Charles Fischer

I would love to take credit, but it is part of the new upgrade apparently, because I did not know about it!

Just when I thought their delusion could not get worse....they set the bar higher. Whew! Yes, I know I should just ignore little-brother, but it is a slow time and what better entertainment than to laugh at Beavis? From John Canzano's emails... Q: As it now stands, would you expect any of the 2026 Pac-12 teams to make the College Football Playoff? — @thomisraven JC: Unless there are unexpected tweaks to the CFP format, I expect the Pac-12 champion to be in a great position to make the playoff in 2026. It’s a very solid and competitive conference that includes Boise State, a team that made the playoff last season. The floor of the new-look Pac-12 is much higher than the other leagues that aren’t considered to be in the “Power 4.” Texas State AD Don Coryell told me this week, “I think it’s going to be a top-five league. Who wins it should be (in the playoff) in my mind.” Notice the verbiage they use....for example referring to the "New-Look Pac-12" with the word "new" in it implies improved or better? Right...as losing Arizona State and replacing them with Texas State--who was playing Georgia Southern and Appalachian State last season is an improvement....right? Note also they emphasize it being a "top-five" league? No, Beavis...there are only two Super-Conferences, and only four Power Conferences. You are with the rest of the Group-of-Six, and need to call it for what it is. You will compete with Liberty for the G6 spot in the Playoff, not as a conference champion.

Lott (Any relation to Ronny?) was a Rivals 4-Star and offered by Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, USC, Texas, Notre Dame, Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, LSU, Miami....all of college football! (Not all my school colors are different and unique until we get all the customization done!) More about him and all the schools listed right here for you to see....

First...to sign in you need to use your email address, and your password. If you forgot or misplaced it, email me at charles@fishduck.com and I will get you a new one and text it to you. But email me as a last resort--please look for it extensively before contacting me, and do pass along your cell number so I can text you. And include your Handle Name in the email along with phone number, name, location and the request for a new password. The site will look wonky for a few days as we gradually get it back to our original view. But my choice was to leave it down until finished or bring it back as we work on it--I figured a few of us would not want to wait until Thursday or Friday. There are many features or usual buttons that are NOT there....yet. It reminds me of all the incredible work I put in a few years ago to customize the site, and I gotta do it again! To get back to the front page...an option is always available by clicking on the "FishDuck" in silver at the top of the page. We're Back!

True, as he looks like a lean guy who has a B1G stomach.

Jon...your research is top-notch! I had no idea about the schedule that Ole Miss has, and thus is set up to make the Playoffs...even if they are not one of the top four SEC teams. Thanks so much for the article!

I thought that on the 4th of July, my birthday, (and the nations) I'd share a short three minute video about the new sixth generation fighter-jet coming...

I'm going with....

If the name below from Idaho sounds familiar, it is the younger brother of Gatlin Bair, who is on a mission until this next January. It was a fierce recruiting battle with Michigan to get the fastest receiver in the nation to sign with the Ducks in February of 2024. But the question always was..."would it stick?" I think we have our answer! Pretty good genes, as Gatlin Bair has been called the "fastest man in pads" with his verified 10.15 100-meter time.

He is truly a 5-Star, even on Rivals. He was offered by 11 B1G teams, and 11 SEC teams, with the usual teams in the mix as there was Oregon, Texas, Michigan, USC, Penn State, Ohio State, LSU, Alabama and Miami. Iheanacho could be another Josh Conerly Jr. type of foundation player, who could be a future 1st Round NFL pick if he works hard as Conerly did. Immanuel Iheanacho Interests WWW.ON3.COM

A quote from today's Canzano article made me roll-my-eyes at first, but then I could not help but laugh. Are they taking lessons from Iran's Ayatollah, or Baghdad Bob? The conference’s overall strategy is evident. It aims to keep the Big 12 and ACC within view of the front windshield and prepare for whatever happens to college athletics in 2032 or so. Recent Pac-12 branding has been all about positioning. On Wednesday, Gould noted that “the Pac-12 has always been a top-five conference.” "We will be the Mother-of-All-Conferences."

My Duck-Buddies, above is a "Pay" article that I have to do in order to pay the bills. We had some generous donations recently to help with the upcoming site platform upgrade, and I am very grateful to all who chipped in to help. I thought the article above did have some interesting stuff about the "bounce," effect at Autzen, and it is nice to hear that the latest EA Sports game has moved our home field advantage up in their settings. Perhaps all the talk from the Ohio State game had an impact? Anyway, the SEO/Ad Agency that sent me the article is located in Riga, Latvia! Where is that? Right between Estonia and Lithuania of course! Riga, Latvia looks like a wonderful place to visit....

He is a Rivals 4-Star, (Yes, they still have their ratings) and he had prominent offers from Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, USC, Ole Miss, Miami and Florida. Tommy Tofi Interests WWW.ON3.COM

I don't think I miss any of them, as they left because they were not going to play much here. Although, a couple of the OL might have been nice for backups right now...but that is why they left; to play.

