Mike West

Georgia IS the real deal. Bama is out( and Auburn just may take out the Tide this year anyway). Cinci won't be able to shake an unfortunate struggle against Indiana ( took too long to take over that game- Indiana is horrible this year). Besides, Cinci is third in either of the Big Ten divisions at best. Oklahoma should get in. They'll go undefeated. Ohio State should get in... They'll run the table. Wake. Not enough defense to impress. They still play NC State( better than Wake in my opinion). Notre Dame? No. See Cincinnati. Everyone probably worries about Bama. I don't. Georgia is going to win the Natty, and Bama is going to experience a rare double digit defeat in Atlanta. My question is will Cristobal finally ignite the afterburners? There isn't a team in the conference that can slow them down. I think Moorhead (correctly) recognizes Brown is lethal throwing cross patterns and post patterns ( toss in a few fade routes to keep the CBs honest and teams will back off our top notch WR unit). I still want to see the LBs cover people instead of eye balling the QB B all day. And can DeRuyter seal the edge please? Some fantasy inn there of course. I see Georgia, tOSU, Oklahoma, and ( depending on Cristobal) our Beloved Ducks. It's his to lose... And he knows it. Boy...I write to much (lol).

Upside... I believe the committee sees Oregon's upside. Potential will get you "fired". So the ultimate question is " will the Ducks start dropping 85 giga ton bombs on the conference and leave a cloud of dust for miles?" 52-29 games from this point gets them in. 45-17 guarantees them a #3. I'm stunned. Truly stunned. "Will Batman revert to his old habits and play to the level of his competition? Or are we witnessing the dawn of a new era?" Join us this weekend my friends. Same Bat Time(not), same Bat Channel.

Depends on if it get LBs start covering guys in the area of responsibility. Depends on if DeRuyter contains the running games inside the box. Depends on if Moorhead can get a feel for the new Buckeye defense. We have the talent right now to win a rematch. I'm not concerned with Ohio State's talent. I'm concerned with an our strategies. We don't seal the edge against the run. We leave the middle of the field WIDE OPEN for easy completions( we forced the Buckeyes to drive the whole field even despite that- take away that and the Buckeyes have to play perfect offense). I could go on, but I'll bite everyone. The UCLA and Colorado first halves are supposed to be normal. That they aren't is huge. They are talented enough Right Now. With upside at that.

BTW. I'm mixed about Cincinnati. On the one hand they're undefeated with ONE decent win. Don't think they'll stay in the game against number one or two( would give number four headaches). They have played well this year On the other hand, I don't play the participation game for the sake of fairness. Life isn't fair. And Cincinnati would struggle in the PAC12 because they lack depth. They would have to play flawless ball eight conference games and that is tough. They might be good enough to go 8-1 this year, but I have my doubts. I'm for expansion. Finally. It would give G5 teams the ability to recruit more effectively. Somewhat even the playing field. As is though, I'm not ok with giving Cincinnati a brownie for competing, but not really being able to win a playoff game. It's boring enough that Clemson Bama Ohio State and LSU obliterated the three and four teams (and Cincinnati will do no better). Bama is better, heck A&M is better. Oregon is better(yeah, I wrote it), Michigan Penn St and Michigan State are better. Arguably Wisconsin and Iowa are better. That's EIGHT teams I'm confident would definitely beat the Bearcats. Why should they get in given that prospect? It's supposed to be the best four teams. Cincinnati is realistically eight, nine or ten at best. For those of you that disagree, ask yourself how they would perform in the Big Ten this year. Either division. Can they really defeat either of the most talented ( and expected) conference winners this year? I don't believe so. Best four until they expand the field.

Play them again. Prove it wasn't a fluke. Of all the teams we should play if we don't make the playoffs, our non conference Nemesis should be there one. Ohio State is the only consistent team that has demonstrated excellence for decades. Defeating them a second time would indicated Oregon is indeed a powerhouse. Most especially if the Buckeyes continue their recent dominant play coming into the bowl game. Beating Ohio State twice would announce the Ducks as a serious title contender. The only other team that can do that is Alabama. Nobody else would raise our reputation. Are we in this for titles, or kicks and giggles?

