Way late to the plate. Here's my take...

NIL has taken away talent stacking. No more Blue Blood dominance. It's parity ala NFL style. Twenty-four teams gets rid of the pretenders over two weeks. But we would see some March Madness because some teams will be hot in November and carry that into the playoffs. All it would take is Ohio State losing to an Iowa type team they didn't play in the regular season and viola! Everyone is happy. Darth Vader gets vanquished and Cinderella gives everyone reason to watch Ohio State's bracket.

Not to mention, there were plenty of teams equal in talent in that next 12. Fewer players sit out, nine wins would be everyone's target. And we saw a middling 2 loss team take out three one loss "pretenders". Here's what I see: The first round would be relatively competitive, and the second round would feature blow outs. As far as the blowout argument-most of the playoff games have been blowouts. Very few dramatic games mirrored last year's thrillers. Are we ever going to have a stacked Ohio State circa 2024 again? I have my doubts. The playing field is a lot more level.

My opinion of course.

1 hour ago, Drake said:

Who are the Ducks? They are one good seasons campaign away from a title with the talent we have now. To win you need to have a little luck avoiding injuries, and a schedule that minimizes long stretches of slugfests against other conference contenders.

I am not a fan that believes that a title defines the Ducks. It would be more of a FINALLY moment for me. Hope we get it done, but winning 12 to 13 games a year is accomplished in the BIG by elite level teams.

We simply are consistently one of the “Best Teams” who hasn’t won a title, for at least the last 20 years. I will not include the 80 years, or so, before that.

I couldn't have said it better Drake.

2 hours ago, DanLduck said:

I think the Oregon Ducks are for real. Someone already said it, who ever wins the Natty has to go through Oregon.

With the playoffs expansion, I expect Oregon to make the field virtually every year. Once there, anyone can win. But only if you get in.

It's hard to win it all. So much has to go your way. But Oregon has the ingredients. Some day soon we will get the right bounces.

IU's win last year has us doubting. But that was an outlier. A one off. Can they reload and repeat?

I won't believe it till I see it.

Sure, NIL and the portal make it possible, but still improbable.

In Dan I trust. This year should be fun to watch. New coordinator's, an experienced talented QB, great RB's, a WR room to salivate over, a returning talented experienced front 4, tall, rangey, db's, and talented youth. We will be favored in most games. I hope we make it to Vegas.

I can drive to that game.

Well said DanLduck. We do have the ingredients. It is a matter of having some luck. The great thing about Indiana winning it all is every coach is under the microscope. Is it a one off? Most likely. Is Cignetti a great coach? Anybody that turns a perineal loser into a national champion is a great coach. Cignetti did better than Kirby Smart and Ryan Day when both had much more talent. And sooner.

I hope more fans simply trust Lanning, let him do it his way, and enjoy the ride. We are an elite program no matter what anyone else thinks. That isn't drinking the Kool-Aide. Lanning is going to win a title. Its a matter of when.

1 hour ago, Sharpshooter1997 said:

My answer is I'm not sure. I've said this before, but I'm not concerned about the losses to eventual championship teams. It's the WAY they lost that concerns me and I don't know what the fix would be.

Hey Sharpshooter,

I guess we'll have to wait and see. I think Lanning gets it. I sense he allows his coordinators autonomy. Sometimes, I feel he needs to take over a bit while things are out of sync. That's just my take. It was pretty clear the semi-final game was going to be an arms race. I wasn't so concerned about running the ball. I was more concerned with getting Indiana to cover deep passes. They saw early it wasn't going to be an issue. For whatever reason.

I'm a firm believer you better start giving your QB time even if it means ONE guy runs a route. I really don't care. But again, this is a hack you're talking to. My main point is if they are going to speed up your clock, you better have a nuke that explodes in 2 seconds, or you better send your fuel jets to keep your bombers in the air longer. Either way, BOMBS BETTER START FALLING.

