HappyToBeADuck

Unfortuneately, for all of us, change comes in many shapes and sizes. Those shapes and sizes don't fit all. When changes disrupt our individual habits or patterns we get uncomfortable. And to quote Annie, "Ah, such is life." There is great wisdom in those 4 words. Money drives the train that is college football. For the last decade, ESPN has grossly overpaid for sports broadcasting rights. Grossly overpaid........just google espn financial problems and read how the landscape has changed since 2013. ESPN and any cable channel needs expanding subscriber numbers to pay the bills. Subscriber losses mean less monthly dollars. Less proven viewers mean advertisers pay less dollars to ESPN. That's why ESPN let go of 300 staffers and 100 on air personalities took pay cuts. Add in that fierce competitors (streaming) have taken market share and you can see why ESPN gave the PAC a low ball offer. They are bleeding cash and Disney doesn't want to overpay for anything. Consider that Bob Igor, as the top executive of the Disney board stopped taking his $3 million a year salary a few years back. Would you work for free andcthen over pay for diminished PAC10 media rights? It will all work out for the PAC schools but as fans it might take 30 srconds more to find it. I dont like this change but its coming.........

Well our (actually my) sports room TV is 7 years old. The first Amazon Prime NFL Thursday Night broadcast was a complete suprise to me. I couldnt find it on FOX, CBS, ESPN or anywhere. Frustration ruled the moment. So i called my 26 year old grandson, Chris, to ask him what was going on? He told me the game was streaming on AP. I said WTH! And really started to piss, whine and moan about this. I am absolutely tech ignorant. Chris asked if we had Amazon Prime? I replied, all i know is I have a TV and NFLTNF should be on it. Chris and his wife had cut the chord 2 years earlier and stream everything. They have access to all the college and NFL games they can watch. Then my 5 year old granddaughter got on the phone to walk her Papa thru the process. What worked for them didnt work for me on our TV and set up. My sweet Italian wife had been listening to the conversation and on her way downstairs was hurling degrading and insulting comments toward me in Italian. My phone was on speaker and she didnt want the youngsters to know what she was saying. It wasnt nice but the general comments were toward my general tech ineptitude. In the strongest terms possible. She told me to push the Blue button on the remote and say: Amazon Prime NFL Thursday Night Football. I did and 15 seconds later i am watching the game. To return to cable, i just pushed guide button once. Should be noted that 2 other grandsons called to make sure i was tuned in. i love those rascals. It should be noted that my sweet wife accepted my thank you then sent another parting shot at me in Italian. I love my spicy, sausy wife! I feel the anxiety and frustration that comes from this type of change. And recognize that not all TVs are that easy or that the bandwidth available may be lacking. However, technology moves faster than the speed of light. The streaming giants have deep pockets and will make this work for all. I cannot find the business article that i read a few weeks ago about the future of Disney, ABC and ESPN. Shareholders forced the ouster of the CEO and brought back a former CEO to return the conglomerate to profiability. One of the moves discussed was selling off ESPN and all its subsidiaries. This could be good, bad or simply conjecture. Either way ESPN may not be as big a player as we all hope in the future. ESPN gave the PAC a low ball offer and cash flow could be a real problem for them going forward. Consider that Amazon could be a viable purchaser of the sports network giant. They lack infrastructure that ESPN provides. They would control both sides of the viewing process with 24/7 announcers, studio hosts and a deep footprint in the sports industry. The uber rich get stronger by making smart business decisions. Want to be a force in sports programming? Then buy a world wide programming network..... Only time will tell how this or if this plays out. Either way the PAC games will be televised, the Ducks will rule and i will keep telling my remote what i want to watch. And rest assured my wife will continue to give me her thoughts and feelings in Italian.