I want what ever been seeing from the elite college and pro teams the last six years. Clearly that is a dominant offense and a defense good enough to shut down very very good offenses. In other words, I want a title contender, not a pretender ( what we've been the last four years). Ironically, outside of Braxton Burmeister, we had that in 2017. Does anybody note the irony the Snake choose his dream location over a title contending team? And Cristobal systematically destroyed that system. I see so much talent right now that it is inexcusable we "play around and let teams beat us". I haven't seen a conference team that has the ability to stop us or score on us. I'm talking 35-7 halftime scores all year. We punished DTR, but let UCLA off the hook. It's as if Cristobal loves close scores. Colorado scoring 29 is disgusting to me. Bama rarely let's Vandy breach 14. LSU and Auburn struggle to score 20, Georgia knew scoring 28 wasn't going to be easy, or enough to defeat the Crimson Tide. THAT IS WHAT I WANT. Ohio State struggles to beat Clemson and Bama because they're just below that threshold. And the Buckeyes are really, really good. There is a standard our there. Recruits see it, avoid fans see it. It doesn't matter what you believe, what is required is the only thing that matters. You need both. It takes talent solid enough to draw the attention of the NFL every week. And coaching that forces NFL GM managers to attend crappy matchups like the game we watched last weekend. I think Cristobal is smart enough, but is he determined enough? Dominance forces Submission. That's what his terms lack. That is the missing piece. Chip even ignored this fact. That's why Stanford was his ultimate nemesis. It starts with looking at what it takes to beating the elite. Colorado shouldn't even have the right to breathe in our presence. USC should fear waking one the field to play us-even with all their talent. Bama and Ohio State should scheme all year to beat us. NFL execs should complain about travelling to Eugene week to week. We already have that kind of talent. Time to put it together.

The LBs better find and cover inside.

Nope. The linebackers need to zoom in and cover TEs and anybody coming in their area of responsibility. This game would be finished before it started if those guys started covering guys instead of looking at the QB on pass plays.

If I can get those linebackers to find a receiver to cover instead of looking at the quarterback on pass playas, I'd be a millionaire(because the Ducks would SHUT EVERYBODY OUT). Every single competition on that drive was because the backers didn't find the TE and shut those passes down. This game would be over RIGHT NOW, and free season would he s guaranteed playoff berth if those damn linebackers would start covering receivers instead of looking at the guy the guy they can't cover(the QB). And sure enough before I finish, Oregon's Achilles heel shows up again ( the inability to slit an opponent's throat when they have the guy on the ground).

Oregon 24-20 1 turnover 2 sacks 195 passing yards

9-4 Average score 29 points Yielding 23 points per game This team is as sloppy as last year's with more talent than the 2019. Gets them two victories on talent alone, two more they'll lose that they shouldn't. Still say CFB should some up with the Hormel Sloppy Joe Bowl. We don't attend the conference title game, and lose our bowl game ( whatever it is)

Purina Bowl I recall when I used to predict out boys would go to the Cucumber Bowl (now that would be the Kraft Cucumber Bowl lol)

I don't believe the President's recognize the danger they are in. In my opinion these guys think they're the brightest lightbulbs in the room . The PAC12 is playing by 2012 "rules". Disney is playing for keeps. Fox has a good foothold with the BIG, but not enough leverage to counter Disney completely. Demographically, the PAC12 it's out in the cold because it's audience deems other things more important. I don't believe these constituents really care about football and basketball. And I believe the President's feel the same. I actually believe these "leaders" tolerate sports as a necessary evil. They have more important issues on their minds. Hence, they react to events instead of strategizing future scenarios. It will take the threat of complete failure to recognize the cognitive dissonance they suffer from.

We are back to Oregon before Chip Kelly transformed football. Solid Defense...an Offense that does just enough. Until we face elite teams. I think the title of this article is correct. Not sure USC gets the next Nick Saban or Urban Meyer though. https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2021/10/16/oregon-is-not-becoming-a-superpower-the-right-usc-hire-changes-everything/

Not to mention two guys were open downfield. The guy has lost his confidence. And the defense free of the offense. I swear I want to suit up myself and smack somebody.

Let's hope both Oregon and ASU run the table to field a conference title game the nation can't ignore. Here's to both teams wiping out the conference until then

The safest way to the playoffs is to win by an average of 42-17 per game, including the conference title game. The team is damn near talented enough NOW to do that. But that requires a hunger they don't have, a ruthless mentality they don't possess, and a coach willing to tick off the conference by simply burying them in the dirt. Simple, but not easy. I see enough talent on this roster to accomplish that challenge. Yes... Even with AB at QB. But who am I? I argued the Snake had a pretty damn good offense at Oregon(I'm snarky these days guys...I have little patience for potential, or unwillingness to see facts like 52 pog when JH was healthy under the Snake). These Ducks dropped 35 in Columbus- I doubt that happens again this season- and they left points on the board in that game too. What are they waiting for? Every Lane County High School to play them the rest of the year? Kick everybody's butt already.

Cal is 1-4 for a reason. If the Ducks don't slaughter the Golden Bears, I'd be surprised. This IS a payback game btw, and Cal had no business hanging around last year. AB needs to read run "options" accurately and just toss the ball to open WRs. Our Defense? Good enough to shut Cal out. But they won't. So the world will turn... In the days of our lives ( non Boomers will not get that reference). This Duck team is leaving SO MUCH FOOD ON THE TABLE. Aren't they hungry?