It has become too difficult to gain 20 plus yards running on elite teams enough to win games. Not to mention averaging 5 yards a carry. Oregon has one of the best long range throwers in the game. Hardly anyone can throw the ball as far as Dante Moore. Why waste that?

2 hours ago, HappyToBeADuck said:

Who do I think the Oregon Ducks are? What an interesting question, Mike!

Just my opinion:

The Ducks are an elite level CFP team, with talent 2nd to none. 2nd to none.

At this point, while the coaches have upped their in game adjustments in the regular season they have not had the answers against the eventual champion.

DL and staff were out schemed and out coached by tOSU and Cignetti and the Hoosier staff. ..

The players did not lose their talent, skills and experience. DL and his staff had no answers when the Ducks got schooled.

When that changes, the Ducks will get their Natty.

GO DUCKS!

Happy,

I hate to say it, buy I believe you are correct. I love Dan Lanning. He definitely has exceeded my expectations. I thought the team was very god, but I thought there were too many holes to cover. Lupoi really, really stepped up this year. Stein is his usually perceptive self. He sees the game very well. What I believe is happening is the staff doesn't quite know what to do once they are exposed (the natural weaknesses that is-for example, the Linebackers will not be able to cover fast WRs-Cignetti blasted that weakness).

When Moore melted down initially, Lanning got his mental game back. Then Indiana parsed out what Stein wanted to do and started attacking it directly. Stein still hadn't figured out how Indiana was stunting, so he couldn't figure a solution to the pressure, and the gap weaknesses Indiana was exploiting. Indiana wasn't just being more physical, they attacked what they calculated Stein wanted to do in his game plan. Once they realized Stein wasn't going to be able to throw deep, they pounced. No back shoulder throws to compensate for lack of separation (obviously they don't practice it like Penix and Mendoza had), no conflict routes to shake the pesky corners. Stein attacked the teeth of Indiana's zone blitz, and overall zone coverage.

It seemed like Stein lost confidence in Moore's loss of confidence. He didn't protect him well either. He just gave what he saw was the most simple solution to a massive problem. I think Stein is brilliant. I personally would challenge him to change on a dime by giving him very, very tough pills to swallow in practice. I personally wouldn't want my OC to get comfortable with anything. No rigid game plans. Not at all.

Is that feasible when you have to teach players the element of the game? I don't know. I believe a coach can. But that is the hack in me talking. I should run this by coaches. I certainly would challenge the heck out of any philosophy they have, because frankly, Kurt Cignetti just exposed you don't need more than half your roster being 4 and five star players. You need to teach your kids the game. You need to keep them out of their weaknesses (like I said, Lupoi did that masterfully all season this year).

Boy, I write too many soliloquies. Thanks for the comment

10 minutes ago, iubhounds said:

I wasn't going to reply but I have to Jon ... LOL

If the UO IU 2nd game would have been in Bloomington instead of Atlanta there would not have been 30-40,000 less IU fans. They would have bought as many tickets as possible just like they did in the peach bowl. Fewer fans ?? Sure ... IU's stadium doesn't hold 56,000 so the Peach Bowl around ~77,000, there would around 21,000 less IU fans.

IU really didn't avoid the injury bug as you claim. Early in the season their #2RB goes out for the year. So Black #8 was #3 to start the season. #8 Edge rusher at Eugene game went out for the year with 5-6 games to go. His replacement Daley lead the B1G in sacks within 5 games played only to injure himself right after the B1GCG jumping up to touch hands with a fan to celebrate their win. So in the Peach Bowl they have their #3 Edge Rusher starting the game #17.

But yes, overall compared to other opponents IU avoided the injury bug.

