natty and get gone. When does Saturday get here. Good gosh, get the playoffs started by the 2nd Saturday in December...

JJ, thanks,for the bowl and CFP rundown. It will be interesting to see if the BIG can dominate the bowl scene. Or is the BIG overrated? Or is the,SEC overrated? My New Years wish is for an OBD's vs IU and Georgia vs tOSU semi-final contest. Go Ducks....

JJ, good call on the need for filling spots on the O Line. Those big boys are the main reason that OBD's are 46-7 under Coach Lanning. These bad boys have proved they can both run and pass block. They dont need another 15-20 starts to learn and hone their skills like a QB may need. DL and staff will bring in the best players available to them. The NIL money will be a significant factor but DL and staff have proved that they can help get you to the NFL. Whoever is under center in 2026 will not thrive without a great OL in front of them.

So many valid points in all the above posts. In rewatching all of this seasons games it is difficult for me to guage if Dante is NFL ready. In the first 4 games OBD's opponents put no pressure on Dante. The Ducks were on cruise control and Dante was punching his ticket to the Heisman awards dinner. A tremendous team effort pulled off a white-out win and destroyed the PSU program. The train was rolling...... Then the Hoosiers rolled into Eugene and derailed that train. It was evident that Dante could not recognize their schemes and audible out. He was relentlessly pressured and showed he couldn't throw on the run or flat on his back. Afterall, this was his 12th start. Only the extreme talent on this squad kept the game close. To his and there credit, Dante and his teammates picked themselves up off the turf and won 6 straight. The Ducks destroyed the teams they were supposed to, battled the weather against Whisky and Iowa and handled business against the great pretenders, USC and UW. In those 6 games the team grew stronger, overcame injuries and new stars emerged out of the next man up legions. Dante engineered come from behind wins and clock killing drives. He showed out his arm strength, pin point accuracy and proved he could lead under pressure. Most important he showed against the trojans and huskies he could recognize schemes and call succesful audibles. Those were in his 18th and 19th starts. Bo Nix took 62 starts and Dillion Gabriel took 63 starts to the NFL. One got a descent team the other got picked by a poop show. Who knows what POS team Dante would go to. Dantes 20th, 21st, 22nd and hopefully 23rd start will go along way to Dantes decision. I hope he and his team choose wisely.

I 2nd that sentiment that "Let's hope he continues for 20 + years or more." Coach Lanning has proven that he says what he means and means what he says. He has made a committment to the school and to the players. Standing by and sticking to your guns lets people know where you stand. When Coach Lanning is standing in their living room they know he can be trusted to his word. In no small part, his character and word are the foundation for repeated top 5 recruiting classes and this years #2 class! Go Ducks.......

Thanks Alex for your thoughts and perspective on OBD's path to the Natty. I feel that the Ducks have the easiest opening round game, on paper, in any bracket. Moving forward into the quarterfinals we have the most difficult path. The Red Raiders can hold their own with any opening round opponent. Their CFP ranking the last 4 weeks says so! (LOL) The Tech game will be a 60 minute battle. The Red Raiders have not faced a well balanced offense like the Ducks. Nor have they faced a defense like OBD's. The Ducks have future NFL players filling both sides of the ball. TT has not faced a complete team like the Ducks! The Red Raiders, just like Indiana, are hungry to excorcise decades of demons. We didn't handle the Hoosiers very well! The Ducks must start fast, play clean mistake free football. Take their rabid fans out of the game by putting TT in a early, deep hole. Moving forward is hard to predict. Will the curse of the first round bye continue? Who will fall or proceed? That first round by is the unknown elephant in the room. Is the SEC overrated? Underrated? Indiana will find out just how good the SEC is, for sure. Georgia most likely will face souless Ole Miss. Miami will handle a highly overated Aggie team to get their shot at tOSU. Alex, if OBD's make it to the finals, my gut tells me that they would face Georgia! Not tOSU........ Looking forward to reading all the thoughts today on this thread. Go Ducks and Go OBDF!

It will be fun to watch a potentially healthy Duck team later this month. The next man up mantra was alive and well with OBD's this season. Since the loss to IU, the Ducks offense has fought thru weather and injuries and improved every week. But you are correct David, there is room for improvement. Playing JMU should give the O an opportunity to play smash mouth football and find that rythim needed to go deep in the playoffs. Hopefully, having all the #1's and #2's on the field against JMU will help them knock the rust off and be ready for the Red Raiders The Red Raiders defense is solid and aggressive for sure. However, they didn't have a difficult schedule to navigate. They had only 1 close game, ASU, and they lost that game. Are they battle tested? OBD's will bring a well balanced attack with future NFL players at most positions. The Duck O will need their best game to be victorious! Without fail, the Duck D will be the best D that TT has faced all season. Go Ducks, let's take care of business against JMU so we can get after TT. It's all out in front of you for the taking. Go Ducks!

Everybody in the stadium and watching on TV knew where the BYU QB was going to throw that pass that was intercepted. OC for BYU is playing right into TT game plan. After the first 2 series the Duck opponents have no clue what play is coming out of their basic formations. OBD's have truly become well balanced and lethal since the IU game. Like many teams in the potential CFP, TT will not be an easy out. OBDF members do not underestimate this team. As a school and program they are playing loose with nothing to lose. House money for sure. This is a team that the Duck O can power down the field on. On the D side, their is NO defense in the BIG 12 at OBD's. None! The sad part about a potential BYU loss is it would open the door wide for ND or the canes. Any playoff without them is better. Go Ducks........