Mike West

Two things stand out about Sanders that concern me most: He doesn't visit the players he recruits, and his strategy for acquiring talent is better suited for the NFL ( portal recruiting over High School recruiting). His style and manner don't bother me. I wouldn't promote my program in the fashion he does, but that's just me. Sanders is a Brand. Sanders is a lot like Chip. He hates the adulation these kids get, and he doesn't believe they deserve it ( I completely agree). Unfortunately, coaches have to buy in a little to the hype. Relationships are key to successfully building an elite college football program. I doubt Sanders elevates to elite coaching status. He's a smoother form of Willie Taggert, but he cares about the kids more ( if that makes any sense). He doesn't quite grasp the nuance of melding a cult personality with developing a high performance organization.

My opinion? There can be no comparison to the damage USC did to the conference. They shot down TWO proposals that would have allowed the conference to thrive. USC basically changed the entire fabric of college football in actuality. Their greed singlehandedly destroyed the PAC12. Such poetic justice the B1G brought us along to destroy their legacy forever (although quite frankly, an elite USC would make the B1G as great as the SEC in my opinion).

Get ready to laugh guys... Dumb (Willie Taggert) and Dumber (Mario(o) Cristobal) had the greatest impact on the program. Taggert broke the glass ceiling ( no no that one), when he declared Oregon CAN recruit elite talent. He assembled an ensemble that recruited well, and to top it off, brought in a DC that could coach the elite talent they brought in. He was DUMB ENOUGH TO WALK AWAY FROM THE #3 RECRUITING CLASS NATIONWIDE TO PURSUE HIS ULTIMATE DREAM. Cristobal, one of the key recruiters on Taggert's staff, salvaged a decent recruiting class, then butchered one of the best, if not the absolute best offense in Oregon History. Furthermore, in an even DUMBER MOVE, Mari (o) left one of the best Oregon Defenses in history to dry because he abandoned Taggert's offense. Cristobal was even dumber to follow Taggert's path and pursue HIS Ultimate Dream, after also recruiting better than Oregon ever had before. Ironically, both dummies built enough talent to EACH earn a Natty, as both had enough talent on both sides of the ball to win a title their second year. Brooks started it. Belotti enhanced it. Chip changed the entire sport ( and got some damn bad calls in his title game), Helfrich held on. And Lanning recognized what a damn good opportunity he was walking into. Dumb and Dumber changed the paradigm. They brought the talent. When everyone said Oregon couldn't. Enough talent to take down the SEC like nobody but USC had done (yes the talent was that good- an NFL caliber QB that killed it his sophomore year, that was left hanging to dry-combined with a salty defense with enough talent to not only slow down teams, but to help that ridiculous Gulf Coast Offense pad the score). IMHO, Lanning is going to bring a title to Eugene. I highly doubt he would have even thought of OBD if it weren't for the "foundation" Dumb and Dumber laid- proving Chip was wrong about recruiting elite talent to Eugene.

Jon, You brought up the most important facet of OBD's schedule: 8 straight conference games. Going undefeated means playing three elite matchups, then at least two more in the playoffs ( if not all three should we advance to the finals). Losing in the conference title game is a 17 game schedule. I believe it's better to go 10-2, avoid the Title game, host an opening round game, and deal with one less elite matchup ( the conference title game). It may happen anyway given a pretty rough conference schedule. I actually hope Penn State goes 11-1 and earns a bid in the conference title game and faces Ohio State at least twice this season. Going 10-2 in the B1G almost assures a home game in round 1- even if Four B1G teams earn a bid, or five SEC teams. Two close losses to UM and OSU would be the best case scenario. In any event, Lanning's team will have to be extraordinarily excellent to run the table against their 2024 schedule. Sometimes it's better to lose one to "gain one".