I am asking in a friendly tone to please take your annual physical and hopefully an echocardiogram (both of us are old) to make sure your heart is up for more stress since this "traveling east thing" seems to elevate your heart rate. (joking with my dry sense of humor). 😂

With the B1G now stretched out from coast to coast every team has to travel and there will never be any way around it.

iubhounds,

Thanks so much for joining the forum. You really contribute excellent posts. I can't even begin to show my appreciation for your fan base and the awesome job Kurt Cignetti has done at the FBS level. You turned the D1 level upside down! It's clear you're here to stay as well. Yes, you definitely experienced some injury snags. Yet you still elevated your play. Even better than we did last season when we faced our set of injuries. I believe the greatest contribution your school has brough to the game is never give up. A bottom dweller just upended the whole system. And coaches now have to demonstrate their true ability to elevate programs. You can't scream talent is the difference anymore.

Thanks again for bringing even better perspective to the group.

2 hours ago, Charles Fischer said:

Great article to stimulate our thinking Mike, and I do want to encourage any readers who have something to say? Write it up and email it to me at charles@fishduck.com as I welcome guest articles, especially in the off-season. (I need articles for our backlink orders that come in to pay the bills of both sites.)

You took me down memory lane, and what I and many Oregon fans feel is that...."it is our turn." We have been hosed, or cheated out of so many opportunities by injuries, bad calls, bad luck, etc. But while we are due, I also acknowledge what you wrote in your article in that...it is hard to win a 'Natty and we do need a little luck with injuries, with matchups in the Playoffs, with the bounces of the ball, or a replay showing grass blades touching a leg, etc.

Dan Lanning has this program at an elite level, as we will always be in the preseason top-ten--my belief. Now we need that final "ooomf" to get us over the line. Will it be a special player that emerges, or some new tactic or strategy that a new DC or OC unveils at a big moment? That is what if fun to watch for!

Thanks again for a fun article, Mike.

Sure thing Charles.

We all want that elusive title. It certainly would shut up lots of haters. I'm still proud though, because Nattys these days go through us. You have to be able to beat US to win a Natty. That is so far from my first experience of being a Duck fan. Now we destroy USC. Now we chant Rose Bowl to the Fuskies. Now SEC teams can't wait to "silence us". Now Ohio State fans hate us. Michigan fans are scared of us. We get respect and hate on the same level as the Blue Bloods.

Ain't it Cool?

2 minutes ago, Jon Joseph said:

Thanks, Mike. It's always great to 'hear' from you, terrific articles and comments-wise.

OBD is 2-for-2 in qualifying for the 12-team playoff.

In 2024-25, OBD went 1-1 versus the team south of Michigan. Because of the screwed-up seeding format, OBD played Ohio State in the 2nd round instead of the winner of the Boise State at Indiana 1st round game. Against one of these two teams, Oregon shakes off the rust and wins the Rose Bowl.

My guess is that no other No. 1 seed in the postseason history of college sports playoffs, team and individual, has ever been hosed over as badly as was No. 1 seed Oregon.

The other seeding bad juju also involved the Rose Bowl. Joey Harrington and OBD, and not Nebraska, should have played Miami for the BCS title. However, was there a Rose Bowl opponent that could have defeated that Hurricanes team that embarrassed Nebraska 37-14? How about NO!

There's bad luck, and then there's being screwed over so badly by the system in place that the rules are changed the following season. 🤬

Last season, a group of wounded Ducks lost its second game in a two-loss season to the champion Indiana team playing with the Heisman Trophy winner at QB. Had the 2nd loss been played in Bloomington, Indiana, instead of in Atlanta, 30,000 to 40,000 fewer Hoosiers fans would have been in attendance.

This was the second occasion in 2025-26 that the Ducks had to travel thousands of miles more than their opponent. Under the current playoff format, Oregon is odds-on to be the 'victim' of geography. Call this 'bad luck' if you so choose, but you cannot Duck geography.

Urban Meyer's Ohio State team that defeated OBD was loaded with future NFL players. Same for Ryan Day's championship Ohio State team. Both teams had and benefited from a roster advantage.

Indiana? Even playing at home, Miami could not overcome the fickle finger of football fate that came up pointing at the biggest rebound in the history of college football; a history that goes back to 1895 when Yale went 16-0.

