HappyToBeADuck

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!

At this stage of the season I think a home CFP game would be the best scenario for OBD's. 3 weeks of home cooking and 2 weeks of normal prep for their CFP opponent. And that first round opponent will most likely be traveling 2 or 3 time zones to play in a hostile environment. Weather could play a role in how the game unfolds. Consider this unfortuneate scenario with the CFP committee. If those members use the correct analytics that they espouse, then OBD's jumps TT and lands #4 this Tuesday. Darn nation! I expect that the meaningless polls will have OBD's #4. There are only 2 upsides to a first round by, player rest with much needed healing. And DL and staff will be better prepared to navigate the layoff having traveled this road last year. Defense matters and travels well and this tram has a solid defense. Can't wait for all this to unfold. Go Ducks!

Good point, RichardDuck! There are any number of possibilities that can play out. We will have to see how the CFP Rankings roll out on Tuesday. See who might be positioned to jump OBD's if they win their conference championship game. No matter how it goes down DL, staff and players will be ready to play the hand they are dealt. Not sure about other forum members but Sunday morning is so much better after we beat the huskies. Go Ducks......

Only the 2nd loss for those little puppies on their home turf in 4 seasons. Them dogs are a tough out at home. Hats off to OBD's for the team victory. Double hats off to the defense and Atticus for bringing the A plus game today. Yes, the offense was a little off with the run game being stifled. However, DM made the plays when necessary. Remember tOSU only put up 24 points against ewedub at husky stadium. Now we about 3 weeks to heal and prepare for what should be a home game. At 11-1 this old Duck fan just can't find alot to be negative about. Hope we are on the IU side of the CFP bracket. IU will be tough enough to defeat but to beat tOSU team OBD's will need to take it to the next level. Congratulation the players and coaches for a great regular season

The formula remains the same as every game; Play clean, mistake free football and execute at your highest level. OBD's have a decided talent advantage, even with the injuries. Now it's time to take care of business like IU did yesterday and tOSU is doing today. Go Ducks.....

It's about time the Trojans stopped crying, whining and blaming and put their money into the players they want in the program Any nimrods, including the trojans can see the success Texas Tech has had on their investment. As a Duck fan i would not be concerned until they have a high quality coach in place. However, the financial investment in players will continue to expand until there are the haves and haves not. Thankfully, OBD's have both great resources and great coaching.

16 teams just seems to be the next logical and profitable number for the next round of CFP progression. Jumping to 24 would cheapen the field. For example, does an 8-4 team really deserve a shot at the Natty? Taking care of business, with a sense of urgency builds excitement and pressure. Is the reward because we had a great season or because we finished in the top 6 of of a P-2 conference? Money drive this train!

On the sort of final regular season Saturday of the CF 2025 season (Remember we still have Army vs Navy), every team has the opportunity to close out with a regular season win! Georgia, IU & Ole Miss escaped Jon Joseph's CHAOS Scenario, The Aggies and Sun Devils did not. On deck for CHAOS, TT, tOSU, OU, Vandy, BYU and OBD's! How much more CHAOS will our very own JJ strike oil with? As long as the Ducks take care of business against the little dogs, well let Chaos reign supreme! Go Ducks beat the bastard puppies. The talent level difference is significant, so play clean and execute! Then you can rest, heal and prepare for what's next.

Jordan, thsnk you for this amazing, thorough and in depth article about tomorrows game. You provided stats and facts, some series history and your personal take. I doubt any beat writer or blogger will put in the research and effort for this game, as you have. This is truly an A plus presentation. Thank you! Leading this old Duck fan to the conclusion that this game will be hard fought, filled with passion and a side order of hate. OBD's need to start fast, put points on the board, thus taking the husky fans out of the game.. Then don't take their foot off the throttle. A close game is not in the Ducks best interest. These little puppies are well coached and they defend their kennel very well. However, after a fierce first half fIght, tOSU made adjustments and in the 2nd half destroyed the puppies on their home field. This Duck fan expects OBD's to dominate this game and put down the horde of rabid, leg-lifters. Go Ducks.......

Ducks 31-13 2 2 324

Fun read, Darren..... A few thoughts on the Beavers now residing in a low-grade conference. Darren, you are being so kind to even rate the conference that high. Showing the holiday spirit? I agree with you that Kiffin has come along ways and he really should stay in his own "lane". Well done...... Washington as our new little brother? That's definitely rich! It sends warm fuzzies to my Duck heart the angst that my 4 lifelong friends (met in 1958) will feel when i share that label with them. Still haven't heard the end of the 70 spot they put on OBD's at Autzen. As if that wiped out 12 straight losses or the infamy of a 2008 winless season. A fricken winless season for gosh sakes! As for your score prediction. This Duck fan would be estatic if the Ducks put 40 plus points on the board against the huskies Those little dogs can play defense! Scoring points may very well depend on who starts on the Duck O Line. The Duck D should throttle the husky offense. Afterall, Whisky held them to 10 points, Wolverines held them to 7 points and tOSU allowed the dogs to score only 6. I expect the Duck D to dominate this game. As long as all the Duck ends hold the edge, we should see alot of 3 and outs. Looking for a 31-13 Duck win. In the true spirit of husky week...huck em, huck em good! GO DUCKS! Happy Thanksgiving