I can't copy the whole article, but a writer made me smile... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Pac-12 has added Texas State, which is nowhere near the Pacific Coast, unless you zoom out a lot and get in "pale blue dot" mindset. In the grand scheme, we're all near the Pacific Coast. Southeastern: No two people will ever agree on what we mean when we say "the Midwest" or "the South" or whatever, but most agree Oklahoma and Texas aren't in the Southeast. Still, they're not exactly faraway states. (Missouri does not belong to any region. It is a liminal space.) Big 12: Lying about math is much worse than lying about geography, because geography changes over time. A few billion years from now, tectonics might make the ACC's name accurate again. But, a few billion years from now, 12 will still not equal 16. Pac-12: Lying about math and geography. Colorado State and Texas State are 1,000-mile drives away from the ocean. Just as concerning: the number "12" being applied to a conference that has recently had 10, two, seven and now eight members? (We do not care that some of that wasn't the Pac-12's fault) Big Ten: Ten? You have almost twice that many members. Yet you call yourself the smart conference. (Am I additionally punishing the Big Ten for also being the most geographically egregious conference, even though geography isn't in its name? Of course I'm not doing that!)

True. But it is GREAT SPORT...

Good thing "they" determined GREEN to be the color to wear at Penn State...because that is what I planned on! Although,...I'm not sure anyone will see our Oregon group?

Well, that did not take long. Scott implied in his long "goodbye" article that he was pretty much done?

Two observations surfaced since I wrote my original post about Keli. 1) It was noted on another site and by EastBayDuckdad above that he could be moved to center, as apparently he has that quickness and mobility. This makes sense because when Hroniss Grasu left HS as a 3-Star...he was just under 260 pounds and certainly not ready. Yet by first game as a freshman...he was up to 285 pounds, and while that was light--he was perfect for our Spread Offense where he would pull and lead the way on Outside Zones for LaMichael James. Later he got up to 305 pounds, but the point is--he did not look the part as a HS senior to play immediately at the college level. I was a bit too dismissive of him...my bad. 2) The only other P2 team offering was Michigan State? I brushed past that, and then remembered later that it was Jonathan Smith offering him, and THAT means something. Beavis was SO BAD when he took over and he could not recruit Blue-Chippers, but he was exceptional at seeing upside and developing OSU into a very good team. It always seemed that he found running backs out of nowhere that were better than our highly rated ones...So my point is if Coach Smith wanted him--he saw upside, and our coaches were able to seal-the-deal.

Sounds like a great hire... “Since arriving to San Diego in 2019, Florer has helped guide the Toreros to the most wins and highest winning percentage of any team in the West Coast Conference. In eight seasons within the WCC, Florer has developed seven All-American pitchers as well as twelve All-Conference pitchers.” “Led by one of the nation’s premier pitching staffs, San Diego ranked in the top 25 of every major pitching category (Earned Run Average, WHIP, Hits Allowed Per Nine Innings, Strikeouts Per Nine Innings, Walks Allowed Per Nine Innings, Strikeout-To-Walk Ratio, and Shutouts). The 2024 Toreros’ 41-15 (20-4 WCC) overall record was the 15th best winning percentage of any program in the country. Three of Florer’s pitchers went on to earn National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All American Honors in 2024: Conner Thurman (First Team), Austin Smith (Third Team), and Logan Reddemann (Freshman/Second Team). To tag along with these All-American accolades, Thurman was recognized as a finalist for the 2024 NCBWA Stopper of the Year, Smith was named a finalist for the 2024 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year, and Reddemann earned the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year award. During the 2024 MLB Draft, three of Florer’s pitchers were picked up by professional organizations. Josh Randall became the highest selected collegiate pitcher from the state of California when he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the third round (85th overall pick). With Randall’s selection, Florer has helped develop California’s highest-drafted collegiate pitcher in two of the last three MLB draft classes (2022-2024). Additionally, Drake Frize was later selected in the 17th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Ivran Romero signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Twins.”

A Rivals 3-Star, with an unimpressive offer list of Cal, Arizona, Michigan State, Nevada, UNLV, UTSA, San Jose State.... Koloi Keli | DuckSportsAuthority N.RIVALS.COM Koloi Keli - 2026 3 Star Offensive tackle for Farrington (Honolulu, HI) on Rivals.com Can you say "Plan B?" (Or Plan C at offensive line?)

Wear black vs. Oregon State? It is SEPTEMBER, and black makes you twice as heated? Wearing their primary color at that game? Who comes up with this?

I'm not sold. In the end...the recruits will be on print, digital or TV media. It comes down to the player name recognition regardless of where they reside. The only people who know a recruit's name are the tiny segment of fans (like us) who follow a team and recruiting. The marketing is geared to the general public...who have no clue. Does USC know better than the NFL?

What none of the pundits ask is "why" USC is recruiting so hard? Nobody is talking about all the transfers out?