Mike West

DL is only going to get better. We are a lucky fan base.

Ohio State has the best defense in the nation. If their offense was as good, they'd be in this position. I thought Washington choked. Dropped passes, penalties, and Penix finally lost his composure. Michigan forced the issue, but plays were left on the field, and UW didn't continue the strategy they used to close within seven at halftime. I expected much more swing routes to the RBs and WRs. Setting up fakes to those areas and quick strikes downfield along the sidelines. UW actually did that to Texas, and I expected more of that. And those vaunted curl routes to the TE they used against OBD. OBD are capable of handling all the playoff teams, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Missouri. That slow start in the Conference Title Game hurt our shot at taking this physical brand on. OBD have an offense that can handle these elite teams. I like Michigan. I think you can drop thirty on them. Washington showed you can. I'm sure plenty disagree. I'd love a shot at that defense. They can be forced to deal with what their aggression leaves available. It's there for the taking. That's why I'm not a fan of repeating the same plays over and over again in practice. My philosophy is give them looks so you can take what they give you, which means my OC is using ALL 195 plays in his playbook. But that's just me.

Yep They finally went play action... Loosened up the LOS. That's what I call forcing the issue the right way. Another clutch set of decision-making in the 4Q this playoff round for UM.

But we know who the refs are giving the advantage to. Can't cover the WR, hold him along the sidelines. You'll get a free pass. Not pleased...

Total numbers advantage finally neutralized. Good adjustment using the safety to close gaps. Same philosophy David Shaw used on Chip Kelly to ruin TWO Natty berths. If you can't beat em, outflank them. They couldn't do it to tOSU this fall, but they sure did enough to Penn State (because Manny Diaz refused to adjust early). Take away those two LOS double teams and you take away the advantage. Now Michigan has to sprinkle more play action on early downs to suck those LBs in. I think they go back to their 1Q attack to see if it works, then proceed accordingly. Fortunately for the Wolverines they have a QB that can do damage, come back if need be, or take over Washington got out of rhythm with early LOS control from UM. They finally settled down and got down to business. I think UW needs to run Frosh Rodgers in the 2H as much as key back Johnson. Their OL is creating enough space to exploit with more "speed" from a healthy Rogers). I think the 2yds per carry is because Johnson is running on one leg. Key opening series for UM. They'll need to dual up some pressure in Penix because UW has unlocked UM's puzzle. This game is going as I expected. Good coaching early, as good adjustments in the 2Q.

And the PAC12 has the NERVE to post a conference of champions ad. Going down the pipe this year. Ugh.

Yep, UM is shooting for double teams at the point of attack. Nice close by the safety, too bad he got injured. I see countering that strategy coming. Look for Michigan to set up play action from this attack strategy.

Look at THAT hold... Yeah, both ways

Let's see what they do one on one. Haven't seen them control the LOS without double teams.

Nobody goes 7,8,9 on the LOS like my Michigan.

Nice hold downfield by the TE. No breaks for the Fuskies. Gonna have to bust some noses to get hands off their shoulder pads

It appears the SEC will cannibalize just as much. UGA isn't escaping Ole Miss this year. They face Missouri again. Bama has a difficult schedule too. I doubt we'll see an undefeated SEC team this year (again). Made for TV matchups are going to be routine. I believe we will see matchups like this on the regular. I certainly hope so. I'm all for USC being much better this year, UW being as close to this year, and OBD rising as far as this year. I want UM, OSU and PSU as good or better. I just want damn good college football. Even from the SEC. Nothing is worse than subpar football. May excellence reign forever more and as widespread as possible. Awesome CFB is better than the boring NFL(I only watch that league in the playoffs). I loved watching Bama v. TEXAS , Bama v. Ole Miss, and UGA v Missouri. tOSU v. PSU, UM v. PSU and UM v tOSU. That kind of football is compelling. Give me excellent college football or give me death.

Very good article as usual Jon! I will reserve my thoughts until fall, when rosters are more concrete, and w we've seen a few games. Initial thoughts are tOSU is almost a lock. Penn State looks solid enough ( I want to see how that defense end up, and they really need to launch an explosive offense- you have to be able to score 28 plus on elite defenses). OBD will be a work in progress, need to see how the defense develops over the season. QB Rodgers is going to surprise many- the guy is talented. Not sure how much depth UW will have next year, but like UM, they will decide who is going dancing in the playoffs. USC is another team that will determine who does dancing. If they are serious about being more physical, especially on defense, they may go themselves. I see four for sure, even with two losses ( by the way, I see only one SEC team with the possibility of escaping unscathed, Georgia- but this year those teams are playing real schedules... Finally). I'll say this with absolute confidence:. We are going to see some of the best football the sport has to offer this year. TV ratings are going to go through the roof!