in a conference with 3 QB's on the Heisman watch list and a few additional dark horse contenders taking the field, well the teams who field the best D may make the PAC title game. With the experienced D talent that DL brought in via the portal we potentially should see a much improved D on the field in 2023. Top 30? Not sure, but Top 50 would help. In the PAC, their will be future NFL QB's on the field, in most conference games. Maybe the strongest group, from top to bottom of the PAC.. All the defensive units will have their hands full. Gonna be fun to watch and maybe painful....... My concern is depth at backup QB for the Ducks. Talented teams, with depth, make the CFP. Even when i drink the fullest cup of Duck Koolaid, well i can't even create a notion that we have a CFP level talent at backup QB. Road trips to play Texas Tech, Utah and washington are winnable with Bo taking the snaps. Without Bo, maybe not. I agree with JJ that DL has the Ducks headed in the right direction. The PAC is loaded in 2023 with 5 top 25 teams. All the top teams may have 2 conference losses. No CFP appearance if that is the case.

TECH FAN, thats a great question. Do you have any articles to share that may show those potential numbers? I guess we would find out if the 10 remaining PAC members are a band of brothers Or Money grabbing, back stabbers like the 2 spineless traitors in SoCal. For 45 million probably the latter!

Charles, thanks for those numbers. The future certainly looks bright. Keeping top West Coast talent appears to be a top priority for Coach Lanning. The best part is that DL and his staff have better schemes and plans to put points on the board. Unlike MC ever did, ever will do and ever can do. Its nice to have a HC that doesnt hold back the offense. Now we need to see that defensive mind of DL move front and center. IMHO, with the 2023 QB talent in the PAC, the scoreboards out west are going get lit up. Having a D that gets off the field on 3rd and 4th downs will be needed to get the Ducks to the PAC title game and beyond. Excited about all the recruits and top level portal transfers and expect spring ball to be brutal and competitive. GO Ducks........

I agee that keeping Klemm was big time for Coach Lanning and the Ducks The time may be rapidly approaching when keeping top assistant coaches will require paying them almost as much as their head coach. Especially those who can coach and recruit at the highest levels. Phil may have to open his wallet even more to hold this staff together thru the next 3 or 4 years to lay the foundation for Natty's.

Coach Lanning and his staff are certainly rectuiting at a high level. Stocking the locker room with high school recruits and much needed experienced talent. This Duck fan is excited about that. Spring practice should be very competitive, uncomfortable and hard. The roster will be thinned out and hopefully the best 85 will remain. Now we will see if Coach Lanning and his staff can develope their talent. The total success of the 2023 season may depend on fixing the weaknesses on defense and special teams....... The talent will be on the roster in year 2 for DL. Excited to see what the staff can do with them. 11-1 and playing in the PAC title game should be the basement for the 2023 Ducks........

Thank you David for your thoughts and feelings on this topic. The art of play calling may very well be a skill that not all DC's can master. The 2022 Duck defense was less than inspiring. Yet without the late game defensive heroics against the Cougars and the complete D Dominance against Utah, OBD's would have been 7-5. Whether it was poor play calling or poor player execution doesnt matter. The D surrender 27+ points per game. All of it needs improving. All of it! Thankfully the Duck O averaged nearly 40 points a game and a 10 win season was the result. Thankfully Bo is coming back and thst leadership should keep the Duck O scoring points Whoever calls the D plays will need to see stronger player development and on field performance. Would like to see the D surrendering less than 23 points per game. It looks like the top 10 recruiting and portal signees may be bringing the key players to make that happen. Go Ducks!

Thanks Coach for providing more insight into some of Coach Steins offensive play book. Already looking forward to the spring game to see some of this unfold. With Bo at the helm this transition should be seemless. Hopefully the backup QB's can execute this offense in a game, not just practice. There should be no reason that the 2nd and 3rd team QB's ahouldnt play the entire 2nd half against Portland State.

