HappyToBeADuck

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........

Alex, i guess we will have an answer later this month. DL is the anchor for the program and the players know this. He replaced Dilly with Stein. He will find a great replacement for Stein. I expect a great replacement for Tosh, also! I am not certain that this won't be a distraction, however, on Sunday, once the brackets are set I am confident that all focus will be on OBD's first round opponent. Business as usual? Win the next game! My concern is recruiting! How will the recruits react if Will and Tosh were one of the reasons they were coming to Oregon? Going to be a crazy 45 days for the players, future players, coaches, future coaches and their families. And us fans!

Lots of scenarios can happen this weekend that could potentially move OBD's into the Top 4. Bama could beat Georgia, then Georgia falls out of Top 4. BYU beats TT and TT falls out of Top 4 OBD's could move up and get a dreaded bye. I feel like Georgia and TT will win those games. If so, thrm Bama falls out of CFP. That sounds so nice If BYU wins they are in and ND could fall out. Even better! Can't until this all plays out Saturday night.

David, you are absolutely right that nothing has changed in the CFP selection process. This year the goal posts get moved weekly, mainly to serve the SEC, ESPN and the rest of the mouth pieces. Along with a mini crush on the little 12. How many 12 trams could go into Iowa, Michigan, Washington or USC and win? One example: When Oregon had close wins, we saw them drop in the rankings. The Aggies escaped a home game loss againts the high school team from South Carolina and did not drop a spot. Yes they stayed undefeated but the committee gave them lavish praise for the comeback. BS. Would like to know how many committee mrmbers have watched an entire Duck game? Next year 1/2 of the SEC teams will have one more loss and 1/2 will have the same win total without their 3rd or 4th cupcake on their schedule. The bias CFP committee has out lived its purpose. Go Ducks.....

Sorry to see Will move on but congratulations on the HC position at Kentucky. He has deep personal and family ties to the Wildcats football program. Thee University and fan base will welcome Will with open arms. Thank you for the amazing run with OBD's, best of success in your future and remember, run the ball!

I would take the 2 tickets to the Natty, without question. That is the crowning event to the season. Then I would give both tickets to Charles because of the amazing effort he has put in to this ONE OF A KIND FORUM. He can decide what he would like to to do. Go Ducks!

How times have changed for fans in the last 2 seasons! As a fan, we used to root for the Ducks to win the PAC and play in the Rose Bowl. Or get an invite to the Fiesta Bowl. Then the BCS (Or the complete BS vote) and we rooted for the Ducks to make #1 or #2. (Dyer was fricking down) Then the format expanded so the Top 4 teams were invited. (Destroyed FSU and put Winston on his arse. And then discovered how far we needed to go to compete with tOSU) In each season we rooted to finish as highly ranked as possible. Angst ruled supreme as others picked the opponents for the beauty contest. And we got left out sometimes. Then the CFP expands to 12 in 2024. And DL and OBD's deliver a perfect regular season and a BIG Title and reach the #1 seed. Then we learn a valuable lesson as seeds 1-4 lose in the quarter finals. Terrible format, terrible format! Now this whacked out formula has some of us rooting for OBD's to NOT be ranked in the Top 4. I have followed CF since 1958 on the radio first, then TV. The only way we could watch the Apple Cup is when the local station covered it. ABC had Michigan vs tOSU first, then UCLA vs USC. No pre-game, no post game! No other football mattered. Thankfully i moved to Portland in 1984 and was just plain Happy to be a Duck. In all that time I have rooted for my team to finish first. First........ Until this 2025 season. Strange times. Once we lost to IU that focus changed to just be Top 9. This new 12 team format allows teams and their fans to lose a game or 2 and still have a shot at the CFP. That is plain awesome. As soon as the CFP cuts back to 8 or expands to 16, then we can eliminate the bye week and get back to rooting for our team to finish as highly ranked as possible. It just seems right! Sorry for the rant.... GO DUCKS!