Actually, TT deserves to be ranked above Oregon: They lost on the road to #20 ASU in a close game. They thashed all their other opponents on their schedule. Including #14 Utah at Rice Eccles and #11 BYU at home. We lost at home to #2 IU and of course we just beat a ranked USC at home. That's our resume. Their were teams like Whisky and Iowa that we won but did not thrash. As we know the Ducks SOS is much higher than TT! But scoreboard tells the story and TT just squeaks past us. I don't expect TT to lose in their last 2 games. Which is fine, we need the buffer between us and the top 4. But I dont want to get ahead of myself. OBD's must beat the huskies. GO DUCKS......

Well now.....all OBD's can control is beating the huskies. The bastard huskies. If Jon Josephs CHAOS occurs, then OBD's could land in the top 4. Texas Tech and Texas A&M could both lose in the next 2 weeks. Beating the huskies would be another quality win for OBD's. If by some chance tOSU lost to Michigan, i don't think the Buckeyes would fall below the Ducks in the rankings.We will know that by our kick off against the huskies. None of this matters if OBD's loses on Daturday. Go Ducks......

My X-Factor is OBD's offensive line to dominate the puppies up north this Saturday. Regardless of who can play! Granted the run game slowed down a little as the Ducks went deep down the depth chart to field the O Line. There were no bad snaps and except for one play they kept the pocket clean. This allowed Dante to operate within the pocket. This game was won because a makeshift O Line went on a 6 minute plus drive to eat clock, score a touchdown and build a 14 point lead. And regardless of past games, this time the Duck D did not let SC get back into it. They helped close out this game. I expect more of the same this Saturday....... About the Duck D...... This may have been their best game since the IU game. The Duck D played IU very well.They even put points on the board. 20-20 in the 4th quarter was because of the D. For some reason WS, instead of going on a 6 minute drive to take the lead tried for a quick score and gave IU an easy 10 points. Against SC the Ducks D completely took away the run game and minimized the short pass. Forcing the Trojans to a one play option, the 50/50 ball. In rewatching the game twice, i could not find a play where the receiver was open deep for a clean TD pass. The Duck secondary covered tight! On 3 passes, you can clearly see the push off by the SC receivers to gain separation. The refs swallowed their whistle and kept the flag in their pockets. Those plays accounted for over 100 yards. How did the refs miss those push offs? If the Duck Defender put hands on then it was pass interference. BS. Call it both ways. Best of all the front 7 did not let the QB have time to wait for the deep route to break open. The pressure forced SC QB to just throw in the general direction or else be sacked. That's good defense. More of the same please. All the pressure will be on the Ducks against the huskies. Let's hope the walking wounded can rule the day. Happy Thanksgiving to Fish Duck nation...... Go Ducks......

JJ, may your Chaos predictions reign supreme this Saturday. As long as OBD's take care of the horde of leg-lifters then your Chaos wishes will land the Ducks a 5 spot. The conmittee has back pedaled and changed their metrics at everyturn to please espn/abc! Cow towwing to their puppet masters for ratings. This will be a great weekend as long as OBD's take care of business. GO DUCKS! GO SEC CHAOS!

David, great article. This game had a different feel and meaning than all the rest of this seasons games. And the game against the huskies will have even more meaning and feelings. Watching OBD's dominate the LOS against the sneak around your back, stab you in the back, self righteous, self entitled, spoiled children of Troy can only be topped this weekend! For this fan, those that shall not be named up North, the ultimate rivalry is beating the leg lifters. Beating them never gets old. Beating the Trojans raised are national awareness but it is wasted without beating the leg-lifting dogs. Go Ducks, you are playing for the Natty again this weekend......

They covered a lot of ground in that session. None more important than recognizing Dante's recognizing the Trojans defensive alignment, calling an audible that isolated Sadiq one on one with a linebacker. Then making a perfect NFL throw for a touchdown to Sadiq. Dantes' growth in this area will make a hugh difference next week and in the CFP. The line protection has improved weekly! Give Dante enough protection to go thru his progressions and opposing defenses will be in trouble. Go Ducks! The next Natty opponent is Washington.

IMHO, the Natty runs thru tOSU and IU. Would truly prefer IU than tOSU in a quarter or semifinal game. However, no Natty without beating those 2 teams. The committee will be in a tough spot on Tuesday because there foot is in their mouth. They have expounded how Oregon's schedule was not impressive. They said, get some wins against better opponents and change our perception. While the overrated SEC teams played the little sisters of the poor conference the Duck played a top 15 opponent and won. Man up you poor excuse for CF experts...... The Ducks earned the right to at least jump ole miss. Go Ducks.......

