FishDuck Article

Here we are in late January, and the football withdrawals are hitting hard. What do I do with my Saturdays? I live up here in the cold of eastern Washington, so I cannot just go outside and find a project in the yard to work on. That is still a couple months away. Thankfully, I do have my Seahawks to ... Some Thoughts as the Football Withdrawals Kick In

The first Much Too Early College Football Top 25 preseason poll was released approximately 30 seconds after Curt Cignetti was handed the Championship Trophy, and then finished his acceptance speech, noting that the Big Ten, except for Purdue, of course, doesn’t suck. Patience is a virtue, but is rarely observed in today’s wired, peripatetic world. And the folks casting for ... Is the Big-10 Hosed, (Hoosiered) or Not?

College Football has seen a monumental shift in the last two years with the expansion to the 12-team playoff. It should come as a surprise to no one at this point that this change has completely redefined what it means for a team to have a successful season. Even in the four-team playoff era there was always a sense that ... The Expanded Playoff is Redefining Success

Throughout the season, I repeatedly brought up the topic of “peaking” at the right time. After last season’s blowout loss to Ohio State in the quarterfinal Rose Bowl game, reports surfaced that Dan Lanning put in a concerted effort to make the 2025 Ducks peak at the right time. And, they did. But, we were hoping there was another level ... Ducks in the Mix for '26

Well, there you have it. Our Oregon football program’s offseason is in full swing, and now that we’ve crowned a national champion of the College Football Playoff, I think it’s time to evaluate the Ducks a bit more fairly on what they accomplished in 2025. Head coach Dan Lanning led the program to a 13-2 record in his fourth season ... Oregon Football: Geading The 2035-2026 Season

This off-season feels different than previous years under Head Coach Dan Lanning. For the last three seasons, rematches have kept Lanning and the Ducks from a shot at their ultimate goal, and in the little media availability Lanning has had since Oregon’s loss to Indiana, it is clear Lanning is making some changes. Our Mr. FishDuck took a pause from ... Is Change Coming to Oregon

When I look out my window, Many teams to see. And when I look out my window, So many teams champs could be. That it’s strange, so strange… Must be The Season of The Which (1966 – Donovan – kind of) Those who had Miami, somnolent since 2001, versus Indiana, somnolent since 1887, playing for a championship on Monday night, ... The Season of The Which...

The 10 commissioners of the Power 4 and Group of 6 (G6) conferences, and the Notre Dame Athletic Director, must decide by January 23, 2026, whether to expand the College Football (CFB) Playoff (PO) field. If no agreement on expansion is reached by the 23rd, the 2026-27 PO format will remain the same; 12 teams seeded as ranked. Four Power ... What to Know About Upcoming Playoff Changes

The Ducks have proven themselves to be one of the Top 10 programs in all of college football. Money, marketing, Nike, and carefully-crafted branding have taken Oregon into the echelon of elite. But, to truly get into that unquestioned “blue-blood” status, the Ducks have to win a championship. Perspective Like a 16-year-old, upset that rich mommy and daddy “only” bought ... Oregon Ducks: The Last step is the Hardest

Our Oregon football program didn’t waste any time bouncing back from a crushing College Football Playoff loss to Indiana on Friday. They’ve jumped into transfer portal action to replace key positions, as a significant portion of the roster’s depth has been depleted on offense, defense, and special teams. Monday’s haul was highlighted by landing one of the top-ranked quarterback transfers: ... Oregon Football: Grading the Dylan Raiola Transfer

For the last three years, the Ducks have come up short in the biggest rematches. In 2023, it was the rematch against Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game where the Ducks came up short and lost out on the College Football Playoff. It wasn’t the most embarrassing of the three rematch losses, but it hurt most because it was to ... Dan Lanning Needs to Change His Rematch Mentality

Well, my friends, the moment is here. Our Beloved Ducks are about to engage in another program defining moment. We can’t be more excited…and nervous. Are you not entertained? We have spent some time discussing what we want to see happen. We’ve pointed out how we think it can happen. We’ve even summarized the quarterfinal game, and we have a ... How Oregon Will Defeat Indiana in the 'Natty Semi-Final

The Indiana football team visit to Autzen Stadium on October 11, 2025, was described by all three CBS announcers as a “very physical game,” and those comments came at half time. The statistics favored Indiana, as did the 30-20 final score. However, there was a game-changing element that has been rarely discussed about that game that could impact Friday’s result. ... Urgent Dan Lanning Needs to Protect Dante Moore