So yes, to win it all, you have to be lucky as well as good.

The Auburn and $cam loss was a referee's hose job at the hands of Big Ten refs who didn't have the foresight to see they were favoring the SEC over a one-day B1G brother. 😧

But the two champ game losses to Ohio State and the home and Peach Bowl loss to Indiana? The Buckeyes and the Hossiers had the better team, the better-coached, and better-prepared teams. Teams that also, for the most part, avoided the injury bug.

Season five for Danno. It took Kirby Smart six seasons to win it all and six seasons for Ryan to win the Day.

Let's hope that for OBD, timing will soon meet opportunity. This season is the only time under the current broadcast agreement that the playoff champ game will be played in the Pacific time zone. See you in Las Vegas?

Can't win it all if you ain't playing for it all. No thrill of victory 😍 without the possible agony of defeat. 🥶

Thanks again, Mike!

Jon,

We've had more than enough tough hurdles to jump. We also haven't had the kind of talent these blue bloods have consistently fielded. But we were more talented than Auburn. Nobody will convince me otherwise. Chip just refused to drop Little Boy and Big Boy on Hiroshima that day. That and a decision to run inside instead of outside on a crucial 4th and 1 mid third quarter.

I also believe we had more talent that Indiana. But they had more experienced coaches and really got the most out of their Band of Brothers than we did out of some pretty elite talent. They didn't make but one mistake over two games. One. We fielded a season's worth. One thing I hope Lanning does is use that American Arsenal of Nuclear Bombs this year. I don't care if they're accurate, I want the threat to scare teams into opening up OBD's pretty effective running game. Teams needs to loosen up the box. Nuclear Power does that.

I'll never say there are no longer any excuses. Lanning has us right where we want to be. On everyone's tongue. Whether it's to make fun of us because they think we'll choke, or because they know we are elite. People no longer ignore us. WE DECIDE WHO WINS TITLES. We really do.

1 hour ago, Solar said:

I think that the larger the field the lower the probability we win a Natty under Dan Lanning.

If the playoffs stayed at 4 teams, we would be basically guaranteed to win a Natty in the next 3-5 years.

But it didn't. The field expanded requiring more near 50:50 probability games to be won cutting your odds in half with every additional game.

And then there is NIL combined with the expanded playoffs that is levelling the playing field by spreading out the player and coaching talent.

No matter the size of the playoff field, about 2/3-3/4 of that number of teams has a chance to win given enough years for boosters to adjust.

It's just probabilities, and we can be in that conversation every year as contenders, but as one of 8+ that could win it all.

I think we are going to win a whole lot of games next year and I plan on enjoying every single one, but I've decided the probabilities of winning a Natty are so poor I'm not going to get wrapped around the axle about it.

Oh, I like your comment Solar. Much to chew on regarding the odds. To think, I didn't believe Miami deserved to be in the playoff. I thought Texas did despite loathing the SEC. Texas scheduled to risk three losses. Miami didn't, and Miami lost to basic teams( though Texas did lose to Florida-sorry GatFlorida but Florida was extremely disappointing this year, given they were supposed to be very talented).

Now imagine another Ohio State circa 2014 moment when a team blasts an equal so dramatically that they sneak into the playoffs while they are hot. Will that steal DL's thunder? Will Dan Lanning get some luck, or like Cignetti find ways to lesson the blow of talent gaps by flat out finding solutions to every problem lack of talent presents? Because in my opinon, boy oh boy did Lanning upgrade performance based on his team's talent versus really talented teams the past two years.

Indiana crushed the narrative that coaching up isn't a possible method to win a title. Indiana didn't sneak in. They blew down little piggy and big piggy houses. Neither straw nor stone stopped the Hoosiers. And while they did catch some breaks after late game mistakes, those mistakes were very few all season-which is why they slayed teams like Ohio State and Oregon.

