Mike West

You know when every team that had a bye in the playoff loses, the 25 day delay had everything to do with it. I don’t believe OBD would have won the second game, but I certainly believe the game would have been far closer than what we witnessed in January.

Ok, it’s time to burst this bubble. I love Ionscu. Absolutely love her. She got her title in Clark’s debut year, and I can’t even go into how angry I am that Sabrina didn’t get her cbb title or why. It’s that egregious and insidious. However, Caitlin Clark is Steph Curry 2.0. Now. You don’t have to wait five years, you don’t have to wait three. Caitlin Clark is going to obliterate every WNBA record that stands. She is beyond Kobe, Magic, Bird, and Wilt. That girl is already Michael Jordan material, and she is a brand my dear Sabrina will never outshine. I’m all for being a homer, but there absolutely is no comparison to what Caitlin Clark has already done for the WNBA, and who is the better player. And if you want to debate that, tell me how Clark was the one that got EVERY WNBA TEAM charter flights one month into her career, while Sabrina hadn’t in four years. Not to mention TV viewership is beyond the stratosphere, and Sabrina doesn’t come close to packing arenas like Clark does. Caitlin Clark is already more popular than Lebron. You know, the world wide brand of the NBA. Sorry guys, Sabrina is a star, Clark is a supernova.

Excellent analysis Solar. I really like the talent in the room. Like you, I’m looking at the team from the perspective of playing elite games. 11-1 is possible, and so is 12-0. That will take some cleaning up from the entire team. It seems to me that Moore is focused on explosive playmaking and not drilling down to efficiency. Novo tries to be what Moore and Smith have naturally-a big arm that can complete all the throws. Moga needs to work on setting his feet properly-it affects his accuracy. Smith just needs experience, and more footwork basics also. So the task is tamper their desires and show them how they each can unleash a beast of an offense. I also believe the WR is the most complete- can be better than last year. But…that will require using the strengths of each player, as in my opinion the room is ten deep. Yes I said TEN DEEP. Benson should be used on fade routes exclusively. He has that kind of speed. Dickey is a ‘window’ receiver-his knee injury killed his burst-so he gets open most in combo routes. Bryant, Moore, Perry, Mclellan, Stewart, and Moore are complete receivers-you can give them everything in the offense. Kasper will help clear space for receivers and a package needs to set him up for easy catches. Gresham is the joker. Not sure what he really is yet. But of course, Sadiq is Mr. Fabulous. I’d make every team focus so hard on him, they can’t cover anyone. Which brings me to Will Stein. My opinion is he will take steps to grow this offense, but he needs to use his analysts more to carve out the most lethal offense Oregon has seen since the Gulf Coast Offense. The talent is that solid. My question to Stein is did he learn from the Rose Bowl, because Ohio State took away every aspect of what he likes to do. I think he has the chops, but now it’s time to develop sets of plays for each individual, and compose a beautiful symphony. Some of this comes from my priorities and my philosophy, so that part really doesn’t matter. I think Stein was given more latitude his first year, and I hope DL lets him loose again. My take on the Defense is the talent along the Front 7 is spectacular. And I believe the secondary matches that talent. But the scheme lends itself to obliteration because too often scheme or formation nullifies that talent. I hope DL and Lupoi go to more of a hybrid defense. The talent is too good to waste. Why do I say that? Because I don’t see solid coverage rules, and elite offenses are finding glaring gaps in coverage. Ironically, the secondary is perhaps the most talented group that Lanning has ever fielded. Now mind you, the way the Hash marks are situated makes covering the wide side of the field extremely difficult because you can’t use the sideline on the wide side of the field to your advantage. But Ohio State did just that in the Rose Bowl. They ran a scheme that basically dared Stein to throw mostly fade routes and simplified curl routes. I don’t think Lupoi has that kind of vision, but he has the talent to execute that same strategy. Elite Coordinators will have a field day until DL and Lupoi fix their coverage rules, and utilize the linebackers in coverage more often. I hate express the above, because this defense is very, very talented. But talent alone will not stop elite talent, or elite coaching. And while I still believe the playoff format produced a lag impossible to overcome, Ohio State took every weakness we have and basically went to town at our expense. Fortunately, secondary coverage will be much tighter this year, so if Lupoi can alternate strategy and become less predictable, he will pull off a coup of epic proportions. The defense has the kind of talent to slow some very elite teams down, but the Bear Defense is not the kind of scheme to handle the open side of the field without Olympic track speed throughout the entire back seven. That goes for every football team in America. My opinion of course, but I am going to take more time to display exactly why I feel this way. I saw Georgia struggle last year, I saw Bama fall behind several times because their schemes require elite NFL talent to cover the wide range of schemes that can attack that philosophy. So this isn’t exclusive to DL and Lupoi. That said, I believe Lanning has the most talented group of players he’s ever had. They are raw, and will require experience. But OBD will only face one elite team in the regular season. Lanning’s job is to prepare his team over the course of the entire season to be prepared for the group of elite teams. And he has an elite bunch to accomplish that exact task. How? By using his analysts to actually install a practice routine to deal with elite schemes. That’s how I would do it. Lanning showed in ‘Us against them” that he knows how to attack elite teams. He didn’t elevate that to how to attack elite coaching. That’s his next step. I hope he makes that happen this year. As I’ve said before, in Dan I trust.