Oregon is definitely undervalued by network metrics. Yet ABC, Fox and ESPN repeatedly showcase the Ducks on the national stage. However, in the 12 game average, included will be the 6.2 million viewing audience for the Georgia game. In 2021 the large national audience for the game with tOSU helped with average viewing audience. OBD's probably should continue to schedule those big time teams whenever possible. The networks still provide the largest viewing footprint. With the expanded playoffs you can risk playing that game. Once we go deep in the CFP and win that first Natty then the home and homes will come. Helping Amazon establish the blueprint for college football streaming should be a business priority for the PAC. A layered pricing structure should be in place as new PAC members are invited in. Amazon, ESPN and ESPN+ (should all be excited and willling) should help the PAC create a 4 to 6 team pod in Texas Open the check book and control the narrative. The BIG, SEC, ACC and current membership of Big 12 are locked into 2029 and beyond. The PAC 10 to PAC 20 are fertile ground and provide the necessary content to shape the viewing furure. Only the limitations they set on themselves will hold this back. It will be so satisfying playing in the expanded CFP invite while usc and ucla fans whine and make excuses for not being invited. At least now the whining will be directed at tOSU, Michigan and Penn State.

There is so much to unpack from this new expansion business model thats rapidly approaching. On the surface it appears that very little thought or concern was given to the feelings/needs of the student athlete, the fans and tradition. Money, lots of money drove this train. For a century plus the conferences were regionally balanced and exposed to the fans. In the 50's, 60's, 70''s thru the mid 80's i never was able to watch a non PAC game. The only exception was a big rivalry game like Michigan vs Ohio State, Texas vs Texas A & M, ND vs USC and USC vs UCLA.They were nationally televised. For example, if our local ABC affiliate didnt finally make special arrangements the only way for me to watch the Apple Cup was to attend the game. The New Years bowl games were the only time I got to see the inter conference match up games. ND got invites to the Sugar or Orange Bowl. So we got to see ND vs Bama for example. The Southwest Conference (BIG 12) champion hosted the Cotton Bowl. Big 10 vs PAC 8 in the Rose Bowl. The games were exciting and the national ratings were thru the roof. Then in the mid to late 80's an upstart school named Miami changed everything. Their Orange Bowl games vs ND or Nebraska were being played for mythical Natty's. Bama, Georgia, tOSU, Michigan, Texas and USC due to their conference tie ins couldnt get in on the action. Thus the birth of the BCS invitational. Ratings were thru the roof and the payouts were unheard of. Then the CFP invitational brought more games and bigger payouts. The expanded CFP will bring even more money and bigger psyouts. Games built on Regional champions meeting other regional champions that brought regional fan bases to a national stage. It had its fair share of bias (SRC) but hss bern pure gold. So why do Texas, OU, usc and ucla want to leave their regions to break tradition? None of these 4 schools have been Natty competitive since Texas vs usc in that epic Natty game. We are aporoaching 2 decades. They want the annual bump in payouts! Now usc and ucla get to play in the G5 west division. Yet they will have to climb over tOSU, Michigan and Penn State in the BIG title game. In fairness though usc has a better chance of going 12-0 every season in their G5 division, losing in BIG title game and still getting to the expanded CFP. ucla will win more games, too. Their are no Utes, puppies, beavers or ducks in that division. Just anemic offenses and usc to navigate. Depending on which division Texas and OU land in the SEC thst road is much tougher to navigate. Georgia and Bama rule and should be in the CFP every year. But LSU, Tennesse and Florida are as good as if not better than the sooners or horns. Neither school will be a shoe in for the CFP anytime soon. They too want that big bump in annual payouts. If you can't go 11-1 in the BIG 12 how fo you expect to schieve that in yhe SEC? I wish all 4 schools the best as they embark on this new path. One thing is for sure that the landscape is changing. The dollars will be flowing for all 4 schools. Will the journey lead them to the expanded CFP and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Only time, top level recruiting, high NIL payouts and player development will give us the answer.......

My goodness, Marc Kulkin, never have more words been spoken that were as empty, pitiful and boring... Thankfully my Cairin Terrior puppy, Rebel, came in my office and woke me up from my boredom. Hers the high road you pompous wind bag. USuck's PAC 2023 conference schedule accomplishes 2 things: 1. That is a CFP worthy schedule if you go 13-0 or 12-1 with a win in the PAC Title game. Just . remember that Utah, huskies, . Beavers and Ducks will be a little tougher than Tulane. 2. This will be the last difficult conference schedule you will play for decades once you land in the juggernaut that is the BIG west division. At least you are a true usuck mouth piece. WAH WAH WAH... (Example) ucla has an easier 2023 schedule than us. Its not fair. Games are played on the field. So what is your excuse for losing to Utah (Twice) and Tulane? WTH? Be gone you condom homer.

