Jon Joseph

So many great posts on OBD regarding the Ducks and games played this weekend while Puddles took a nap during Danno's Work Week. No original thoughts here. I try to coalesce the thoughts of many on the board in one place, hoping for additional thoughts from the great OBD posters. 1. No Country For Old Men. - On the Right Coast (which is the Wrong Coast for viewing sports) the USC triple OT win against a game and gutty Arizona team, ended at 2:25 AM. Before OT, Caleb Williams had 11 pass completions. But Caleb found a way through sheer guts and determination to deliver a flawed USC team another win. Amazing! 2. Don't look now, but the UCLA DEFENSE is the top-ranked in the nation giving up but 3.7 yards per play. The Bruins shut down the high-flying Wazzu offense and QB, Cam Ward, with the Bruins outgaining WSU 482 to 216 yards. I noted preseason that with the gift schedule handed to UCLA in 2023, no OREGON, and no UW, UCLA was a legitimate dark horse to make it to the Pac-12 champ game. Next Saturday's game at Oregon State, at 8 PM following OREGON at UW, will be a rock fight. 3. As Stewart Mandel of The Athletic so aptly noted in his (far better than my) wrap-up of Week 6 - "Week 6, where the average viewer sitting at home drinking a six-pack could probably manage the clock better than many of the coaches making seven figures." It up this to at least 2 six-packs. Regarding our buddy Mario - "Mario Cristobal's astounding clock-management gaffe Saturday night should go in a dictionary next to the word "inexcusable." Personally, I would have chosen "moron." Perhaps this is too harsh? Einstein's definition of "insanity" is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So, in Fairness to MC, the man is perhaps Game Management Handicapped? 4. What is it about Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and the number "11?" Down 11 with 9:49 left in the game you go for it on 4th and 11 from your 35-yard line? Brilliant! In his last two trips to Louisville, Sam Hartman has thrown 9 picks. And the vaunted Irish OL allowed Hartman to be sacked 5 times. The Irish should have lost at Duke and last night ND was physically manhandled and embarrassed. So, how good is Ohio State? And how does anyone possibly handicap USC at Notre Dame? 5. Are Oklahoma and Texas ready for the SEC? The better question is, is the SEC ready for Oklahoma and Texas? Alabama - Surrendered 6 sacks. Put up 23 net rush yards. Committed NINE (9!) false starts. But Jalen Milroe made up for this with 323 pass yards and 3 TDs. Texas A+M - Jimbo? A zillion dollars for this? Punt on 4th and 1 from plus territory? Down 9 points, with 2 minutes left, kick an FG from the Bama 2-yard line? The A+M mascot, Reveille, has more sense and guts, than this and Reveille is working for dog food. In other SEC news, the LSU defense is still a rumor and Georgia is back to being Georgia. 6. "The B1G Schedules Will Be Far Too Difficult for Oregon!" Michigan won the Little Brown Jug game at Minnesota last night, 52 - 10. Michigan's next 3 games? 2-3 Indiana. 2-3 Michigan State. 2-4 Purdue. Stewart Mandel asks, "What do all these B1G schools do with all that money? Not win football games." 7. About an hour away but I believe it is safe to project that the AP Poll will be 1 Georgia, 2 Michigan, 3 Ohio State, 4 Florida State. I have been off Gameday since McAfee happened but I suppose I will have to watch next week. GO DUCKS!

The CFB world is shocked! But Duck fans? We've seen this movie before. We remember (and apparently Mario does not) the Autzen airing of, 'How to Hand a Win to Stanford with a Stupid Clock-Management Decision,' but because MC was screwing up in the Pac, few across the nation paid attention. Including the Miami money-men who took MC back home to Miami. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I believe the question addressed to Canzano was asked by a married couple. One attended Oregon State and the other attended Wazzu. A dam cat. As Charles already noted above, Wazzu and OR St to the B1G will not happen. If a school is not an AAU member institution it will not be receiving a B1G invite. The B1G would take Cal and Stanford into the fold perhaps but not OSU and/or WSU. This season top to bottom, the Pac-12 is a far deeper conference than is the B1G. There is no easy day in the Pac-12 in 2023. In the B1G, there are Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Rutgers, Nebraska, and, don't forget point every hour or so, Iowa. However, in 2024, Oregon does draw Ohio State and Michigan.