Braxton Burmeister couldn't hit a deep shot, and was only accurate between the hash marks. Made it difficult to run an offense when teams lined up to stop the run, and force BB to convert third and long throws. Not sure any system can compensate for that over a long stretch. Again, talent DOES matter. JH didn't have to wait for WRs to get open, so he was damn near an automatic machine gun. Maybe even a guided missile. The guy was lights out. And we see with NFL talent he's MVP material already (and he isn't repeating rookie mistakes nearly as often this year). As for the losses to ranked teams, he threw a ball to a DB he was directly looking at. That's an individual mistake not a system flaw ( both INTs that game were poorly thrown and read- again player mistake.). BSU doesn't count as the Snake had slithered away ( and the aftermath predetermined that loss- Avalos usually loses to more talented offenses and got a huge early Christmas present).

Um, You do realize JH scored 77;42;49;35; 28(then got injured in that game); 48 and 69 when healthy under the "controversial" and often criticized system the Snake led, right? Oregon would have obliterated Chip's record year(s) had Justin decided to fall instead of lunge for the end zone that October. Justin didn't have to worry about mechanics because he trusted his (NFL caliber) WRs. Talent DOES make a difference. I encourage EVERYONE to watch the first half of the Nebraska game that year. JH threw into tight windows, threw 45 yards to complete a ten yard TD on very quick timing that required a super quick decision. Threw open passes to WRs before they were open, and simply "walked on water". Every "expert" that criticized JH from that day went into my Expert Trash Bin. It was beyond obvious he was going to kill it in the NFL. At least in my mind. So yes, he actually did get some good advice because he was smart enough to figure it out as a sophomore. That's how good he was, and how good the talent AND system were. Too many people have argued against those facts. And we have it all archived here at FishDuck. Just about everyone was critiquing an unstoppable offense. Saying it was unimaginative, uncreative, as if it was garbage. So let me repeat those scores: 77;42;49; a paltry 35; 45( the final tally of the Cal debacle); 48 and SIXTY NINE. Anyone want to argue that system sucked? An offense in which Justin Herbert averaged 49 points a game while he was healthy? Can anyone actually argue he was poorly coached? Um, please justify that reasoning for me. Too bad I'm late to the plate on this thread.

I get that Brown is consistent. But SO WAS HIS COACHING. He still overthrows wide open fade routes. That's coaching my friend. Braxton Burmeister hits open fade routes now. Remember how bad he was? I actually watched Burmeister torch North Carolina twice this year. If he can do it, so can Brown. BROWN THINKS TOO MUCH. Quarterbacking is just a game of pitch and catch. You start there, then build your foundation. Easy ups are the perfect tool to teach the kind of form (process) one needs to complete each type of pass. For guys with strength issues, that matters because it's about timing. Brown has enough strength, but he lacks technique. Because he hasn't been coached on his main weakness. Burmeister is not strong enough to throw deep passes like Brown can. But he does it far better than when he was as Oregon. And Burmeister is far more comfortable (and effective) as a result.

One thing I can say about Cristobal is his teams perform well in big games (win or lose, they play far better when something is on the line). I felt strange the week the team traveled to Columbus. They seemed too relaxed. As if they hadn't played Fresno State the week before. Then they played lights out for three quarters. Does this team know how good they are? Or was the Ohio State game a fluke? Are they confident they could beat the Buckeyes again? Who are the 2021 Ducks? Playoff contender or flash in the pan?

Offensive Coordinators play to a QB's strengths. Brown is efficient, and every once in awhile hits a deep pass. He puts no air under his deep balls. He can correct that. He also aims (instead of throws) his deep passes. For the life of me, I don't know why coaches don't use easy ups ( passes during warm ups at the beginning of practices and games) as drills < for the sake of timing those speedy WRs downfield >. Brown needs to work overtime on getting the correct feel for each of his WRs on his deep passes. It's time to earn A+ results for A+ effort. Championships are earned behind the scenes. Brown has a shot at accuracy downfield. He needs to put in the work with his boys though. And while they're at it, those LBs need serious work on pass coverage to help the secondary out.

I like the positive vibe. I guess we could look at it like Nick Saban did last night. I guarantee you THEY will not play another lazy down the rest of the year though. We could only be so lucky.

Interesting... And very good points. I recognize Brown failed epically. We STILL should have wiped them out. Fast Hard Finish. As I've mentioned, that describes exactly how title contenders play. Start to finish. Knock the snot out of your man. Take their will to fight away immediately. Until I see that, I think of Cristobal as fooling himself (still love the guy).