OBD's, since the loss to IU have done a very good job of matching or exceeding our opponents physicality. I felt that the Trojans didnt have much fight left in them after they scored their last touchdown. OBD's pounded the rock and moved downfield to score again to extend the lead back to 14. It must have been discouraging to the defense and the entire nation of Troy that the Ducks had their 3rd, 4th and 5th players just plug and play. Next man up destroyed USC. Hats off to all these players for stepping up to win this game. And to DL and staff for coaching them up to meet the challenge! The ancient grey beards on this Forum know first hand how an injury to just 1 starter could derail a game or season. Well done OBD's. let's get after the dreaded pack up north. GO Ducks! And welcome DuckDuckTruth.

So many great comments and thoughts on this thread. Love this fun forum! I hope OBD's does not make the title game. If the end goal is to win the Natty then the Ducks need to make the CFP, first....... So, lets beat the huskies first. Depending on O line injuries the task may be a little more difficult. The Ducks have depth and depth with talent, so OBD's needs to keep the huskies D off balance. Dominate the trenches for sure and win. The Buckeyes defense just slammed the door on the huskies offense when they played.. I expect the Duck D to do the same and take the pressure off the O. Then we need rest and healing for all the players before the 19th or 20th. We do not need an added game! Let' meet IU in the playoffs.......... The committee needs another statement game by OBD's to give them a reason to have 3 BIG teams in the playoff. So tOSU and IU need to win out and battle for the title. That game is in the best interest of the BIG, the final rankings and seedings and OBD's. Handle the puppies and OBD's gets home cooked meals until they leave for the 2nd round games on New Years. Go Ducks....it's all on the line this Saturday!

For this fan, i never sat back in the recliner. Sat right on the edge of that seat through out the game. Just like against Minnesota OBD's moved the ball with ease. This is back to back games of 42 points. Nice to see Dante keep the opponents Defense off balance. Depth, depth and more depth. Prior years, injuries to starters would have crippled one or more segments of the offense. Not this Duck team. Many of the Ducks injuries are to players who will play on Sundays. In a game like this the players are wired up and ready to perform. However,,going forward, the careless personal fouls need to stop. Cannot give your opponent 130 plus yards of free turf. Let's clean those plays up, get healed up and get after the bastardo huskies. One more convincing victory and a Texas A&M loss to the Longhorns and we can get the number 6 spot. Go Ducks........

Jordan, well written, well thought thru, well presented deep dive into this game and the teams. Basically, well done. You covered all the aspects needed for a Duck victory. If WS hadn't lost his mind, lost his direction and lost OBD's offensive identity in the 4th quarter against IU, well OBD's may very well be undeafeated. Since that painful loss WS has run the dang ball to wear down our opponents front 7 and open up the passing game. There is very little Troy can do to stop the run game. The trenches and clean play will settle this issue and leave no doubt in the minds of the CFP outdated and not needed committee! Go Ducks

Ducks win 31-28 2 2 198 Go Ducks

Darren thank you for shining a spot light on our opponent whose fans annually claim a Natty before the season starts. And annually tgey cry; it was Oregons fault and PK's money that denied them their title. (Spoiler alert Trojan fans: Don't move into a conference with tOSU and Michigan, if you want titles) Now that OBD's are in the BIG, your trifecta of disappointment is complete! The self appointed title holders limped into the BIG with an inaugrual 7-6 season that included 3 straight losses to Minnesota, PSU and Maryland. Now thats how you win titles. (OBD's, I think won the BIG title, however I need to ask a great friend who is a die hard Trojan fan, just to confirm.) Scoreboard since joining the BIG: USC 15-8 Ducks 22-2 None of this matters. Smack talk is useless unless OBD's wins this Saturday. Let's hope the Ducks come out on fire, smack Troy in the mouth and put on a show. The road to the Natty started right after the loss to IU. SC is not IU but is a better opponent than anyone we have faced since. Let's make it a very sad flight back to LA for the truly spoiled children GO DUCKS! I have butterflies in my stomach already for this game.

USC's defense, except in the 2nd half of the Iowa game has not showed that they can fully stop the run throughout the 2025 season. And the Ducks have a very good rushing attack. One that should dominate the Trojans this Saturday. If the Trojans stack the box then DM should shred them apart with all the talent at TE and WR on the field. Even with all the injuries As long as the team plays clean, mistake free football and the refs swallow the whistle and let them play. This is the biggest game of the CF weekend and the refs need to bring their A+ effort. The Duck defense snd overall team balance will be the reason the game is not close. Should be a 17 to 21 point victory for OBD's. Fragile my butt! I feel that tOSU will handle the Wolverines in their last game. Undefeated IU against undefeated tOSU in the BIG title game. Both teams will take care of their business. Texas needs to handle their business and show the CF world that A&M is just a little overrated. OBD's needs to take care of their business, too! Move up to #6 with the CFP biased committee...... Go Ducks.....