Your premise is solid. It will take talent, massive coaching prowess, luck and momentum to win a title. Now that the playoff field has expanded, teams with enough talent like Cignetti's pre-season predicted Big Ten 17th talent laden Hoosiers can win a natty.

I concur with Jon Joseph. I would add end the season on Jan 1 in the ROSE BOWL. I also believe the Group of 6 need their own playoffs. That would kill the bowl system pretty much. The bowls are actually killing the opportunity for on campus home games, which should always be part of the playoffs. Besides, 24 teams may tick off the elitists, but it sure would keep the entire P4 fan base involved with what basically has been the destruction of tradition in college football.

Having been "away" for nearly a month, I would like to add how much I will miss 30Duck. I was blessed to have chatted with him several times. It was great "knowing" him for the short time we talked.

That being said. Grandpa Duck, what a thriller article. You presented us with the FishDuck version "what can the B1G do better"!

I would prefer an 18 team with no expansion and some type of Divisions with competitive balance to allow the best opportunity to slot four teams in the CFP. I would hope Play In Games would be included as that would certainly boost TV Ratings. Especially if you had two weeks of the most watched teams in the Conference battling it out for the title game (with the losers playing a consolation game to feature their prowess even more for the At Large spots (of course the coaches wouldn't want that, but what's a conference to do to raise its profile even more?).

Who knows? There have been so many changes to the game that it just might turn off more fans in the end.

This might not be popular, but I'm going to say it...

I expected Mario to blow it. He didn't. He actually stepped up to the plate after falling behind, and got down to business. I was very impressed with his team's poise, grit, and character.

I had a discussion with a U fan on YouTube. I mentioned that Beck aimed his throw( on the INT). That fan mentioned Beck misread the coverage ( as mentioned in the broadcast), to which I agreed, because had he correctly read the coverage, Beck would have thrown the ball deeper ( to the two yard line or so) where the safety would not have been able to close and defend the pass.

When Beck threw the ball, I instantly thought it was going to be a TD. I was shocked when it "fell short". Folks, that is how close the game really was.

Little things like that, and no blame to any particular player, can determine a Natty. Kalen DeBoer was correct: there is a fine line between excellence and error. It didn't look like that for Bama, or OBD because there were too many "errors" like that, which made Indiana look invincible.

That's why it is so difficult to win a title( especially now...NIL and the Portal have dramatically changed the game). Every play matters. You can't play a perfect game, but Indiana played like Saban's Bama teams. They didn't beat themselves. They simply executed.

Miami was that close, despite never holding a lead in the game. Effort every play, learn from your and everyone elses mistakes ( thousands of hours of film study folks). OBD aren't far from the path. More poise, more effort...just more

14 hours ago, anyotherduck said:

I'm highly skeptical of Lanning's coordinator hires. Where is the 'change' going to come from? I'm not seeing it.

Well,

Well just have to see how it goes...

On 1/14/2026 at 4:02 PM, Triphibius said:

Yes, I also admire what OBD accomplished against OSU in Eugene in 2024, but I am not sure the same approach would have succeeded against IU this year.

The reason: our 2025-26 tackles may not have been as good as last year's in pass protection.

Evidence: the opinion offered on X (and quoted by someone here) by Geoff Schwartz, who knows a thing or two about playing offensive tackle.

I totally agree about the pass protection. They did the same thing twice, and we didn't adjust. We got a glimpse against TTU, and we didn't adjust.

I saw a play when we max protected, but didn't chip the end,..sacked.

I saw the same stunts and pushing linemen off balance on purpose...sack fumble.

We have the brain power to adjust, even if not completely. But Indiana faced the same issue in 24' and did adjust (in fact they took a part of that playbook and used it themselves).

I saw Lupoi adjust, but players were slow to respond by inches (same on offense).

We succeed by adjusting to our failures against teams as good as we are. OBD aren't competing against lessor talent anymore. The season is about preparing for every playoff caliber team during the regular season.

