HappyToBeADuck

Lots of great comments and emotion filled comments on the thread. I truly enjoy reading and contemplating all the information presented. If we believe the WSU President then the deal is done with a network who is currently processing heavy layoffs. And that the timing is off because of optics or social image. That makes sense. Hey we are cutting high salaried talent and both blue and white collared workers because of the economy. However,we are signing a 1.5 billion dollar 5 year deal with the PAC. If its true then i get it. Let's say we think that network is ESPN. We dont really know for sure. The best money producing thing the executives could do (short of the NFL) is lock up a deal with a conference for their college football inventory. A sports network makes money by providing high valued content. A conference with 6-Top 25 schools should be considered high value content? If the deal is done and that network is waiting to sign then it stands to reason that this is the Tier 1 rights holder. Any announcement of 2nd tier and ancillary partners would come after that. My sweet Father and knuckleheaded brother were outstanding negotiators. From the time I could understand what Pops did (1958) until my brother retired in 2020, well there was always a negotiation going on. They both talked about staying focused and on task. Blocking out the bluster, table pounding and outside noise. And that nothing said or presented mattered until the 5 minutes before the hand shake. That last 5 minutes was crunch time and one side or the other was emotionally done. They had no more resolve. Then nothing from that point was said, in public, until the deal was signed. Consider that no one in the know is saying anything at all. That silence may be a good thing. What faze these negotiations are at is clearly unknown to all of us. But neither side is really saying anything. My Father said the key in any negotistion was patience thru the process. He said you cant control who is sitting across from you. Nor can you control their bad behaviour. You could control yourself and wait patiently until you reached their breaking point. Then, and only then does the deal get done because there is nothing left to negotiate. I am a very impatient person. That is why I never won an arguement with my Father....i sure miss him Patience, patience and more patience may be needed by all...

I am very excited about the offense for 2023. So much talent and potential. However my bench marks are always based on performance and production. So 2010 and 2014 results are my standards to measure 2023 by. A trip to the Natty is a must as Charles pointed out. We had fire power in 2022 but a untimely injury to Nix and poor D play in critical, closing time of games deflated the potential for a great season. This is a great topic for discussion. Its positive, its about football and DL and staff are loading the positions on offense. Depth and talent abound. Yet, in my worthless opinion we are very thin past the first 6 oline guys and paper thin past Bo. So heres to an injury free 2023 for Bo and the Oline. GO DUCKS.......

It feels like everyday, a so called podcaster, blogger or sports media (tied to the little big 12 conference) type keeps pouring out fictiscious facts from an unnamed source. Maybe it could come to pass.... I keep asking myself are any of these people spouting off actually in the room with GK and the network negotiators? Are they? How do midwest wannabees have more first hand info than Wilner/ Canzano? Are they in the room with espn? They simply don't........... And they never provide any details or a plan because they have none. It would be very prudent of GK and the Presidents to dispell and sepatate fact from fiction on at least a monthly basis...... Consider this line of thinking if you are an espn/abc/disney decision maker trying to keep your job or CYA. Scenario 1. Let's offer the PAC $90 million a year for 1 featured game of the week. Great, that will save us money and we can turn a profit on that game of the week. Any downside? We will be vacating the Friday and Saturday night PAC After Dark profit center. We would be vacating West Coast content to Fox. Utah, uw and Oregon are not going to sign on for pennies to always play at night. These are Top 15 programs that have solid fan bases that we would be alienating. We could lose even mote subscribers and heads could roll, including ours. What could we broadcast as content in place of profitable PAC football games? National Curling contests, Senior and Super Senior Pickleball matches? Damn this is not going well... Whats the market value for the PAC media rights? $300 million annually without the socal teams for Tier 1 rights Scenario 2 How much money will the bosses let us spend for PAC Tier 1 media rights? Not near what the PAC wants.... How much are each PAC schools making from the PAC 12 Network for broadcasting 44 games each season. Less than a million... How about we offer each school $9 million a year for those 2nd tier games? We can schedule some of those games for After Dark viewing That might make sense and we can probably get Utah, uw and Oregon committ to at least 1 of those games. Lets run that by the bosses and see how the PAC feels. That scenario will give the PAC wider linear coverage, pay more money than they received from the PAC 12 Network and they can get their $300 million annualy from streaming and the CW. Sounds great. But let's wait until the smoke clears from all the layoffs. The optic view is bad and we have time on ourside. See even though i made this up at least i painted a picture that makes sense. Remember, no matter what a network pays the advertising money will follow if the value is there.

