fred flintstone

IMO.....at Iowa.....this game will demand a good effort Its played November 8.....in the midwest November 8 could be like January or September weather wise. If by some chance it's January.....anything could happen. Iowa appears to be underrated this year....they have 3 players potentially rated all big 10 on the OL. A nice QB transfer and will have a good not great defense. The place will be packed and may be played at night......depending on how Iowa has done to date. One of the larger stadiums at 70,000. Few Oregon fans in the area. Who but the diehards wants to visit Iowa City in November. Oregon is traveling Iowa coming off bye Iowa coming off playing at home against a mid level Minnesota. So no travel for 3 weeks. Few bumps and bruises. Last time Oregon played Iowa was 1994. Not a familiar site. Not sure which ref team will be assigned but......they could be slanted. If Iowa is 7-1 or better going into the game...look out for a few obvious home calls. Iowa coaching is not great.....but is competent.

One of the problems at USC is that a great many of their fans are mired in the distant past. They believe they are still a top 5 program. Now, they believe that a head coach that has totally flubbed everything over the past 4 years has a chance to take a squad full of retreads and mediocre talent to the playoffs. This USC team does not have one 5 star player on its starting 22. Yet they think they are loaded with championship talent. Nobody is standing up and demanding excellence. The admin keeps hiring duds without even checking their background. One small example of how it is.....Oregon stole their outstanding left guard Pregnon for this year......so they went out and hired a player that is nowhere near as good but passable to plug the hole because their OL recruiting has been bad.......and then they forgot to check if he is eligible. They waited til last week to ask. He filed suit last week to get a determination from the ncaa. Who dropped the ball......nobody seems to care or is blamed. It's over down there. Truth is Pete C was only hired because the first 2 candidates turned them down.....if not for that strike of lightening the last time they were good was way back in the 70's. What a mess.

LOL......USC right now is like a helium filled balloon all set to explode.......unfortunately it has a Lincoln Riley anchor tied to it. The Riley anchor is historically one of the most dense, heavy and deceptive anchors ever created in college football. So.....other programs will continue to enjoy a 10 point per game handicap advantage for at least another year or two or three until the folks with the wallets figure out they have been robbed....again. Fool me once shame on you....fool me twice shame on me.

A lot better than playing Cal or Stanford. Probably a national audience. Against a ranked team. Sellout. I'am jealous.

Now that is some wise words.

Good point.

IMO this game will revolve around the Duck QB position. If he becomes what his HS rating indicated Oregon could pull an upset. If he plays like he did in LA.....it will be a long day. The travel is tough but at least the Ducks are home prior to the game and will probably leave early and get settled. None of the prior games give a tough grinding game. Since it will be played at 7:30 in late September the game conditions should be ideal.....nice and crisp, perhaps high 50's and dry......and a crucial point.....Franklin has never been the kind of coach that adds points. He is not a bad coach but he is no Saban. Another huge factor.....Oregon....for the first time in the Lanning era has a Georgia type defensive front. The DE's are plentiful and scary. The interior is strong. I'd be shocked if anybody scores more than 35 points on Oregon this year and for most games.....24.

I will miss Rivals....they seemed to be more accurate and dependable. Far fewer everybody is great nonsense.

Unfortunately Wa St and Ore St did not understand their positions in the pac 12. They should have agreed to take quite a bit less in favor of Oregon, USC, Utah etc. Instead they demanded an equal share and now have the future of the Titanic.

As already expressed........the USC recruiting effort is becoming formidable.........and wins will be inevitable.......but.......the program has an iron ball wrapped around its ankles named Riley and it's going to be another couple years before that is corrected.

Ohio State will respect Oregon when Oregon earns it. I am a Duck fan but as a long time fan of college football.......you don't squeak out a one point win at home thousands of miles from their home site and then fold up against them on a neutral field closer and more familiar to yourself without them being a bit arrogant. The only two powers Oregon beat this year were Penn St and Illinois.....both at home. In Penn St's case a day of travel away.....and Illinois does not historically count for much in the BIG. Not saying Oregon was not a good team......but you want respect.......next time show up for the big game and beat them. It was a great season.....but the goal is to win NC's.....and with this very good team we did not...... Claiming Oregon as No 1 is ridiculous Ohio State beat Tenn, ND, Oregon and Texas all very comfortably. Oregon struggled again Boise and several of the others. Hopefully things will improve next year when some of the Lanning recruits arrive on the defensive line for the first time.

Illinois wins! Playoffs next year.

A NC.

You are absolutely correct.......Indiana belonged, SMU and Tenn belonged. They earned their spots. Alabama lost 3 games....so they did not belong. Kirk Herbstreit is under pressure to defend the myth of SEC dominance. If Indiana did not belong why was Tenn there. Ohio State blew them off the field. Georgia flys thru the playoffs playing ND and potentially Penn St......while Oregon plays Oh St and Texas. Again, total bias. Trying to trip up number 1 so the SEC can appear dominant. A true ranking of the teams IMO......Oregon, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame and everybody else. The playoffs are not about picking the toughest conference....they are about picking a national champion.

Don't get too nervous.....Tenn was not an outstanding team. To put it in B1G terms, their talent level was above Indiana but right about Iowa level. They barely beat some pitiful teams on their schedule. At home on hard frozen ground Ohio St looked great.....in Pasadena they will be beatable.