You could have brought back Justin Herbert or Marcus Mariota for the Georgia game last year and it would not have made a difference in the outcome of the game. Georgia was just that much better at every position (Kirby Smart did not lie in his post-game comments). Our defense could not stop Georgia's offense. I'll take the 0-4. Bo Nix is going into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. What WILL be mentioned is what Nix meant to this team, the University, and the football program. Bo Nix is leaps and bounds better than when he arrived. I saw a guy with no OL at AU, not even close to decent WRs, and a guy who pressed hard to win despite those factors. That is the real Bo Nix ( cue in the music from the "to tell the truth" game show folks- Bo Nix is a winner). Oregon presented Nix an opportunity. Nix more than gave back to Oregon. All champions have flaws. Bo Nix is a champion in my book.

Me too. Because sometimes a thumbs down is a good indicator of how passionate OBD forum is(and sometimes it's good to know just how much the pot is stirring- a thumbs down isn't a prison sentence- just a statement about how one feels and it sure beats reading poison we see on other sites). I'll tell you one thing, Darren Perkins almost always brings out the passion in us. Another successful article Darren !!!

The Pick...The Finger. Those two events changed the game from a contest to a rivalry. Washington fans are no more insufferable than we are. We absolutely have out of control, arrogant fans. Especially the kids that experienced a 70-14 whipping for the first time ever. When we win a Natty, that will make the day the entire country recognizes how arrogant our fans are. Washington gets no respect for their shared Title. In fact, the PNW is such an afterthought, I believe a 12-1 UW or Oregon would have been left out of the playoffs. Mind you, there was plenty of discussion early in the year about how lethal UW was. Excellence recognizes excellence. That being said, there was no way Alabama was out of the playoffs. OBD were on razor thin margins getting in. For all the criticism of Michigan, they are getting more hype than Washington. East Coast and Southern football bias is massive. Both playoff appearances for OBD. and Washington had the same narrative after they lost: not physical enough. Washington still has that tag, despite dismantling a much more physical Texas team( and the score was no indication of how much UW dominated the game). USC and UW are the reason OBD are in the national conversation. You can thank both programs. We see tons of hate for those schools. Let's face it, we hate programs more successful than ours. They are the most motivating factor for our success. That will not change as we enter a conference than spans both coasts. Last I checked, not one recruit has left OBD since UW defeated us twice. Not one. 24' or 25'. By the way, I believe UW recruits like Utah does. They look for inner and intangible qualities as much as raw ability. I don't see them raising to top ten level status - it's not their priority. Now all that logic will be dispensed because our emotions rule the roost. We hate teams as good as, as arrogant as, and with as good as a reputation as we have. We just don't like competition. Granted, UW fans have p*sssd all over Autzen for decades. We do the same to our little brother up north. Because we can. That's the rub of it all. We want the whole cake, the whole pie, the whole world to ourselves. Nobody deserves to be in the conversation when it comes to OBD. That's how I see the world. Because it's the same in Tuscaloosa, Columbus, Ann Arbor, Los Angeles, Seattle, Athens, Gainesville and Tallahassee. Nobody deserves to be better than "my college team". And that's why I love college football. Excellence fosters excellence. Competition brings out the best in us. My Dad used to go to Portland to bet on the dog races. I used to laugh at those greyhounds chasing that electric rabbit shooting down the left side of the track. That's how I see UW and the rest of the Blue Bloods- we're trying to catch and surpass those damn rabbits. I don't want complacency in our program. That's what happens when you don't have hated rivals.

Well, you have to ask yourself: if DaBoer has enough confidence to go for a 4th and 1ON HIS OWN 34 yard line (to maintain control of the game), why wouldn't our coach have the sense to understand you don't kick filed goals against them? FGs don't win games against Washington. That is utterly clear to me. And I will clutch my cold dead hands in a fist declaring that. Washington outperformed a much more physical team than ours tonight. FGs don't beat Washington. Forth down conversions do.