That is my philosophy. The analysts are there to thoroughly scout every elite team and playoff caliber team, as well as NFL strategies (if you can't stop it in the NFL...).

Practice should have at least 20 minutes dedicated to preparing for those teams. Every practice. We may face close regular season games, but muscle memory is developed over months. Killer mentality is as well (to take care of lessor talented teams).

I'm not sure many coaches feel that way. Why would they when they consider themselves elite already. I feel that way because those are the teams that defeat you. They are the only teams Lanning has lost to. Thus...

I love this forum. If I were Lanning, I'd have daily sessions talking about these very topics with my core strategists. I know I'm getting feedback to think about every time I come to this forum. Imagine what Dan can cull from such discussions.

Go Ducks.

The transfer portal has been an instrument for players to get more playing time. That seems to be their primary motivation.

Schools are using it to fill key holes they've lost and much needed depth.

This makes my feel stronger about moving to a 24 team playoff. It appears even the elite teams will have difficulty maintaining excellence behind their starters.

The Portal is like unrestricted free agency in the NFL. I believe lower graded four stars would be wise to go to the lower tier OR programs and mid to upper tier G6 programs instead of signing with the programs with a stockpile of talent.

That group will not only stand out, but with the right production, they'll rival the high 4 star and 5 star players for NIL money. If I were a QB, if definitely go to Purdue, Rutgers Mississippi State or similar programs because they can dominate anyway, get valuable experience, and land a lucrative NIL deal and start for a title contender without having to earn the starting role.

Schools are just as shady as the players. They're cutting loose the guys that won't play, and telling some players they don't fit their respective systems.

I think coaches need a full bowl scouting department so they can find the high school played that can start immediately. And find lower graded players they can develop into starters on the cheap. There are too many hits and misses in recruiting classes these days. Sinx and day 0

If it is going to make enough money to subsidize a G6 playoff, I say go to 24. We all know that 13-24 have no chance unless that team is like Miami was this year. I believe the 24 team format will preserve the sport. Big 12 and ACC teams can participate, and there really wouldn't be motivaton for the B1Gand SEC to further ruin the sport. The Playoffs should start the FIRST week of December, and THE ROSE BOWL SHOULD HOST EVERY TITLE GAME.

It has the best stadium, the best tradition and it is outside in the best weather.

The fans that won't like it are the fans that know those superfluous teams never had a shot, but at least they can say they reached the post season. End the Bowl games. There are too many anyway. An NIT style alternative playoff can replace the bowls. Tradition is dead. Long live tradition. College Football is a version of the NFL with high school aged to college aged players. Should have happened when we old geezers were kids. More Indianas of the world would be around, and the Blue Blood fans and their programs can now be forgotten. They paid for the players all along. We're already seeing the impact of their inability to hog all the talent.

It can be difficult to coach QBs and run the offense. It is also difficult for a QB coach to stay within the philosophy of the OC. Moore needs specific improvement in his skills.

1) Reading defenses pre snap and deciding which side of the field the defense is "giving" him.

2) Reading the defense post snap and attacking accordingly

3) Setting his feet sooner

4) Much better pocket presence a) recognizing where the pressure is coming from immediately and responding accordingly

b) waiting as long as he can-even if that means getting blasted-so he can read the defense fully.

5) Throwing receivers open-like he did in Iowa City and the first TD of the semi final game. He must do this 90% of the time.

a) this requires plenty of work with the receivers as sometimes he will not know the exact angle they will cut, other times it will be in a very tight window (like both the passes mentioned above).

6) More ability to check into plays that the defense is giving him. He must be able to accurately audible into positive plays, and sometimes explosive plays.

7) coaching his players up. Sometimes the OL needs to be told to immediately attack a gap instead of trying to read his assigned defender. Sometimes the receivers need to recognize gaps in coverage they can sit in so they are open quickly or simply open at all.