Mario Cristobal blasted on social media after all-time coaching blunder costs Miami SATURDAYOUTWEST.COM Mario Cristobal may have just made one of the worst in-game mistakes we've seen by a college football coach. Yuck, Yuck, Yuck! Fool me once, OK? But fool me twice and who's the fool? Mario is too young to forget what happened just a few years back. At least I think so, maybe, huh?

Way to go Mario! Learned nothing from the Stanford game a few years back. CHOKE!

USC looks like it is looking toward South Bend.

2 SEC big dogs and the 2nd may be Oklahoma?

Not sure bout the merit of scheduling this way. Come tomorrow when the new AP Poll is released, in 2024 Oregon will play #2 Michigan on the road, and #3 Ohio State at home. Do not bite off more than you can chew. Play Stanford or Cal OOC. Traditional rivalries and more games in the essential recruiting state of California. Do not play more than P4 opponents. And do not play G5 teams on the road. Ohio State does not go on the road to play MAC teams.

TT had won 26 home openers in a row before the loss to the Ducks. That was a great comeback in hostile territory Behind its backup QB, Texas Tech easily defeated Baylor in Waco today. This is still a team that could finish in the top 25. The win at TT is a far better win than UW's win at MI State.

Yes, in regard to Bama and UGA, but where are the other great Ds? LSU pulled it out today at Mizzou but it again played Swiss cheese D. And the Kentucky D today was MIA.

It will be UGA, Michigan, and Ohio State 1,2, and 3 after Week 6. And with 2Ls, the Domers can kiss the playoff goodbye. Heartbreaker, right?

Hats off to Louisville. First Domer loss to an ACC team after 30 straight wins. And for SOS purposes, hats off to Texas Tech for a decisive win at Baylor. Miami has taken the lead back. It's early in both games but 2 ranked Pac-12 teams are behind.

WAZZU goes down vs. a tough Bruins D. UCLA wins in Corvallis and without playing Oregon and UW it could sneak into the champ game. Although I see no way UCLA will score enough points to defeat USC. Bama prevails in College Station. Bama now leads the SEC W and is still in line for a possible playoff berth. How far will Texas drop? If UGA and Michigan TCB tonight, it will likely be 1 UGA. 2. Michigan. 3. Ohio State. This means that to date, Oregon will be playing the #2 and #3 teams in the country in 2024.

Hats off to Oklahoma, you're OK! Heisman-worthy game by OK QB Dillon Gabriel. Ewers started off slowly but also played well. The 'experts' had UT winning both LOS. Didn't happen.

Spot on, Charles. The Athletic, especially with the Ducks headed to the more covered by the site B1G, is worth the subscription. The schedulers in the B1G 'get it.' Not only with preserving rivalries but also leaving plenty of opportunities for B1G heavyweight games. To wit - Oregon in 2024 plays Ohio State, at Michigan, and at Wisconsin. GULP! Plus Michigan State, old foe Washington, and many other B1G teams with lots of history, including the histories of historic players. Do subscribe to The Athletic, it's worth it. And, if you cannot access the B1G Network, find a way to do so. Prior to the Ducks making the move to the B1G, the BTN provided better coverage of Ducks sports than was ever the case on the Pac-12 Network. Millions and millions more people watch the BTM than watch Larry's Lost Network. Puddles is flying to the correct nest, the B1G nest.

Thank you, Charles, for this very informative take. A ton of experience that will and will possibly move on. Including Bo, a guy with the most starts at QB in CFB. But today we have the Portal. I expect with DL's expertise at portal picking and with Division Street coming with NIL money that many of the open spots will be filled by guys with playing experience. It will also help in 2024 that the Ducks play 8 games in the friendly confines of Autzen and that Oregon will have 4 OOC games before B1G play starts including B1G games vs. Ohio State and games at Michigan and Wisconsin. It has been a great 5 twelfths of the season so far but next Saturday the rubber starts to meet the road. The next 7 games will be as tough a row to hoe, plus the champ game if the Ducks get there, as for any team in CFB.