It is exciting to see DL and his staff continuously working to build a roster, 2-deep at as many positions possible. The kind of 2-deep roster that can compete and win 15 or 16 games and bring home a National Championship. It truly is a difficult process to complete... We have rarely been 2-deep at QB and Oline. This year is no exception. However they keep working at it. Just 2 weeks ago the TE position was as thin as Twiggy. (She was a paper thin runway model/cover girl before the Dead Sea was even sick) Now the TE room has depth and diversity. I spent the last 2 weeks in husky/cougar country. Most of those customers know I am a proud Duck. We talk football often and many commented about how many 4/5 stars left the Duck roster. To only be replaced with an upgrade at position. I mentioned in many cases that was true but on defense it was better fits for the Lanning system. One husky fanatic and uw grad commented he loved how he could count on the Ducks to "coug" at least 1 game each year. He mentioned El Paso was beautiful in December. I reminded him that entire uw classes never tasted a husky victory for 16 or 17 years. He shut up and then shared with me his academic prowessed middle finger. I am so HappyToBeADuck... .

Many of our parents taught us boomers to never count our chickens before they hatch. It's fun to guess, ponder and discuss all the uncertainty circling around about the PAC 10 media deal. Either the potential deal or lack of a deal or the whatever deal...... IMHO, all 10 schools should circle the wagons, stick together and then get the deal done. Then the 10 can count their chickens and decide how to divide the meager spoils. If anyone one of the 10 had true bargaining power or true leverage then the deal would be done already. For some reason, Oregons top 10 national fan base means very little to the networks. They do not share our view as Duck fans. As an old school business person we measure our team members, vendor partners and providers on their value and performance they bring to our company. Personally, i feel the Ducks bring more value and performance to the table than other PAC members. Yet the network metrics show ucla brings more value than the Ducks. Yet their performamce has been underwhelming. So we just have to wait because the PAC's only card they truly hold is the 7:30 pm kickoff. usc will have the 4:30 pm slot when playing home games. ucla will be competing with the PAC for the 7:30 slot and thus capture SoCal for Fox. So adding SMU, Tulane, UTSA and RIce (for example only) would create Noon or 1 pm CST) for the CW to broadcast, at a reasonable price. Just dont put those games on up against Texas or A&M. Texans will watch Texas teams before they watch BIG games. Unless its a national game. Its a mess embrolied in a thick broth with too many cooks in the kitchen. The PAC may not have the right cooks or recipe yet. GO DUCKS....

Clemson and FSU will find that an SEC schedule will be a bit more difficult than what they face now. No matter how you divide the SEC, the Tigers/Seminoles will be facing each other and the likes of Georgia, Bama, LSU, Tennessee, Florida, etc. CFP invites may not be easy to come by. Only 12 invites mean the margin for error is slim. Be careful what you wish for. However, receiving a larger cut from the pie is justifiable. The ACC made their own bed. Now they need to work together to fix THEIR MESS. Going back to cash strapped espn for a better deal falls into the bad timing category. This sounds so familiar.....

Based on these predictions the whiners of troy will play the world classless from mountlake in the PAC title game. The loser's fanbase will blame PK's money and Lanning's recruiting for the loss. In reviewing the predictions for our Ducks, they are viewing the Cal game as a trap game. I can see their point. DL, the staff and team leaders will have to keep the team focused and ready to handle Cal. Last weekend, I posted that OBD's would take a loss to the huskies and return home 5-1 on the season. Then regroup, win out and face either usc or uw in the PAC title game...... A loss at Cal sends the Ducks to San Antonio or San Diego for their bowl game........ It does no good to have the top PAC recruiting classes 4 years running and not make the CFP. For the talent on this squad the Rosr Bowl or NY6 Bowl should be the consolation prize. Barring injuries the Ducks will face 4 Top 25 teams in their last 7 games. 2 will be top 10......this schedule sets them up for great things. Run the gauntlet and the invite to the CFP will arrive. The PAC is loaded with talent in 2023. Coaching, the best coaching may make the difference. GO DUCKS......