Didn't know this... A Day Aftter Derrick Harmon Was Drafted By the Steelers, He Experienced This Heartbreaking Tragedy WWW.THEROOT.COM Harmon credits his mother for working 'just as hard' as him to make his NFL dreams come true. I'm not even sure it has been reported in Oregon Media. What a bittersweet moment in his life.

What if I told you I believe the best thing to do for the game is keep the current playoff format? What if certain changes enhances interest in the game? I agree with Jon. I don’t believe the playoffs will expand. I believe the pool will increase, and specific changes will make the regular season count like never before. I believe ESecPN will agree to the changes. I believe the B1G will as well. I could be completely wrong, but just before the season, I will explain my reasons why. Some of this hinges on what ultimately happens between the schools and the players, because like Jon, I don’t believe the House settlement will solve the NIL/Portal issues completely. It’s a great time to be alive. The P2 might be waking up to reality.

OBD are definitely top five material. Lots to clean up, but the talent is there to make some noise. We’re looking at a team in the talent range of the 23’ unit and last year’s team. The schedule is set up perfectly, as it will allow for personnel development. The key games come at junctures that should coincide with said development. I like what I saw. Too much to go into, but I absolutely believe the future is bright for OBD.

Here's the thing: as much as it hurts that the Fuskies and USuC are nabbing some of our recruits, WE NEED BOTH TO RISE TO THE TOP OF THE B1G. I've said this before. I've done some research this week and quite frankly, last year's TV numbers scream the necessity for all of the name brands in the Big to elevate their game. The SEC and ESPN killed it ratings wise, and the ACC actually nipped the heels of the B1G with FSU way down. I believe ESPN raped the ACC, and their presence in the P4 gives them major leverage. Fox and NBC have more than coverage of the B1G, so osu2, Michigan and Penn State cannot rely on OBD alone(and we don't have THAT much brand power to fill what is a very big gap in ratings behind the SEC). In Dan I trust, and I think he's a better coach than Fisch and Riley (already better than Riley on offense). The ACC may catch the B1G in ratings when FSU revives itself since Notre Dame is about to bolster that conference (on TV). I have some theories about what may happen to the whole landscape given the numbers I've seen, which I'll share once the playoffs format is set for this year (close to the beginning of the season). TV ratings for the B1G were disappointing in my eyes. It needs to be fixed. That said, I believe DL will fill out the 26' class, and he sure can recruit experience to Eugene. I expect a healthy playoff run this year. I believe that will really help recruiting later this season..