8) Obliterating blitz packages and simulated pressure. There is a solution to every challenge. Even on third and long. Max protect if necessary. Just smack the hell out of blitzes. Make em scared to pressure you.

9) Fire in his eyes. Even when you are angry at yourself, show some fight. Continue to lead, but let your offense know you want to kick a$$. Moore showed some grit coming off that opening pick six. I want to see that an entire game because mistakes will happen.

Dante Moore is one of the most naturally gifted QBs ever. It's some of the intangibles he must work on. ONE ALWAYS MUST IMPROVE THEIR SKILLS. There is no such thing as staying the same. You are improving, or digressing. Humpty Dumpty cannot sit on the wall. Get that butt on one side or the other. Obviously, that means getting better in one or more aspect every day.

Mehringer has to lift Moore to stratospheric heights. Moore needs to strike so deadly, teams fear him massively.

Awesome article Darren. I guess we will have to wait before we start knashing our teeth over the coordinators.

Everything happens in its own time. I believe Lanning has learned lots. How you develop coordinators matters as much as giving them the reigns.

I saw marked improvement from Lupoi and Stein this year. But it wasn't enough. Of course, the players have to step into their roles and execute. But it starts with the coaches.

Once again, lots of very good comments.

I hope DM is already in the film room. I hope he is already working with the 25 guys that need work on offense and defense honing their skills.

The pursuit of a title started "yesterday". I also hope everyone on the team gets an individual analysis from a pro scout on their skills sets. An objective analysis will work wonders in that aspect.

That goes for the coaching staff also.

It's muscle memory time. Thousands of hours watching film, drilling specifics, and becoming the best because you work at it.

I always think of the Matrix, when Neo says " I can do jujutsu". The clock is ticking ..

14 minutes ago, Washington Waddler said:

Nothing wrong with questioning so long as you follow-up your criticism with ideas on how to make it better.

That is gold.

We're all posting opinions. Some of us wish we were in the room with the coaching staff.

We have to trust them. That's hard when we want a title so badly.

The discussions are cool. We get to hash out a passion we all enjoy.

As long as we're on the path, it's more difficult to complain.

Sometimes you gotta get lucky. But not if Clint Eastwood is saying " so do you feel lucky, punk"!!!

8 hours ago, oregon123 said:

1. buy into the 'we beat expectations' argument. This team has an abundance of talent, yet still a few weak spots.

2. The program is NOT in the gutter.

3. It is fair to say that the Ducks under performed in the biggest game of the year, twice in a row.

4. It is also fair to say that Oregon lately has been getting closer and closer to being a 'complete' team, but not quite there yet.

Very good post

One thing I will say, I expected the defense to be much worse this year. Much much worse. So they totally over performed. That doesn't mean they didn't play their best on Friday. But they were supposed to get smoked.

I know Ohio State was ready to embarrass that unit again. They didn't get the chance, and Indiana didn't get to completely show his much they could have scored had the offense simply played normally. The defense got beat like they should have been according to the level of talent the unit has. I expected the offense to light up the scoreboard. All it takes is execution on that side of the ball. They're not consistent.. yet.

It's been my take that the offense needs to score 41, 42, 43, 44 or 45 on elite defenses. As in plenty of future NFL starters (not draftees, starters). I expected that all year because I had calculated the defense would be a major weakness.

The offense isn't there yet. Way too many mistakes all season. Way too many.

But this year's defense beat expectations by five galaxies as far as I'm concerned. Maybe even ten. Twice they held the most explosive offense in college football this year to 28 points (given our offense and special teams gave the Hoosiers opportunities Sheldon High could convert). I recall a similarly explosive offense netting 36 and 34 points against a more experienced defense just two years ago. I just didn't expect this year's defense to come close to being better. They were. That is beating expectations in my book.

I also didn't expect the offense to have the potential to blow up any defense. That just didn't make sense to me. Not enough experience on that side of the ball. I expected an offense that could control games, but not run away from teams. Against elite defenses, the offense pretty much performed consistently. That was the case last year as well except when Lanning went for the jugular.