So excited that usuck is leaving the PAC and heading east to play in the west division of the big. Most likely Purdue gets moved to the east division to be with Indiana. Now the high and mini mighty whining condoms will have to face the powerhouses from Iowa, Wisky, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Illinois and ucla. Those anemic offenses will make the condoms defense look real good. Much easier than facing Utah, OSU, huskies and Ducks. Imagine the Saturday night blockbuster ratings on fox when the matchup is usuck vs northwestern or usuck vs Illinois. Must watch tv for sure. Other than in the big title game they will only play tOSU once every 6 years, Michigan every 6 years and PSU every 6, eyc. I can hear the whining when the schedule comes out: How come Iowa doesnt play tOSU. Its not fair..... How come ucla doesnt play Michigan. Its not fair..... The list and whining will never stop. At least when they play the Badgers they can pick up the cheese to go with their whine. Good blanking riddance you piss ant whiners.

Solid article Charles that lays out the recipe for annual trips to the CFP. Staying in the PAC and scheduling are critical components to staying unbeaten or at worst a one loss conference champion. However, without the PAC expanding, the Ducks will have Utah and a trip to the desert every year. Sometimes as U dumb dub discovered the road is easier when you dont have road trips to Utah and usc on your schedule. Expansion to 12 or 16 would create a much needed rotation schedule. Georgia's road would be more difficult if Bama and LSU were on their schedule every year. Stacking Top 10 recruiting classes, year after year is truly a key component to annual CFP visits. Coach Lanning and staff are talented enough to get that done. Recruiting and developing the players to the scheme is perhaps the key. The 4-2-5 defense works when you are sending your edge rusher, inside space eater and 1 linebacker to the NFL in the first round. Can DL and staff recruit multiple 5 star players for the front 6, annually? Someone has to get penetration and pressure the QB. Linebackers have to run down a scrambling QB. And for goodness sakes someone has to hold the edge. Sometimes your offense gets throttled (TCU) and your defense must win the game. Georgia, Bama and tOSU field 10 plus 5 stars on both sides of the ball most years. Can DL bring that many top players to Eugene? Can we move from 66 Blue Chippers on the roster to 75 plus? IMHO, yes he can... Can DL and staff develope that talent into a elite unit that wins a Natty? I think so but time will tell.

Just a gut feeling but maybe these talented players are finding that the NIL money for starters in the PAC is better than being a 2nd or 3td string back up in the SEC, BIG and ACC. Or for those who are currently starting at their current school find that the late night exposure (on Friday and Saturday night) is better than playing at the same time as 40 or 50 other games. How much National exposure do the BIG, SEC, and ACC teams get that arent named BAMA, Georgia, LSU, Clemson, Michigan, tOSU and soon to be USC? Networks cover the top games. Soon Oregon, Utah and Washington will be dominating West Coast Primetime. Also, outside KW (Utah) the PAC coaching tree is stacked with younger, hipper, relatable coaches. . ... Probably many more reasons for them heading West. Just as long as Oregon gets the ones they want and coaches them up. Go Ducks.........

Thanks Alex for the article and the 2024 recruit update. So many potential pieces moving all at once makes it difficult to keep up. As an observation only, It appears to me that MC recruited high star recruits for the purpose of achieving Top 10 classes. Not always targeting players who filled a need. Thus some very under achieving star studded defensive units took the field. In reflection, when have the Ducks had 2-5☆linebackers side by side on the field? And yet the D units regressed each year after 2019. Of course its to early to tell but it appears that DL is recruiting top players who fit and fill needs. Whether thru the portal or the best high school recruits. I know there are those on this thread who have the knowledge and chops to bring better analysis on this subject and i am curious to read those posts. IMHO, its not the subjective stars behind a players name that bring results. Its the player being developed who matches or out performs their ☆ rankings on the field. Exciting times ahead for the Ducks with DL and staff recruiting for the future. The only way we play Georgia, Bama, Michigan or tOSU next season is in the CFP.(Maybe Rose Bowl). We cannot reach that pinnacle unless the players are developed to execute the schemes. If they can, the road to the CFP will be filled with road kill leftovers of victories over USC, Utah, OSU, little doggies and Texas Tech. And a probable rematch against one of the first 4. That is no easy task but the 2023 Ducks will have the star talent to acieve it. Will the player development be up to the task and some better in game coaching? Go Ducks.....