Well anyone can go on TV, Radio or social media and share their opinion. We use ODB Forum to share our opinions. What makes one opinion better than another? FACTS WITH NAMED SOURCES..... All the videos and podcasts, the radio and tv shows or social media posts are presented to draw viewers or clicks. The more controversial the better. In my company we use real time, face to face demonstrations to compare our products against our competitors products. We present in a visual form the FACTS about the advantages of our products and how they perform...... A very successful mentor shared these words with me in 1980. He learned this from another, highly successful mentor in 1972.. Information without demonstration is merely conversation. The demonstration clears up and presents the FACTS. When someone, like a actual in the know decision maker, is quoted as a named souce then we can all dig into the FACTS. In the meantime we can have fun, share our opinions and discuss them. In other words we can have conversations. Let me share my opinion, for what it is worth. Every word in this and other articles could be true. Liars, back stabbers and vultures lurk all around us. So do sheep who follow meekly. We can use usc and ucla as the perfect example to support that. I don't support or discount any of this arrticle except the part about espn not being interested in the PACS Tier One media rights.... Let's use a dose of Common Sense here, and ask ourselves: Why would a sports network, who needs content not want a P5 West Coast Conference all to themselves? Afterall, football drives the money bus. Why would espn want U of O and UW to go to the BIG and be exclusively under FOX's control? It doesn't make sense unless: 1. PAC wants too much $$$$$? 2. BIG, big 12, FOX and espn are colluding together? 3. Its in everyones interest for the 4 corners to go to big 12 UO, UW, CAL and Stanford to go BIG? 4. WSU and OSU goes to MWC and espn gets the new MWC for a very cheap price? In a world of vultures any of this is possible. But these vultures best beware that any of these scenarios could bring another apex predator into the mix...... ATTORNEY'S......... Go Ducks.......

David, thanks for the excellent article. The D's soft underbelly has been "the elephant in the room" since the 2019 D walked off the field with a Rose Bowl victory. Last season the offense scored more than enough points to beat the huskies and beavus. In both games the defense could not make critical stops to get off the field and secure the victory. Those constant 3rd and long conversions by our opponents contributed to a Holiday Bowl instead of a NY6 Bowl. So to answer your topic question, I sure hope DL has or is going to fix that soft underbelly that has been a big part of the Duck D for the last 3 years. I have confidence and trust that DL and staff have made upgrades with transfers and recruits. Because in 2023 we play some high powered offenses. As well as facing a Heisman winner who could repeat. And a contender in Penix. Can't wait to get your answer this fall. Go Ducks........

Other than the money, lots of money, the BIG just doesnt feel like a natural fit. It doesnt feel right for ucla either! I could care less about usc. They have not been relevant for almost 15 years. Except for a couple of seasons. Of course, I will follow and support the Ducks and double hate the huskies, no matter where they land. But nothing about a Ducks vs Purdue or Ducks vs Minnesota is exciting to me. But each of us have our views and feelings. My passion has been with the PAC and its many names for over 65 years. TBD for all of us.