I remember when the P2 proposed the 4-4-2-2-1-1 format. I thought is was super generous, because frankly, there is a much bigger possibility a 5th SEC or B1G team takes out an ACC or Big12 team. Last year was an anomaly in my opinion. I’m not sure when FSU returns to ‘form’, and I just don’t see SMU and Miami routinely posting 9 or 10 win seasons (much less anyone else and Clemson will work hard to reach 10 wins a year) Even Georgia Tech will revert back to the mean. The Big12? Well let’s just say BYU crashed a lot of dreams, and I just don’t see Dilly maintaining his edge as we move more towards revenue sharing. There isn’t a dominant team in the Big12, which is a concern by itself, and I don’t see a marquee program that will stay above the fray consistently. The real question is will the P2 be smart enough to leave realignment and forming a super conference alone? Or better yet, will they help facilitate a Next2/G5 format that allows them to survive in their own landscape financially. I don’t know how many folks will watch a playoff amongst that group, so it’s dicey for those left out of a super conference. I’m with FishDuck. Move to a 16 team playoff. Start week 1 the last week of August, bolster the G5 with 2 matchups with the P2/Next2. The third OOC game should emulate college basketball; conference vs. conference week. One week of marquee B1G vs. SEspnC (ie USC vs Bama, osu2 vs Texas, Michigan vs Georgia, Oregon vs Florida) and/or ND vs Tennessee, Clemson vs. Texas, FSU vs Penn State type games. In other words, 8 conference games for every conference. Use TV to bolster ratings in the regular season, use CCG week as seedings for the playoffs, and include 2 G5 playoff fodder teams for the first week of the playoffs. The G5 will know they’re simply a farm system, as well as the Next2, but nationwide, fans will still feel they’re not being railroaded into NFL version 2. The G5 might not fade into oblivion, and the Next2 will find coaches that can navigate like Dilly and (wait for it) mouthpiece Sanders to stay relevant. I also really like team vs team for Spring Games. Use them like NFL preseason games-starters in Series 1, and scrubs the rest of the way. Make that P2 vs Next 2 formats for viewership purposes. That format would work very well if NIL and the Portal get reigned in. The playoffs will almost always end up being SEC/B1G driven. Those conferences are already a huge notch above the rest. It would really help if ND was forced into the ACC. That would bolster the game a lot. There has to be a way to allow them their NBC contract, and marquee matchups outside the conference. They’re already better than that group anyway. But the BEST solution would be to get back to regional football. It’s a shame that West Coast viewers just don’t value college football enough.

You couldn't have said that better. The guy is smart. He works hard. He shows some level of concern for players ' futures. Then he say stuff like "somebody get me a mirror" when asked who is the best coach in college football (among other things). It reminds me of the time Richard Sherman ranted after an NFC Championship game when San Francisco beat Seattle. What he said was perfectly logical, but the way he said it had people asking " what in the hell did he just say?". Sometimes style detracts from the substance.

Not happening. That would be the most toxic locker room in the world. Meyer may have a point, but taking a short term hit like that is better than being held hostage moving forward. Jackson Arnold, Avery Johnson, Dante Moore, Jaylen Rashada. What do they all have in common with Nico? Not one of them has earned their keep as five star recruits. And with Nico, his defense and his running back are the reason Tennessee made the playoffs ( that and classic meltdowns by Ole Miss and Bama). Urban Meyer is giving narrative to continuing the madness. Very few kids of late earn their five star billing. CFB is truly becoming the NFL. Throw money at people for their potential, then some nobody surprises everybody, and wants that same stupid money. Notice none of them are bold enough to sign one year deals with incentive clauses. Because we all know most of them wouldn’t earn the money in those stupid contracts. Which begs the question: are organizations even paying for performance, or is it purely marketing?

I liken lists like this to recruiting and the mock NFL Draft lists. All opinion, very subjective, and meant to be provocative. I don't pay attention to Draft analysis anymore. It's just dumb. I'm highly suspicious of recruiting services now as well. Not to mention, kids don't impress me anymore. They change their minds way too much (rightfully so since they really are just kids). It's all about programs and organizations to me. Who develops players, who really is a master at getting the most from their players. Who flat out wins.