Thanks Pennsylvania Duck for finding and sharing this article with Forum. Appreciate your relentless efforts......... This article helped clarify a few things about who must move on and who can potentially return. For those with remaining eligibility they certainly have big decisions to make in the next 10 days. NIL money may play a role in whether a player stays, transfers or gambles on their future in the NFL. Hope each one of these Ducks make the best decision for their football future........ This Duck fan wishes the very best future for those who have completed their eligibility. Whether that future includes playing on Sunday or in their chosen profession, best success and thank you to all. Once a Duck, always a Duck.......

So far, as a fan, following the journey and evolution of Dan Lanning as a head coach has been positive, exciting and fun. This young man and his staff have proved that they are elite reruiters. That part for me is no longer in the "to be determined" category. Unlike any previous Oregon HC and staff, DL has NIL money to sweeten the pot. Not to mention the annual wild wild west scenario of the transfer portal. This allows HC's to reshape their roster and fill needs every season. Top 10 recruiting classes and portal classes should be the norm for DL and staff. Exciting times and OBD's are in great hands. One season, IMHO, is not enough to judge DL and his staff on their player development or coaching decisions. As fans we were certainly baffled by a few decisions in the Washington game. And the last 20 minutes against the Beavers. (I am throwing out the Georgia game and placing it in the "WTH Category".) After the Georgia beatdown the Ducks played 12 games. Making coaching decisions on maybe 1500 offensive and defensive snaps. Yet i feel DL and staff only made less than a dozen critical decisions. However those decisions, coupled with poor player performance and decision making took the luster off what could have been a great season. The PAC title and CFP were in the grasp. Time and games will give us more answers in 2023. So we shall see what improvement DL and staff make in 2023. Will the linebackers improve with player development or will we discover that Sewell and Flowe refused to buy in to their roles. Or did these 5 star talents lack the specific skill set to fit DL's scheme? We will soon find out if DL can recruit and develope the necessary talent to field a SEC type defense. (TS And the TT Red Raiders will be testing OBD's all over the field next September. Not to mention 2 QB's in the PAC who will be taken in the 1st round of the NFL Draft). It's a great time to be a Duck and I am confident that Coach Dan Lanning will improve his in game decisions and coupled with top level recruits win PAC Titles. The coaching improvement is still in the "to be detetmined category". The only question, for me, is can they develope the players and coach them into a CFP caliber team? Can they make the right critical in game decisions that bring victory? Time will tell...... I am confident DL and staff have higher expectations for their team than i do. These are vibrant, goal orientated and driven competitors. You know DL wants another Natty Ring on his fingers. Aren't you excited for the journey?

For me the offensive line set the tone all season for Bo, Bucky and all the receivers to have a great season. The O Line put their exclamation point on the season in the Holiday Bowl. This unit can run block, pass protect and they even moved the ball against Georgia. Without their stellar play the stars on offense don't shine as bright! Hats off and a special shout out to Cam for destroying 2 Tarheel defenders to help spring Bucky on his exciting 66 yard TD run. Well done Cam....... Mase Funa and Keith Brown played solid positional football for most of the game. Pressue and containment enable the back end to perform better. Looking forward to both players stepping up and leading the D next season, along with Bridges and Manning. Congratulations to DL, his staff and all the players for the season ending victory to cap a 10-3 season. The non NY6 bowls may not matter to many fans buy winning a bowl game matters. The narrative going forward improves for the Ducks and the PAC. The PAC should have 4 teams ranked in the top 15 in the preseason polls. Thanks to the Holiday Bowl victory OBD's should be one of those teams. GO DUCKS!