Texas Tech. In the season's first 'real' game, the Ducks ended TT's 26-opening home game winning streak. And came back in a hostile road environment to do so. And this with the new OC. OL coach, and other newbies that DL hired. Kirby Smart early on made a bunch of not-so-smart in-game decisions. DL is learning on the job, as we all had to do with most of us, unlike DL, doing so outside of the public eye. In-game decision-making is critical. But from the get-go, DL has handled the other critical part of the job, recruiting from HS and the portal. After a few faux pas, and despite Joey Harrington (a great Duck) and friends' concerns, Mullens made a terrific hire. If I had been judged my first year on the job in the manner that some judged DL, I'd have been in the unemployment line.

Have any 3 teams, even in the vaunted SEC, ever faced an end-of-regular-season finish like OREGON, UW, and USC have coming up? OREGON - at 7 UW, 13 Wazzu, at 18 Utah, Cal, 9 USC, at ASU, 15 Oregon State Washington - 8 OREGON. ASU, at Stanford, at 9 USC, 18 Utah, at 15 Oregon State, 13 Wazzu USC - Arizona, at 10 Notre Dame, 18 Utah, at Cal, 7 UW, at 8 OREGON, UCLA (and then SIGH, SC plays against BYE the week before the conference champ game.) And this conference is going away? Miss - management to the Nth degree. How could They have messed This up?

Worst 4-letter word in the Dictionary? "WORK!" Misread? No. I could have done a much better job of expressing myself. Always love to read your comments.

My friend. I have zero problems with your excellent take. But as always and at every level, it mostly comes down to the Jimmies and the Joes. This is the point I was trying to make regarding Bill B sans Tom Brady. I have no quibble whatsoever with the other guys you noted being excellent football coaches. I do not that Pete C at USC had a decided roster advantage but rarely went undefeated in the Pac-10. And in the BCS days, he was often screwed over due to the conference's image when he had a 1L team. As far as I am concerned, you had nothing to 'clean up.' And I hope I did not come across as being churlish in my reply to your spot-on comment.

Log, CFB is now a mecca for gambling. Coach Whit is playing footsie with Rising's knee. Based upon no uniform injury reporting in CFB as we have in the NFL, why not? Rising should sit this season out. And depending on where his people tell him he fits in the 2024 draft, he should come back and play a season in the B12 before going to the draft in 2025. Utah will be an immediate champion contender in the B12, especially with OK and TX gone. Odds on IMO to make the 12-team playoff. And this season's litany of injuries should not repeat itself in 2024. Utah is a better program than any of the 2023 B12 newbies and as good as any of the remaining teams. I would hate to see Rising come back too soon. But as Charles notes, he may be back for the SC, UW, and Oregon games. Goodness knows this Utah O needs a jump start. But IMO, Rising should not be putting millions of dollars on the line even though he now has a cherry new truck. [And teams used to go on probation for guys being given sweet rides? Shedeur Sanders is tooling around Boulder in a Maybach! But that's only a $200K car.]

To date: Ducks #4 in sacks. UW comes in at #124. UW best have a James Bond-like spy up there in Seattle. When you get guys out of the portal like Penix and Nix (and Williams, Ward, Rising, and DJU) it's easier to be brilliant. How is the Supposed GOAT, Bill Belichick, doing without The GOAT, Tom Brady?

For What It's Worth, DL has it going on like Mr. Soul. Nowadays (next Saturday) Penix Can't Even S(l)ing. UW, Go and Say Goodbye to that undefeated record. Ducks, On the Way Home from Seattle, Puddles possibly may be flying, like a Bluebird, to a Natty. (Unfortunately, I'll be here all week.) Thanks Darren for a blast from the past.

I'm trying not to go Taylor Swifty sycophant, but always appreciate your takes Charles, and it's great to have these kinds of quality late-in-the-week articles pop up on OBD. Keep Them Comin' On!

In 2023 to date, 8 CFB games have drawn 7M or more viewers. Colorado has played in 5 of these games! The stadium in Tempe is sold out for CU's Saturday visit to ASU. But with the broadcast on Larry's, 'We Ain't Easy to Find' Network, hopefully, a million or so fans will tune in. Thank goodness Puddles is flying this coop. Since the announcement that Oregon is headed to the B1G, the B1G 10 Network has given Oregon far more coverage than it ever received on the P12N. The P12N was one of the B1Gger mistakes in Pac-12 'leaderships' litany of tragic business decisions. SAYONARA!