This may end up behind a pay link (Forbes has been notorious of pay walls). Excellent article about the intricacies of NIL contracts. What Nico Iamaleava’s Holdout Means For The Future Of NIL Contracts WWW.FORBES.COM Tennessee's situation with Nico Iamaleava may impact how both schools and...

Mario did have an actual offensive game plan. It was called the Gulf Coast Offense, which he promptly dumped to prove he could grind out dominant victories and prove he was better than Chip Kelly. How stupid do you have to be to dump a system with an NFL bound QB that averaged more points than hip Kelly’s offense? Less stupid than the architect of that offense leaving a rebuilding project as leader of that offense before completely rebuilding. The ONLY difference between those two egotistical numskulls is one is far more polished at fooling a fan base. Both left for their dream school. One because he was too delusional to grasp what he actually had (and wasn’t man enough to tell his wife to get her behind out to Eugene and deal with her biases), and the other that had to leave because he was about to reveal what a fraud he actually is. Both of them blew their shot at a Natty, as both had recruited well enough to defeat an elite field of teams, not to mention said NFL bound QB. You can’t write these fiascos any worse. Scam Newton gets unfair treatment, fumbles a TD and the refs reverse the call, WR Carrington gets caught smoking the bud before the Natty (and WR Allen gets hurt in the semi final game), a freshman LB runs past OZR plays the entire 2nd half giving NFL bound Elliot stardom enhancement. The Snake bolts for his dream job to take on a project before learning how to rebuild a project, his successor dumps the best offense Oregon EVER had, and wastes OBD’s newfound recruiting skills, and Dan Lanning inherits the missing piece to create what would have been the most lethal offense his first year here- a poor group of WRs (with the best OL and RB group he ever had, and the worst defense he ever had). Our only consolation is Lanning is the real deal , and is growing amidst the most unsettling era in the history of college football. If I’m assessing this correctly, OBD will never get embarrassed and outcoached again. If I’m correct, no circumstances will stand in DL’s way. He will finish, what he started. I hope I’m correct.

Hopefully the House Settlement ices player movement ( reasonably ). It’s ruining the game, it’s ruining players, and the ‘representatives’ are the only beneficiaries of NIL and the portal. Thank God he’d have to declare before the Spring Game. I might think DL holds on to too much of his philosophy, but that man is a master strategizer, full of massive integrity, and seems to get better every day. DL is a keeper, and so is Novosad.

Good for Tennessee. I personally thought it was ridiculous to sign him for $10 out of high school ( can you hear Shemar Moore?). I wasn't impressed with his down field game at all- bad WRs or not. For $10M , you better win me a title. Before you're eligible for the draft. I'll tell you something else. Kansas State is going to be mediocre again, and Auburn will barely win six games, because Jackson Arnold and Avery Johnson aren't even as good as Nico. And what is Oklahoma thinking? They're going to have another mediocre season in the SEC. I truly hope 1) these schools learn HOW TO EVALUATE TALENT and 2) Tennessee iced many an ego. Nearly 40% of the kids that opted for the portal DID NOT find a new home. And No, I would not pick Nico up. He got some horrible advice. Nineteen TD passed is mediocre. No matter what conference you play in. Nico looks worse than Bear Alexander. Kudos for DL not falling for the set up.

Jon, As usual you add depth to any analysis. I forgot Florida plays LSU and A&M, but I don’t consider them as dangerous as the Gators. They’re still tough outings for sure though. The SEC can truly boast the ‘any given Saturday “ theme from now on. Texas and Michigan (again, if the Wolverines have a legit QB) have the easiest paths to a title game (boy I wish they would change the dynamic of the CFP-for OBD might have given Ohio State a game for the ages again). I have a love/hate relationship for Kirby Smart. It’s more the blue blood thing than him because I think he is the best coach in the business right now. Being a West Coast fan that literally watched the SEC allow Scam Newton to play but viciously attack USC for basically the same damn violation, I just loathe giving the conference the credit it is due. The balance in the SEC is unparalleled. It would be nice to see Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, USC and the Fuskies return to glory as they would nullify the SEC mantra ‘they’re the best’. But I’m rare. Most alums would NEVER advocate competitive balance-especially with their hated rivals. I happen to believe it is absolutely best for the game of college football. ‘My team is better than yours’ is what makes college football better than the NFL.