Neel covers the needs pretty well. This great forum has been discussing all of these items since the conclusion of the Washington game. After watching those great CFP semis, yesterday, its obvious your offense needs to put up 50 points just to stay in the game. With Nix at the helm everything is in place for the Ducks to put up 50 against most teams. However, OBD's lack a proven back up QB..... IMHO, that is a must fix in order to have a 15 game season that starts in 2023 and ends in January of 2024 However, the Ducks will not put up 50 on the road against the Utes. If OBD's want to beat Utah (maybe twice) then the needs on defense must be addressed. I feel confident that DL and staff will bring in the talent and then develope that talent. This years players will understand and execute better in year 2 of the scheme. The new recruits and transfers will fit in nicely. Giving up 23 or 24 points per game average will go along ways to a CFP appearance. Go Ducks.......

To support 1Ducker1 we do need D players with bulk....... I would like to had to that bulk, speed! The Vols front 6 or 7, depending on the set, simply blew by the Tigers line. They were big, strong, fast and quick. Get me some of that on OBD's defense.

During our hiring process we interview potential candidates, with a specific pattern of questions. We want to know what their life and career goals are. Do their goals match or line up with our goals? We dont need a person who is looking for a job. We need a person who wants to come to work to do a job that fills our need. Do they fit with our team members and can they grow our brand? As I watched the Clemson vs Tennessee game I couldn't help but notice how the Vols D stuffed the run and lived in the Tigers backfield. Ask yourself, Do OBD's need defensive players who can stuff the run and live in our opponents backfield? Of course the Ducks do! I trust DL and his staff on their choices for recruits and portal transfers. Feel confident that DL will lay out his vision and goals for this talented young man. No matter what position DL envisions for him and then the player will decide. If he wants to put on the extra weight to play D line, yhen bring him in. Fill the immediate need..... The PAC will have 6 teams listed in next years top 25. Why? Because of the future NFL talent at the QB position on those teams. The league in 2023 will be high scoring and wide open. The team with the best defense may be the difference in playing in the PAC title game or playing on a sloppy field in San Diego........ As a fan, i would like to see the Ducks use their scholarships to build their D. The Ducks have a clear path to the CFP in 2023. They have no chance if Williams and Penix (and other QB's) have all day to throw the ball. Fill the needs on D.. We don't have Georgia on our regular season schedule. But they will be waiting for us in the CFP. Fill the team with players who can take us there. If not for the lack of one more stop, on 3rd or 4th down, by our Defense against the Huskies and Beavers we would be playing the Real Dawgs tonight. Let's bring in the D players now that can make that happen. Afterall, PK isnt the only Duck fan getting long in the tooth......

Ducks win...... 45-42 3 1 402 passing yards Go Ducks!

Drex, very solid points and thanks for the article. IMHO, the offense will score points with Bo running the show behind that solid O line. Chances are the O may not be in synch, due to the long layoff. However the Ducks have the horses to control the game on the ground. Also, UNC's secondary is depleted and we can expect any play caller to exploit that. On defense and special teams????? Unless the true freshmen step up in a special way then its probably gonna be a high scoring game. Should be a wild, fun ride for the fans and a long day for both defenses. Go Ducks..........

Alex, while reading and then rereading your article, I couldn't help thinking about how different your article may have had to be written if Coach Lanning and staff hadn't been "Superlative" in their recruiting efforts. From this fan the superlatives to be written about recruiting these top level recruits will start with DL and his staff. Suprising, relentless, tireless, secretive and top notch come to mind. Well done DL..... Most of these players who signed were such a suprise that i know very little about them. Looking forward to reading what the more informed members of the Forum share in this thread. And i look forward to seeing this group of talented players perform over the next few years..... For years, the Duck greybeards only dreamed of signing a recruit in the top 300. 20 years ago a class like this was just a dream. No doubt NIL money helped. Hats off to Phil, Penny and the NIL team for their superb effort and program. In his last article, David Marsh asked us to have faith in DL and his staff. For those who had faith, DL and staff delivered. For those who didn't have faith, hopefully you feel a little better. GO DUCKS and MERRY CHRISTMAS!