Good deal. That's one BiG team in.

Novesad played well. Obviously, his lack of experience lends to a more conservative playbook. He made decent choices, went through his progressions, and moved the ball. What makes Nix so effective is he adlibs so well. His ability to adjust fluidly is remarkable. Novesad is very solid. He is going to complete in that unit very well. OBD may lose him if Moore develops as planned, but Austin can hold his own from what I've seen. DG has some of the same playmaking capabilities that Bo has, so I don't see much of a downgrade at QB.

Why was the TE open? Because the LB let him run right by him because the LB was LOOKING AT THE QB!!! I say this every month, a pass defender cannot cover the QB. He can take away the QB's option by covering the guy that is his area of responsibility. This is fundamental football (Vince Lombardi:"Gentleman, this is a football').

I am totally for the Fuskies winning it all. Partly because in my mind it does shed light on OBD. In that aspect, it boils down to a few different calls, better adjustments on defense, and better execution on offense in critical situations. I like Washington's situation. They are the most suited team to take down all three CFP contenders. They are underrated ( something we learned the hard way), and they have the most clutch QB of the bunch. We hate those facts because it's the Fuskies. Well I can't stand the SEC living off their reputation, and the BiG is finally going to respect the PAC12(because three of those teams have offenses that are going to change the dynamic of that conference). I hate the oversold blue blood conferences waaaay more than I hate the Fuskies. Always have, always will. More important, there is a taste in our mouths that is so bad, the motivation to shut down Fuskyville will last forever. I hope UW is always as good as they are now( and USC as good as the Pete Carroll years). OBD will rise much further if those two programs stay top ten material. I have thought this way since we nearly earned a Natty in 2007. We rose to lofty heights because we had to beat elite teams in our conference. And guess what, we got even closer when OBD best an elite Fusky team, and sealed Kevon Thibodeaux's commitment. That elevated our national recruiting presence, and we haven't looked back. OBD have been grown the most when USC and Washington were elite. Nothing would burn deeper than the Fuskies winning the Natty. Trust me on that. OBD will grow leaps and bounds if Washington wins the title.

I believe he meant more making plays when the chips were down. That was certainly the case in Seattle (he would have bailed out Lanning given all the hate he got for trusting his players- especially when the calls were correct given twice WRs WERE open enough to convert the final two forth down play calls). As for the second game, more on the defensive coaching staff and Lanning in my opinion (but who am I but a hack that does not like isolating four players on the LOS). The defense gave up two TDs more than their average to UW, certainly a big part of why OBD lost. I agree with you that the most elite defenses should be able to hold elite offenses to 24 points. That is a reasonable expectation. Winning Titles come down to two to four plays mostly. Thus EVERY PLAY MATTERS. That's why killer instinct is absolutely necessary. Win the Day...Fast Hard Finish: I can't think of a more appropriate theme for approaching the game of football.

Another great article Jon!!! I like the suggestions. I am also hoping the bowls go away, to be replaced by a second playoff similar to the NIT tournament format in college basketball. I believe it's is vital to the G5(and ultimately the ACC and Big12) schools in that they need revenue also in order to survive outside what seems clear to be coming: an all out BiG/SEC playoff fest. One thing for sure, change will continue for awhile. Let's hope consideration for the health of the sport is a priority.

Man, Sometimes the knowledge imparted on this forum... I am no expert on this, and let me tell you, I'm going to burn some streak taking advice from this thread. My taste buds already enjoy the thought of it all. You know you've got it good when a full blown thread debating steak is the issue of the day...

I thought this after the second game myself. People forget how formidable Washington was before they started experiencing injuries. Depth hurt us against Washington. Poor execution did also. And sometimes, you just have to admit you can't press cover NFL caliber WRs. That being said, despite going 0-3 against DeBoer, I believe Lanning is just as good. Doesn't make sense now, but let me tell you, his intangibles are off the chart. That is a very difficult concept to explain. Washington didn't seal any of their victories until the last thirty seconds of all of them. Nobody can question the Fuskies are an elite team. You don't get that close, with so many flaws, against an elite team unless you're elite yourselves. We are in for some very good times. Lanning accomplished his feats with the carryover mentality Cristobal left the team with (and his current team has). He nixed most of it by mid season this year. This team is his now. The best is yet to come.