I agree Penn State is underrated given the team they return. Texas though…I believe that WR group will be almost as good. Not to mention Manning is simply the best QB ‘returning’. Now Georgia certainly is better at the line of scrimmage. Manning is far more elusive than Ewers, is more accurate, and will make more plays than Ewers (and Sark knows how to get the best out of his QBs-and Manning may be the best QB Sark has ever coached). I believe Texas has the best shot at winning the title. Georgia has lost so much on defense, that I believe they’ll have to outscore teams this year, and I don’t believe they have the WR or RB group to pull that off. DL has to prove to me he can shut down (not stop, but actually bus stop) lethal offenses. As in taking an F1 car, putting it in the pit stop, until his offense puts the game out of reach. I also believe Stein has to show no defense can stop him (at any time, not just crucial situations). Penn State is a WR group away from a title. QB Allard holds the ball too long because that group doesn’t get open consistently enough. Ohio State is a better version of last year’s Michigan team, without the defensive firepower. They should lose to Penn State, and if Michigan’s fresh phenom is any good, a fifth straight loss to the Wolverines is in the cards (who in my opinion has the best schedule and can surprise everyone). Notre Dame needs a dominant QB. They have everything else. The field is wide open again. There are no Saban dominant type teams, or Georgia 21’ or 22’. We are in a new era. Every year is going to look like the NFL. The eventual champs will be the ones that make the fewest mistakes, has the healthiest team, and has enough playmakers to make a difference.

Oh I think your Gators are going to make some noise this year. They are a much better team with Lagway healthy. In fact, they’re pretty dangerous and I feel the title goes through Gainesville this year. Texas and Georgia must be on point all game to defeat your Gators this year. I doubt Tennessee can beat them.

It takes most coordinators a half to adjust to what they’re seeing.

I think you misunderstood my point. You play to win. Doesn't mean it's necessarily good to win all your games. Beyond the pressure to continue winning, the odds of winning the next one diminishes . The odds of winning 16 games in a row is 65,535 to 1. The Cleveland Cavaliers won their 16th game in a row last week, and have lost four straight since. No one of significance is injured on their roster. Let's put that into Vegas numbers. After 12 games, every time Cleveland is favored those next four games, your chance of winning by betting they'll lose skyrockets. In fact, you could triple your bet after each loss and you're guaranteed to win money. I don't gamble like that, but I sure pay attention to it. One other thing, if you pay attention, not one sports book lays odds on any team going undefeated. They know no one will risk their money, despite getting favorable odds Playing to lose doesn't really matter in the long run. Your odds of losing pretty much takes care of it.

That’s a pretty good list in a very well thought out order. My concerns are as follows: I believe last year was about matchups. That said, we were literally missing a CB strong enough to slow down Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith. Muhammad had that assignment, and though he covers very well, he wasn’t big enough to stop Smith ( I believe injured Jalhil Florence was, which would have allowed Muhammad to take down slot Ebuke-someone he could handle much better). Another matchup was the way the LBs covered the TEs. You know my thoughts…look at the guy you’re covering and you take away the QBs options. On offense, it’s how fast the OL gels. It would also help if they don’t have to wait 5 weeks to play an elite team again and take 2 1/2 Quarters to get back to game speed. My other concern is separation speed at WR, and Stein’s unwillingness to use Sequential Plays for his favorite play: the Bubble Screen. Now that I have your list to work on, I’m going to look into matchups. Makes me wonder how coaching staffs and their analysts attack the off season. I’m curious about what priorities they deem most important. Is it personnel, scheme or which opponents they feel most threatened by?

Series Record: Oregon 1 – Montana State 0. On September 20, 1947. Oregon defeated Montana State 27-14. (I was six months old and have no recollection of this game.) I was today years old when I read that paragraph.