Feels like? They definitely tanked the game for the Tigers. Every call went their way. And they REALLY lucked out when the first quarter ended before we could run a play to score a TD. OBD were the better team. Our defense was more physical (as demonstrated by that sack/fimble/TD, and the constant pounding Newton absorbed all day). Newton alligator armed and easy TD out of fear of getting hit again - resulting in a FG that drive. And Cliff's INT? Please. That resulting TD pass was a consequence of that poor call. That's three TDs I just mentioned (one theirs, two ours and you can add the Dye FG to boot- 24 points - more like a 36-12 game). It should have been a blowout. Easily. But we know SEspnC wasn't going to let the P12 earn another dynasty. I don't care what anybody says, Chip's first playoff caliber team was better than most SEC stalwarts, including Saban's first three title teams. It is a conspiracy that started when the SEC made sure USC got the death penalty. The 2010 Oregon team didn't have as much talent as we've had the past four years, but that was easily the most dominant team Oregon has ever put on the football field - especially the defense. When Lanning's boys provide hits like those Ducks displayed all of 2010? Yeah, we'll win a Natty for sure. Watch that tape again. That is what I call punishing defense. Watch the Stanford game that year. Even the secondary delivered knockout blows. If I'm Lanning, I'm playing tape of every blow that team, and any other Oregon team (2019 comes to mind) delivered to opponents. That's better than SEC football my friends. That's what I want to see.

Brilliant and thoughtful. Why am I not surprised? I wish I was St. Michael about now. It sure would be an honor to show you around. My condolences to your family my "pen pal". We already miss you.

I believe a lot of people misperceived how well Nix would do. My initial thoughts were as follows: Nix had a horrible OL at Auburn. He was waltzing into a very good situation at Oregon. Nix had average WRs at Auburn. Again, he walked into a much better Skill set at Oregon. Nix forced things at AU, because he felt the pressure to make plays. I watched a lot of tape of him against the Elite teams, because I felt that would be the best measure of his skills. He was constantly under pressure, and his WRs did him no justice. He ran for his life and frankly, pressed to make things happen. His debut with Oregon in Atlanta was much the same. But he didn't have the WR set he had last year in that game. Georgia sat on the WRs, and Nix forced several throws. Ironically, he had enough time to throw against Georgia, but he felt the pressure to succeed nonetheless. Last year, against the Fuskies, he played well both games. He was under much more duress and had to buy time or scramble much more than against Georgia, and he played far better in both those games than against the Bulldogs. He just didn't execute on fourth down the first game, and he was inconsistent the second game. Overall, it would have taken thorough study to have been comfortable with Nix when he transferred to Oregon. So many SEC and Auburn fans didn't vet him very well in my opinion. That should be clear by how Auburn did after Nix left. In closing, I had the same kind of issues with Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. He played far better with better talent surrounding him. I felt he was a lost cause transferring from ASU, but I was far off base. He adjusted well to his speedy WRs and he made far better decisions at LSU. I believe both will play well in the NFL if they get the kind of talent they had in college.

You know, Bama won two Nattys because they kept their top two QBs back to back years. This team is potential dynasty material if Lanning and Stein are "Mac Daddy" recruiters. It's going to take two QBs to win a Natty here. Our QB has to be a major factor in our running game. I just don't see keeping the elite defenses honest without featuring the QB as another running threat. We're 4 deep. And I'm not concerned about DG. They guy is a playmaker. Proved that in Dallas LY. Moore will have to step up to keep Novosad at bay. That's a positive. I'm just a hack, but my strategy would be make the defenses handle all five skill positions. Run the damn QB.