Thanks Jon for the link to the article. It was short on substance but subjectively accurate As a Duck fan, i am confident the Ducks ahould be 5-0 when facing the huskies. TT will be a rough game but its winnable. Champions win on the road against the teams they should beat. As the O line gels together to protect Bo and open holes for the run game, make no mistake, this is a game for the D to win. TS is not an elusive QB so sacks, hurried throws and TT turnovers should be the story for this Duck victory. The Ducks D needs a road statement game to build confidence and the TT game is a great place to start. The road game in Seattle should feature 2 top 10 teams and be nationally telecast. The despicable huskies will be favored to win. Penix is mobile, elusive and accurate. This is the Ducks D's strongest road game challenge! Get to Penix, cause chaos and silence the leg lifters crowd. If not then the Ducks leave Seattle 5-1..... The Duck vs huskies game will be an on the edge of your seat type of game...... If the Ducks beat the huskies then a let down against the Cougars is a possibility. But my expectation is the Ducks come home 5-1 and thrash the Cougars. The loss will leave a bad taste in the coaches and players mouths. The OBDF monitor team and Charles will be busy deleting posts from the members. And all of us will be busy apologizing to family members and reeling ourselves back in from the ledge. Big time football games bring that level of passion an emotion out of its die hard fans. Hatred of the huskies simply takes it to the next level. However, champions refocus and set new goals. A loss to the huskies will be the catalyst that bonds this this team together. The Ducks will win out and stand 11-1. They will face the huskies or trojans in the PAC 12 title game. This scenario is only possible if 2 things happen during the 2023 season: 1. The O line gels together and keeps Bo protected. And opens those holes for the running backs 2. The D steps up and creates the chaos needed to beat usc, Utah, TT and Beavus. The talent is on the roster. Should be an emotional ride for the fans. Go Ducks......

DUCati855, heres a Dodd's like headline sure to rank hi on the BS meter: PK And Wealthy Investors Offering To Help Strapped For Cash Disney By Purchasing The Sinking Ship That Is ESPN. Unnamed sources heard that the deal is contingent on ESPN dumping their high priced media rights package with the BIG 12. ESPN and the BIG 12 declined to comment. But referred us to their media professional analyst, DD. When questioned DD said he would need to consult his unnamed sources ....... See its easy to make stuff up...

This Forum is filled with some sports saavy members. So as i read the article i kept asking myself this: Why would a sports network that needs prime and profitable content not want to be in control of a Power 5 Conferences Tier 1 rights? Why would ESPN not want that control with the most desired sport to broadcast, which is football? Especially when the PAC Tier 1 rights will be on the cheap? The PAC media rights will generate Profits for the media rights holder. I couldnt come up with any answer that made sense.....

Fun stuff to ponder and some great thoughts and comments from the OBDF's posters. For me, i rarely focus on the TOP 25 because its biased and subjective. What i do focus on is the PAC and its members. So much has to take place and so many things have to happen for a team to win 10 games. Its a solid accomplishment not always achieved. I think 3 PAC teams have a shot at 11-1 and a PAC title game appearance. Its a long shot with the depth of talent in the PAC...... usc, uw and our Ducks are the 3 top teams for talent. Utah, ucla and the beavs will be tough outs but may lack the depth to run this gaunlet. So it doesnt matter where you are ranked now. Where u r ranked after the conference title games is what matters. Penix, Williams and Bo have enough fire power on board to get the job done. The team with the best D play will win the PAC. I see Oregon beating usc, usc beating uw and uw besting our Ducks in an epic game off the lake. All 3 have the talent to go 11-1. Dont know how the tie breaker will work out. But at least one 11-1 team will be playing in the Alamo Bowl. I hope that team will be usc and that the Ducks vs huskies play for the title. Winner to the CFP and loser to a New Years 6 Bowl. The winning teams QB should be in New York with a shot at the Heisman. It will be a great season for the PAC. GO DUCKS!

Charles, thanks for your honest evaluation of the Spring game and the players involved. Your assessment was spot on..... Both D units made it difficult for the offense to put points on the board. Up front pressure and tight coverage were on display. For me, it was difficult to tell how the best offensive lineman were split amongst both units. Both front sevens took advantage of any opportunities inexperienced players provided. As for Ty Thompson, he showed improvement in a number of phases. Is that improvement enough to lead the Ducks to 10 wins if he was the starter? I suppose if DL and Stein bring in a QB thru the portal then we will have the coaches answer that question. Would have liked to have seen more play or any play from all the QB's. Lightning can strike at any time on the football field.......having multiple back up options would be nice. GO Ducks.........

