Charles Fischer

Ha! You are going to love my article tomorrow!

Our Beloved Ducks are still in the top ten in the nation, and I would like to think we may climb before the season is done. Holding scholarships for portal players might be a priority though with such an exodus of players leaving as discussed in yesterday's FishDuck article. Below is where the Huskies are, and the good news is that they've climbed above from No. 59 the last time we checked! (To No. 50!) Yep, going into the B1G next year--Oregon has 15 of the 4/5-Star players, while Washington has just 5 from this recruiting class. Just the way we like it!

I know we have bigger fish to fry with it being Husky Hate Week, but I cannot help but ponder how the number of people who actively watch Oregon will grow beginning next year. The reasons are quite numerous... 1. We will not be on a network that is unavailable to most households. 2. We will be on the biggest stations, and usually available for viewing at Eastern time slots.(These first two alone could be a 30% bump...) 3. We will be involved in many more blockbuster games--with teams the public knows better than those on the west coast. 4. We will get the applause and recognition granted to a super-conference; the absence of the side-swipes or put-downs being the Pac-12 will improve our image. 5. We will be bringing thousands of fans to B1G stadiums, and hosting even more to our stadium, of which will increase viewing over the years by those with a "Eugene" experience. What reasons do you have for our audience growth, and how much larger do you think it will be five years? I know it sounds kooky, but I really believe we could have a 50% larger global audience in five years. Why? Because we are going to be darned entertaining to watch! Thoughts?

Oh....if we'd had last year's or this year's offense with that defense? Natty time.

I actually would like to play UCLA in the Pac-12 Championship game because if we get that game...we will have beaten nearly all the tough teams on our schedule. It is very hard to beat the same team twice in one season, and since we do not play the Bruins...it would also add spectator interest to the game. But first--we have a big step on Saturday...

I recall all these Miami fans who emailed me....taunting me about how they stole our coach, and how recruiting is the most important thing. No matter how many examples I gave, or some logic about how being a great coach is more than just recruiting--they ignored it. They knew better, and were laughing, and yet they could not understand why we Oregon fans were delighted he was leaving. I imagine that they have remembered my warnings several times in the last year and a half! My gosh we lucked out losing Mari, and gaining Danno.

Maybe. Maybe not. We could lose this game, beat them in the Pac-12 Championship and still make the Playoff.

Amen my Duck-Brother, and congrats on joining us and posting! Do share your thoughts often as the water is great in this Duck Pond...

How else is a smaller team in a sparse geographic area, (like Oregon) lacking in resources, or a losing brand, (as Colorado had) supposed to compete with all the big elite teams? Their recruiting of high school players is what keeps them elite, and those players are not available to most teams. Thus the portal is a great equalizer, where a good coach can turn things around quickly and compete with elite teams as Oregon has done with Dan Lanning. Like most--I did not see all the beneficial aspects of the portal that we Duck fans are experiencing. And what about the players? Trey Benson was never going to break through the log-jam at running back at Oregon with CJ Verdell and Travis Dye ahead of him. So he transfers to Florida State and had over 200 total yards yesterday, thus he had a new opportunity to play and show his talents. Ditto for Khyree Jackson who was not a starter at Alabama, but now is flourishing into a true potential NFL Draft pick at Oregon. If I choose to look at the negative--I could go the route that you are. But when I look at the positive aspects for the football programs, and the players themselves--there is a lot to like. Transfer Tysheem Johnson has played more snaps than any Oregon defender.

Ah, thank you Ryan,....we have not had a history article, or an article even looking at Oregon football history in SO LONG. It was sweet to read, and reflect upon how far we have come. And the best is yet to be!

Weak in the NCAA tournament In basketball? Yes, but in football the new B1G will seriously challenge the SEC for top conference next year. If you look at the final top 25 at the end of last season, and project the new SEC, and new Big-Ten, you would find there are seven teams of each ranked in the final top 25. And the B1G would have ranked higher… I believe we are going to have some very healthy competition at the top, and the Big Ten will have more blockbuster games on a week to week basis than the SEC, IMHO. it is a new mental paradigm for those in the southeast, but it is going to be incredibly tough, and incredibly entertaining competition for all to watch.

If the B1G would not take Stanford/Cal and the Bay Area at a major discount… then Cornvalley, and the Palouse will never get an invite, IMHO.

Not meaning to offend, but on paper...2024 is currently a rebuild. But I also wrote..."forget about 2024 as the future is now." He may make it a "reload," but we analyze that in the off-season. For now, I do not want to get off-topic, and that is....this year is special and we should savor it.

Time to 'fess-up. None of these were my creation, as I copied them from a pay-site where they had a thread inviting AI images of Ducks vs. Huskies. I took my favorites and made them better with captions... Mr. FishDuck

She knows....

Facts....

Face it Huskies...only a Duck gets the babes.

Now THIS is a RoboDuck my Duck-Buddies!

Has this got a bit of the Japanese anime vibe to it? (Not that I would know for sure!)

Wait Cliff...I thought you smoked it all?

Stopping all that is wrong here takes a green tint....

My Duck-Buddies....the force is with us.

We can't lose to a bunch of clowns!

Ted Bundy was a Husky.... (For those who are not an old fart--click here)

Good gosh this one below is ominous....I love it!