Wow, I look forward to digesting these "scrimmages" when I have the time. My quick thoughts are as follows: Michigan is underrated (sorry Jon- I think that defense is better than advertised, and HC Moore is another very good coach following Jim Harbaugh - as in David Shaw good). Ohio State has the best defense in the country. Same issue on offense till further notice: OL and QB question marks (not sure they're elite enough at those positions). I also believe Bama beats UGA (sorry Duck-Dawg fans, but Bama is still more talented overall, and DeBoer didn't show how lethal that offense is going to be - my opinion of course). Haven't seen Texas, but "my sources" tell me they will be more formidable on defense than people think. Haven't seen Nebraska, but same thing ("my sources") , except the offense is going to win them plenty of "toss up" games. I'll check both out this summer and give my update. Haven't seen Mizzou yet. I'm intrigued though. Not sure they have enough depth and talent In the Box. They sure have very good talent at the skill positions though. I believe Tennessee is one very good QB from surprising people this year. Time will tell. Ole Miss is trying to hide their talent. I'll have to wait till fall to assess them. On paper, they are very dangerous. But paper is mighty thin isn't it? LSU still needs a defense , but they are going to spoil some teams this year. Georgia? Same as it ever was. But that loss to Bama tells me good coaching, and mistake free football is all you need to hang with them, and maybe steal a W. Auburn is also going to spoil somebody's season, including maybe Bama. Penn State losing last year's main WR target is a major blow to their title hopes (bad career move for him though- he would have gotten better looks with that new former Buckeye WR joining the mix). Utah...If they can step up their usually decent Defense, they are playoff bound. They don't have enough talent to challenge the Blue Bloods though. USC? I don't think they have enough talent on defense. Nice QB, but he'll have to win games for them. Not sure he's that talented. Not sure they're mentally tough enough either. Clemson has a good enough defense to stall the Blue Bloods, but that offense can't score enough. Think Georgia before Kirby Smart. FSU comes back to the regular pack, despite a damn good HC. No, Miami isn't joining the club. Need to see A&M. I really like HC Elko. He may be playing possum right now. He's said it's taking him longer than expected to get the chaos in order. Possible smoke screen to also hide his talent? The SEC is still too deep for the BiG, but Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin are only a good enough QB away from adding major depth to the conference. OBD... Man. I suspected HC Lanning knew his DL was stacked. Now we know. This team is in play for a deep playoff run. Now, it's up to learning how to make teams beat them by playing mistake free ball. If DC Lupoi and OC Stein "up" their game and adjust on each drive of each game, oooh- they could really step into a title game and make some noise. Big "if" at this point. I see a lot of Bama versus Michigan type games this year. It truly is going to be one of the best regular seasons in the history of College Football. And I'm.not blowing smoke here. Every elite team, has an Achilles Heel. Some teams on the bubble have enough talent to hit that bullseye and walk away with an upset. Coaching has never been more important.

Solar, I "hate you" but love you. I came away impressed overall. But I also thought the QBs struggled early because they held onto the ball "too long". Not sure that's a long term deal, and I can only speculate they were pining to get those deep shots completed. They all adjusted. But in the two tight games they'll play this year, those "mistakes" may cost the team the game (Ohio State and Michigan both looked very good on defense). think we keep Novosad if we get him the right NIL deal. He's definitely a keeper, and it behooves Oregon to keep him off another roster. On another note-I think OC Stein is going to be hard to keep. Not sure he wants to be a HC, but he's another Chip Kelly. Yes, he's that good.

The sooner they reinstate player movement restrictions the better. Everything else will settle down once we know what the landscape looks like.

Maybe they should allow the onside kick when the game is in the balance. Safety does matter, but are we serious here? Football is becoming more like softball, can't hit people - that is the appeal of the sport. As long as a player isn't intentionally trying to hurt another player, let them hit. If I want to watch softball, I can watch Oklahoma dominate everyone again.

Another juicy article Duckster!!! So much to chew on... simple, direct, precise. I have to think this one over a bit. I recall the nail biting be we all felt before the last PAC12 title game he ever. I had an all 22 look from one of the endzones. I was worried sick all game because I saw a familiar flaw that resembled a throwback to Chip versus David Shaw back to back years. Might write an article about it. You're on point though...NIL is running the show. Culture, identity and talent really matter. Philosophy, and game chops matter as well. You hit the bullseye on Sewell. He was a fish out of water in Lanning's scheme. As was Mase Funa. Lanning has his boys on defense. The body type, the athletic type etc. He only pursued two baddies on the interior defensive line. He has to replace four very stout guys. Is that a sign he believes he's got the boys he needs to execute his scheme? A title team needs a money QB, and a monster front seven. Check and IDK. The one thing those Fuskies had over us was they controlled the line of scrimmage all three games. It's a wonder Bo and company dropped thirty plus all three games. It seemed like the secondary was the weakness. But in actuality, Michael Penix rarely hit the turf. I have my preferences for running a defense, but it's not my call. But the QB can't be comfortable all game. His butt needs to hit the ground...often. For me, OBD needs to keep a powerful offense at 21-23 points. By any means necessary. Lanning is a defensive guy, who was smart enough to hire a powerful OC. Let's see if he can give his offense the opportunity to score 23-28 on an elite defense.