Normally I would agree with you, but history does not. The Miami Dolphins are the only NFL team to go undefeated in the modern football area start to finish. The Dolphins played 17 games that year. New England almost did, but had to play 18. Michigan, Georgia and Clemson all went 15-0. They all played in a two playoff game format. Now college football is in NFL territory, with at least a three playoff game gauntlet. It will be astronomically difficult in this era of parity at the elite level to win all your games facing at least four or five elite teams the same year. A loss, in my opinion reminds you how much you must focus just to be in the field of dreams. Ohio State, easily the most talented team in a number of years, lost by a total of four points last year. Those four points channeled more motivation-especially with the intent on embarrassing OBD-to prove their worth. Miami was so humiliated by their SuperBowl loss, they just went out and took it to every opponent the next year-and went undefeated. So…you know where I’m going with this. Will Lanning finally go to the specialist and fix his woes on defense against elite offenses and go undefeated? The past three years the title went to the team with an abundance of talent. This year will be the first where I believe NIL takes that away completely. Texas is probably the most talented team on paper, but even they lost a good chunk of talent. Penn State is an elite WR away from having an offense that would give everyone fits. So if DL and Lupoi can fix their problems with elite WRs…maybe just maybe.

We have one of the best coaches in the business. All three current coaches with a Natty had to take their lumps. And Kirby only beat Nick once . Same with Dabo. After pundits blasted Lanning for the Seattle loss, his words told me all I needed to know. The way he coached against Ohio State in October confirmed it in my eyes. I believe beating Wisconsin was unfortunate. We needed the sting of playing mediocre and losing about as much as Ohio State did losing to Michigan. It also might have helped to lose to Penn State. Losing truly forces a team to pay attention. Going undefeated bolstered the thought OBD didn't need to change much.

I finally watched the full first half. Sluggish is an understatement. One thing for sure though, every foundational weakness was exploited. Lupoi drags the DEs to middle of the box on the backside of the play-leaving the edge WIDE OPEN. I thought this was a player thing until I saw both edges routinely slide inside all year. Chip annihilated that opening, as every running TD attacked that strategy. However, it was clear the players were ‘running at half speed’ the entire half on both sides of the ball. The secondary literally ran like they had concrete blocks on their shoes. They were reading and reacting very slowly. Personally, I just don’t like the coverage rules, and of course you absolutely cannot cover your receivers if you look at the QB (Denzel Burke for OSU did so in October and nearly got burned again in Pasadena as well-so this isn’t just an OBD thing). I just don’t like the defensive front. In October, Lupoi ran more 4-3, but to little avail (the secondary got shredded, but it did shut their running game down). I like that and a 5-2 because it totally shuts down the edges. It does expose the back 4, but they don’t have good coverage rules as a practice-so in my ‘hack’ opinion it doesn’t matter until the coverage rules change ( I personally prefer matchup zone-which is what I think Lupoi actually installed, but seam coverage and overall coverage in the middle of the field was absolutely horrible). This seems to be primarily against elite offenses however-as this was the third year those teams found every weakness and went to town. I’m talking about having a party on the way to the end zone kind of attack. But again, I’m no coach, I’m just a hack. My whole problem with coaching today is scheme outweighs basic football. You can’t stop a great team if you don’t force running the ball inside the box, and you totally can’t cover elite passing games without all three LBs taking away options between the hashes (both the NFL and College hashes). It takes film study to explain that, but that’s my take. It’s also why if I’m a head coach, half my practice is forcing my coordinators to take the best of football on offense and defense and forcing each coordinator to defend and attack those elite strategies. Script the first 7-8 plays each game to attack the general principles of your opponent on each side, and then it’s simply attack what they’re actually doing that day (which means you have prepared for world class offense and defense in advance). My take of course (an NFL coach mentioned something to that effect in the Nineties without really saying that. I’ve thought about just that-preparing for the elite by being prepared for any elite football scheme known to the history of football ever since).