Charles, you are correct. There is alot to digest from a small sample size. 1. Open field tackling is much improved. Both units made solid, one on one, openfield tackles. Very promising....... 2. TT has improved his pocket presense. Improved his reads and progressions, except when it was an obvious situation. Then he locked on to just one receiver. Solid on his long throws. 3. Dez has a 2nd and 3rd gear in the open field. PAC D coordinators may not have an answer. 4. Everything on both sides of the ball was fairly generic. However, both D units stuffed the run games. 5. Many positives and many negatives. Young receivers dropped on the money passes. 6. 2nd year D players appeared to understand DL's schemes better. Loved it all, good or bad, because its actual real football. With Top 10 talent on the field. GO DUCKS........

Thanls for sharing your heartfelt feelings 81DuckAlum ....... This is truly a one of a kind forum. As humans, with flaws, from time to time we show or exercise poor judgement. It just happens..... But most of all, IMHO, this forum is a family, bound by a commonality in the love of the Oregon Ducks. Each of us bring something special to the forum. Free to express our feelings, opinions and passions. Free to agree or politely disagree with what is presented. With respect toward each other the foundation or core of the OBDF. Charles has created something special for us to mutually share. The Ducks just make it better.

Alex, thanks for this article and a great take on what you are looking for from OBD's in this spring game. My eyes will be focused in the trenchs........ On offense, it starts with the oline. Can this unit jell together to provide the pass blocking needed for Bo to be the best Bo? Can those big boys up front run block at the first and second level so Bucky can be the best Bucky? Can the Oline jell and show us that they can build and grow together and dominate at a CFP level? On defense can the front seven create chaos and cause disruption? Can they get to the QB? Even though its just an April spring game can and will we see front seven improvememt? For me, the play in the trenches will determine the 2023 outcome for the Ducks. The Oline has some big shoes to fill and the D front seven needs to put the letter D back in the Ducks Defense. I feel confident they can.......

It is going to be a great 2023. Should be some great games and must watch tv....... There is no room for losses in OOC games. The conference schedule will be brutal. A one loss survivor, boasting a 12-1 record after the PAC 12 title victory should be heading to the CFP. Hopefully the loser of the BIG and loser of the SEC title games will have 2 losses. Because a 12-1 Bama, Georgia, tOSU or Michigan could pose a problem for the PAC Champ. Let's hope the Ducks are that 12-1 PAC Champ. 13-0 would be a sure invite. The journey will be challenging for the PAC Champ. However, multiple high profile games against top 25 opponents will bode well for the PAC.....

P Duck thank you for posting the DiStepano article. This has valuable information that is worth pondering and discussing..... It is worth the read and putting 2 and 2 together. DiStepano VALIDATES that 1. No one has asked them to join the Big 12. 2. Colorado has no desire to join the Big 12. That just supports this Forum's consensus that those rumors, speculation and conjecture were just empty piles of BS...... The reason they had unnamed sources were because they had NO SOURCES. Just a waste of time. DiStepsno VALIDATES that 1. Colorado has a working plan to improve their football fortunes on the field. 2. They cleared the roadblocks that were crippling their transfer portal recruiting. 3. Colorado is committed to the PAC and to winning Championships Good for Colorado. Everyone in the PAC seems committed to building, investing and growing their brand and the PAC ... (Not sure about Cal, Stanford and WSU). Five teams will start the season in the Top 25. The 2023 football season will be awesome. The carnage and cannibalism will be brutal. Their will be at least 2 PAC teams again playing in New Years Six Bowls Thats worth pondering..... When the new BIG commissioner publicly announces the invite to the BIG for any PAC teams then I will believe it. How people, who are not in the room, can make these BS, unfounded statements is beyond me. The new BIG commisdioner works for the BIG Presidents and Chancellors. I dont have the articles but last July and August a few of those Presidents said they did not want to be responsible for destroying the PAC. Until they say different then anything else published is more BS ........ One final note, in football UCLA will become irrelevant once joining the BIG. This move is a big mistake for the Bruins. If they had stayed in the PAC they would have brought about $10 million annual per school in media rights. The PAC would have been in the low $40 million per year range in media rights money. By the rime the Bruins pay annual travel expenses for all sports ($10-$15 million per year, I have read this on Athlon and SI articles) they will net between $45-$50 million a year. What did they gain? Tired and exhausted athletes transferring to PAC schools. And they will lose the SoCal recruiting wars to usuck and the Ducks. And open the doors for SDSU. Go Ducks.