Well, I believe the players and the NIL collectives are driving that bus... The players are getting greedy, and boosters are falling into bidding wars for, in most cases unproven players. Straight from the NFL playbook. And players are going to stop performing soon enough. Even if it costs them a healthy NFL contract. Worse, the Power 2 aren't really considering the players as they manuever through the playoff process. So I agree with you. The NFL is already chaffed at the playoffs starting the first week the big boys play on Saturdays...

If no one dislikes you you're doing something wrong. Poor Beaver fans. They had the most influential President in the PAC12 for a decade, and he didn't have the foresight to protect his school, and enhance his Athletic Department's Brand. Now they suffer for it. Oregon State has one of the best Engineering Schools in the country. If he protected his more visible Brand like he maintained the reputation of that school, the PAC12 would be alive and kicking right now.

That's a very good analogy. Someone trolled Nick Saban last night, claiming he couldn't handle the new paradigm. I bit back- explaining some kids are going to ruin the game for a while lot of other kids- and Saban realized it more than most. I don't think 17 million people are going to be watching Ohio State versus Michigan in the future. That golden goose is going to get cooked!!! Not sure the TV execs (And the P2) are looking that far ahead. I know the players aren't. What a shame.

You could be right. Depends on Michigan and Penn State. I fear Sherrone Moore is another David Shaw, and I'd QB Drew Allar has an OC that opens that offense up, the Nittany Lions can make the Conference Title race a nail biting affair.

When I read it, I was like WOW. It was thorough, thought provoking, and timely. It should have been a FishDuck article. I'm following several folks on X (Twitter). Nothing against anyone else, mostly because I've decided to get more info from Blue Blood fans, but I would have posted that for sure on X. The discussion would have been lively (an Ohio State fan trolled us this afternoon in fact, so your post would have been perfect). I can't wait for the second post, and I'm going to find a way to post this thread.

You're spot on Jon! And I agree, coming sooner than we think. Not sure this is going to be good for college football though. I love the idea of seeing the Blue Bloods squaring off each week, but then we already have that: the NFL. I personally only watch the elite matchups and the playoffs. I don't want that to happen to college football.

I've been feeling that way since COVID hit us. I have no idea how the G5 are going to field teams in the near future. As elitist as I am, I always thought it was cool to watch kids that killed it in high school, but weren't good enough to play for the Blue Bloods could still play- and be on TV!

Excellent point. But for Michigan winning the Title this year, one could also say the SEC has pushed their weight around considerably.

I believe NIL formalized a practice the Blue Bloods had been using for decades. The Transfer Portal allows them to consolidate power further. I'm impressed Ole Miss exploited both to their advantage. I certainly feel for the likes of Utah and North Carolina- teams in the Second Tier of the P4 conferences. Personally, I believe the latest P2 propos is generous. It's the only way I see the Big 12 getting two teams in the playoffs, while Clemson and FSU may occasionally crash the party if they stay in the ACC. I think it's time to add two more divisions to College football, each with their own playoffs. I fear the TV execs won't pony up enough to allow the teams currently listed as D1 programs to continue fielding football teams.

Had to look at the comments before pitching in. Elite in my eyes must include defeating the elite teams. Has happened twice in the past 12 years ( losing record). Miss. Elite involves a killer instinct mentality. Lesser teams never have a chance. Check. Elite teams enter the fray as elite when they climb back from self inflicted wounds. Especially against elite teams. They must finish however. Mixed. I recognize Dan Lanning has been criticized for taking risks. The first Washington loss told me we had arrived. The second loss told me we still need more players,but the coaches need to play the game they're in, not the just the one they gameplanned for. OBD are At the cusp. Ryan Day and Dan Lanning are in the same spot. Their fan bases are tense, desperate, and nervous. Day has the talent advantage, the schedule advantage, and tOSU is a proven Blue Blood. Snatch a victory in Eugene. That puts OBD in the room. But our fledging program will be mocked until we win a Natty. I'm very interested in what DL does with this relatively young team. I plan an article myself about our prospects this year. Don't know if I can light the pages up like Duckster did (whew!), but I'm excited about our prospects, and look forward to "spitting" my thoughts regarding our future.

Duckster, That was a full blown article! And a damn good one at that. Looking forward to the next installment. Simply fabulous.

Kim, You will definitely be in my thoughts and prayers moving forward. I certainly hope you recover soon, and completely. We miss you!!!