Duck fans: are you not entertained? Our Oregon football program enters the new year of 2026 prepping for the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, fresh off a resounding 23-0 victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Orange Bowl. The Ducks have advanced to the semis for the second time in the CFP era, the first since Dan ... Oregon Football: Peach Bowl Score Prediction vs Indiana

Oregon is set to play in the Peach Bowl against Indiana in the College Football Playoff semifinals. It will be another trip to the east coast for the Ducks this season, and on a shorter timeline than the Orange Bowl. Strangely enough the Ducks’ time in the B1G has prepared them for this because they have traveled multiple times to ... Can This Be the Time of the Duck?

I sometimes reflect on how much I grudgingly admit the success of other programs. Both Texas Tech and Indiana come to mind because both achieved above expectations this year. Indiana even upstaged my Beloved Ducks (aka Our Beloved Ducks<OBD> as my good friend Charles Fischer has coined our Alma Mater). Yet as I ponder our prospects on Friday, I must ... Analysis: What Oregon Must Do Against Indiana

Our Oregon football program had a stunning performance on New Year’s Day, blanking Texas Tech’s high-flying offense 23-0. The Ducks did struggle with what I believe to be the best front seven in the College Football Playoff, but they made enough plays to polish off a complete demolition of the Big 12’s best. Now, Oregon looks ahead to next Friday ... Oregon Football: 3 Things We Learned in the Orange Bowl

My Dear Duck friends, I have watched enough film this week that I am resting very well these days. Film doesn’t lie. So much so, that I had to watch some games twice to make sure I wasn’t biased in my opinion about Texas Tech. I don’t believe the Red Raiders have the horses to make this a close game. ... Oregon Will Romp Because Texas Tech is a Fraud

Texas Tech Alum/Duck-Dad, Gives Insider Scoops The more you dig into Texas Tech football, the more you see that the brains and financial muscle moving the power pieces in Lubbock are chess players, not checkers. This was the year the Red Raiders put the Big 12 into checkmate. The past 20 years Tech football has been mostly good, a little ... Stranger Things About Texas Tech...

Round 2 of the College Football Playoff is here, and since the bracket was announced it was almost an inevitably that No. 5 Oregon would meet No. 4 Texas Tech. Though this match-up was predicted so long in advance, there are still some questions that will only be answered on the field. Texas Tech’s Defense Texas Tech’s defense has been ... Orange Bowl Unknowns

It is great fun to read what some of the best Oregon moments were for some of the best Duck writers and sportscasters such as John Canzano, Jerry Allen, Ken Woody along with a few of my own treasured memories as a Duck. John Canzano – Host of The Bald-Faced Truth “My favorite memory, it’s not a play, it’s not ... Mighty Oregon Moments: The Best from Duck Writers & Sportswriters

It does not seem we have seen this rendition of Oregon football play its best ball. Which begs the question: Will they? Here are some ramblings as I stew over Oregon’s upcoming Orange Bowl appearance against Texas Tech… The Second Half Letdown Against JMU I am not going to overreact to what happened to the Ducks in the second half ... Will the Ducks Ever Peak

Are you not entertained? Our Oregon football program hung a healthy 51 points on JMU in their first College Football Playoff game of the postseason, advancing the Ducks to the Orange Bowl against Texas Tech on New Year’s Day (Jan 1st, 12:00 pm EST). This is Oregon’s first postseason win since beating Jameis Winston’s Florida State Seminoles in 2014, creating massive implications ... Oregon Football: Panic Meter After CFP Round One

Oregon took down JMU in the first round of the college football playoff and the first playoff game in Autzen. However, the game was a tale of two different Duck teams. Good Duck Let’s start with the good stuff. For two and a half quarters, there was plenty to be happy about. Even Mr. FishDuck took a break from his ... Good Duck, Bad Duck in the First Round of the CFP

By any spreadsheet, nerd’s algorithm or Fat Joey’s Calzone and Sportsbook, the No. 5 Oregon Ducks‘ College Football Playoff opener looks like a formality dressed up as a national event. The Ducks open Saturday against No. 12 James Madison at Autzen Stadium as 21-point favorites — a primetime belt-to-buns hardly worth pundits’ coveted analysis. Oregon enters its inaugural home playoff ... Oregon Favored but Focused in Playoff Opener