Personally the PAC needs fresh blood and a new look. SMU, SDSU and maybe 2 other invites could help stretch the PAC foot print and the adjoining exposure. A Beaver- Tulane or husky-Mustang kickoff at 1 pm Central means PAC football at 11 am on a Saturday.would be refreshing from this fans perspective. Friday PAC after Dark could kick off with SDSU at SMU at 8 central, 9 eastern and 6 pacific. More people awake to watch. Of course this type of thinking may be out of the box for our uppitty, academic genuis presidents. An invite to the BIG would also provide a new look and fresh blood. However, the road to the CFP would be be more difficult. The journey thru tOSU, Michigan, PSU, USC and any fluke season by an upstart BIG 2nd tier team could seriously dampen a CFP invite. The CFP invite and 2 potential games will net 40-60 million dollars. PAC participants should reap the lions share of the revenue. For example; lets say the Ducks invite is 5 thru 12. So they win the first game to get into the final eight. Win game 2 and reach the final four. With that victory OBD's earn a 3rd game Now we are in the $60-90 million range. Make the NATTY and win or lose the Ducks are in the $80 to $120 million range. The CFP invite is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The money could be more. Every game will be watched by most all college football fans. So ask yourself if adding SDSU and SMU, thus keeping the PAC together gives OBD's a better chance at the CFP? Or should we try and go thru the top end of the BIG and usc? ??????????

Injuries would be a main concern no matter who the Ducks played Local, linear tv or ESPN could payvto televise. Advertisers would certainly participate. NIL sponsors could promote their products via their signed athletes. Cover PSU expenses and split tge rest 50/50. A big boost to both athletic departments . I agree with Charles and others that we play the big boys in the playoffs. I would go one step further and say no P-5 teams. Just FCS. Fun idea ro ponder......

Darren there certainly are many factors that go into the determination of a Heisman. And all but one are out of the eventual winners hand. The eventual winner controls how well they perform week in and week out. A QB winner can lead his team but he has no control over whether a lineman misses a block and a strip fumble occurs. Or a defense that cant make a stop in a crucial game that allows a bitter rival to beat you. Thus knocking you out of the titke game. Or the OC that calls plays that get you injured. So much has to go right and fall into place. IMHO, OBD's need at a minimum a 12-1 season and a CFP invite in order for Bo to be considered. 13-0 would be best. A victory over usc and williams is a must....... The season and difficult back end of the schedule set Bo up for a heroes finish. Go Ducks......Go Bo........

Thanks Charles for the article. Will be fun to get a glimpse of this offense during the spring game. Hoping to see the fun continue with a powerful ground game wearing down our opponents and some back breaking bombs for TD's Also hoping for some back breaking sacks by our front seven. Go Ducks.........

If PAC fans pay to watch their favorite team via a streaming service then that could be the beginning of the end for hugh linear media rights contracts. Jon Joseph is correct that ESPN wants to and will move games from the SEC and ACC into ESPN+ Streaming........ WHY? If the fans of the weakest Power 5 conference will pay a monthly fee to stream their favorite college team then the sports crazed SEC and ACC fans will pay, too. ESPN/Disney need to recapture subscribers who have cut the chord and moved to streaming. Why fight it when you just provide content they want. Its good business. 5 of my sports crazy grandchildren (all in their 20's) do not have cable. They pay for and stream what they want to view. Thst is the world my greatgrandkids are growing up in. The future is already upon us and the PAC is the test case. I will pay to watch the PAC and of course the Ducks. Some wont and some will! The PAC Network didnt have the forward thinking to move into streaming. Perhaps they could have found investors to build a streaming platform and told the oyhers to whizz off. All though Its hard to lead when the dirt has already been thrown on your grave.