Clearly that isn't good enough. The defense needs to shut down elite offenses like we've been shut down (less than 20 ppg), and the offense needs to average well over 40 ppg against NFL caliber defenses. That must be the standard.

Physicality isn't the standard. It is a feature. Lanning has emphasized being a physical team. Scoring boat loads of points Always, and obliterating elite offenses is the standard. Physicality means nothing if you don't do those things in my mind.

I believe Lanning gets the team there. I say that because I have seen enough to recognize Lanning and his staff gave Dante Moore more than enough opportunities to throw TDs in the October game, and Stein showed enough variety in Friday+too late in my opinion, but Stein is damn good enough for me)...

If Lanning "goes to the doctor", I hope that doctor says you need to average 28 in the first half. You need to mop up the game with another 14 in the second half.

That's just me though. Lanning isn't a dummy. I am sure he has figured out your best defense is your offense and vice versa.

I'm hoping I see 16 or 17 slashed throats next year. And 16 or 17 broken bones from an oppressive defense.

Don't. Just don't.

Review the season. OBD were who we thought they were. Before the season, during the season, and now ..

Young, inexperienced, mistake prone, wild swings in performance. Dan Lanning elevated a team that had NO BUSINESS earning a semi final berth.

This very forum continuously questioned this team's capacity. It started the first week of October. Why are we surprised? Denny Green has been saying all year "we let em off the hook!". All year.

The team was coached up. An explosive offense earned 28 points against a defense that should give up 35 . No LB speed, still vulnerable at safety. Never set the edge strategy, prone to allowing key 3rd down conversions. Horrible in the red zone.

A QB with all the potential, but nowhere near enough experience. Some say he's soft. An OL that can win a battle in a box, but has trouble moving laterally. Injuries at key skill positions all year.

What can you expect when an incomplete team faces an execution juggernaut? Some of this is coaching, but golly, the team had flaws any elite program will attack.

Dan Lanning is ahead of the curve by a galaxy When all is said and done, players must execute. I hope nobody in Duck Nation is claiming OBD came even close to executing well on Friday.

The Program is in the best hands it has ever had. There is no such thing as perfection. It's the pursuit that matters. It's the journey folks. Life is about the journey.

I just want to see the offense throw the damn ball deep 8 times a game.

We're all throwing conjecture on a wall.

So my take is: do what we did October 2024. It worked. Why not go back to it? It also worked against Auburn. Do you see a pattern here?

I think Purchase is a "me" kind of guy. I could see instances when Matayo, TT and Purchase were on the field at the same time all game.

That trio is better suited to assist the DTs in shutting down running games. All three are decent in pass coverage.

But that's just me. I will never question what Lanning wants to do (anymore). I will simply state my preference.

The defense is horribly weak at inside linebacker. Not enough lateral speed, not enough coverage speed, not enough closing speed.

For me, that requires sealing the edge like granite, forcing all run plays inside, and using the speed we have in the secondary to effectively defend against lethal passing teams.

Take not that Indiana only won a down field 1 on 1 matchup once in Both Games. They had to use back shoulder throws to complete passes. I don't think you can execute that strategy all game

Lanning minimizes the damage his "weak" LBs are in his scheme. I must say this, Lupoi was brilliant this year. He had a 8 on 11 kind of defense. He was always three short of a full package. The coaches would never say it, but doesn't lie. We had holes that excellent coaches sought out and destroyed.

Purchase leaving closes a strategy Lanning could use to shore up a huge weakness. I don't worry as much about it because Lanning coached up a flawed defense (in terms of personnel and what he wanted to do with his scheme)

After the way Ole Miss moved the ball on Miami, the Hurricanes better be able to score 40 plus. Indiana has already proven they can handle Mack Truck teams.

I don't believe this game will be determined at the line of scrimmage. Not the way people think of physicality. Indiana is beyond that kind of football.