Jon Joseph

Bob Stoops if healthy enough and so inclined. Lane Kiffin so long as Lane brings his OC and DC with. Jeremy Chadwell if OR again wants to, again, put a revolutionary O on the field. Dave Aranda, if he would leave Baylor? Another guy who would have to bring his OC with him. Matt Campbell who schooled Mario in the Fiesta Bowl. Luke Fickell if he'd be willing to come west? Justin Wilcox who is a far better coach than his record at CAL, where he has received zero support from the CAL administration. Brady was surrounded by all world talent at LSU and given a free hand to light it up with the NFL's #1 draft pick at QB. I have not seen evidence of him being a great coach as OC for the Panthers? Coach Pete? Is he willing to recruit beyond OKGs? Because Lincoln Riley will bring in big time talent to SC. As Jon Wilner recently wrote: Riley's hire is gargantuan for SC and the conference.

Maybe 'we' do? But how would anyone who has not attended practice know?

Depends on whether OK ST defeats Baylor tomorrow and makes the Final 4? Baylor wins and the Bears go to the Sugar Bowl and the Ducks opponent would be OK ST. A team playing very much the same as did Iowa State last season. But I do expect OK ST to defeat Baylor tomorrow and at 12-1 with a much better SOS than Cincy, advance to the CFP? In that case I think 2L OK will go to the Sugar Bowl and 3L Baylor to the Alamo Bowl? San Antonio is an easy 3 or so hour drive from Waco. I don't know how many OK/OK ST fans would care about the Alamo game but I expect Baylor fans would be fired up and show up? Of course, I hope we will be discussing Oregon's opponent in the Rose Bowl and not the Alamo Bowl opponent?

I generally do agree with this take. However, has the team improved game by game since the win at Ohio State? Injuries happen to every team and the better teams overcome. Mr. T did not play in Columbus. Facing Georgia tomorrow Bama is down to 1 fully healthy RB. I've seen the same movie four years running. I do hope Oregon smacks Utah and blows out the opponent in the Rose Bowl. I'm with Charles. Mario is a good man. We all want to see him do well at Oregon. But before the field expands IMO he will not take the Ducks to the CFP.

There is at least 1 great golf course in Akron.

Utes - 34-21; 1 take away, 1 sack, under 200 passing yards. I hate making this call but I trust Whittingham to have his team ready more than I trust Mario to have the team ready.

I was at that game. USC's 1L of the season on the road to a Beavs team that defeated Pitt in its bowl game and finished in the top 25. Meanwhile 1L OK lost to TX at a neutral site and Timmy's Florida team lost at home to Ole Miss. Guess which of the 3 was left out of the BCS champ game? Like the Ducks was hosed over when Nebraska played Miami in the Rose Bowl. The BCS and the BCS x 2 have been a boon for the SEC and a cancer for the Pac-12.

His old man was a politician in Boston; I guess he had to try? I think this is a BAD fit? How good is Kelly going to be not playing 4 or 5 ACC games every season, not playing Navy and not playing down SC and Stanford teams? Notre Dame ranked #6 is but a reflection of a crummy schedule. ND has ZERO wins versus top 25 teams. I'd love to see The Alliance tell ND to join the ACC as a football member or get lost.

Super article that perfectly asks the questions asked over and over again since Mario's been at the wheel? I have zero idea what kind of effort and outcome to expect tonight?

30, here is a question I am getting sick and tired of asking before every game no matter how good or bad the opponent: Will the team show, or no? Frankly, if another team hired Mario away it would not break my heart. The man has won one exhibition game Rose Bowl over a 3L team by one point with the NFL Rookie of the Year playing QB and folks want to pay the man $9M! He is a heck of a salesman, look at the recruiting rankings, but IMO, his ceiling is the Rose Bowl when the RB is not a playoff semi-final site. He has taken the air out of the ball and the heart (at least as represented by lack of consistent effort) out of the team.

To keep then from playing for other teams? They haven't played much for the Ducks.

I would add that Mike Leach is doing just fine at MS ST. However, the turnover at OC/DC does not help the cause. Look at how long the coordinators have been with Dabo at Clemson?

GREAT INFO! Thanks Charles. BTW - Bronco Mendenhall is voluntarily out at UVA. He is resigning after the bowl game.

Great post. But why keep divisions in a 12 team conference that decided not to expand? In this conference as is the case this year, 1 definitely needs to play 2 in the champ game. I have a feeling that this means a lot of future champ games with OR playing USC? You cannot leave room for a division champion that perhaps with OOC Ls, is playing for a title with 4 Ls.. Even this year? Oregon defeated Ohio State in Columbus and Utah lost to BYU and San Diego State. Utah also lost at OR ST and comes into the champ game with 3 Ls. OK State wins Saturday and IMO with the 35th SOS vs Cincy's 98th SOS, the Cowboys are in the Final 4? OK ST has the opportunity to defeat No. 9 Baylor at a neutral site. Cincy has the chance to defeat No. 21 Houston on its home field. BTW, OK ST reached out to the Pac-12 and was rejected. And No. 21 Houston would have loved to be in the Pac-12. TCU is not bowling but Texas Tech is.

Could not agree more my friend. But will it happen? Never know which Oregon team will step on the field? The Ohio State Ducks team or the team that was blown out in SLC?

But nowhere close to Riley and Kelly's agent.

Neutral? Athens to Atlanta is a less than an hour drive. And UGA has played in this stadium many times before and will be playing Bama there on Saturday. UGA has lots of this D coming back and many 4* and 5* waiting to step up.

It's going to take commitment and leadership. Including a solution to the woeful Pac-12 network. Also including administrations giving a whip about football.

Great take. And every game at Ole Miss is played in a sold out, on campus stadium with one of the best tailgating venues in the nation.

Great take. But is it parity or parody? 6 bowl eligible teams argues for the latter.

And we are on the cusp of early signing day. I think Diaz is safe for at least 1 more year. Miami finished fairly well and Miami players never quit on Manny. BTW, Miami is a private school without a huge alumni base and without a huge endowment. I thought Florida was going to make a move on Mario? Didn't happen. Mario's style of play does not necessarily move the needle for ADs trying to fill their stadium. I think there is far more smoke around Mario taking another job than there is fire?

In 2022 you can go 7 players over the 85 limit. USC just opened the wallet the way a blue blood should. My guess is that there will be many NIL opportunities for SC recruits? It's the SC boosters who made this hire possible. As to recruiting in general, as Bama has shown in the SEC, a rising Tide lifts all boats. To be relevant nationally the conference needs a competitive SC. A competitive SC is also important for media money. Oregon is not simply competing in the Pac-12 it is also competing against the B1G and the SEC. The conference simply has to draw better players. It has to win far more of the OOC games. And it certainly has to produce more than 6 bowl eligible schools. 1 team bowl eligible from CA is a terrible look. The conference will not fill all of its bowl agreements this season.

Great question? My guess? ABC does not want to give up the 'NEWS hour?' And ABC likely wants folks working out west to get home from work and tune in? At least an earlier broadcast will not cut into the start of the game. I think it would be better if the game was played on a Thursday night? Folks want to go out on Friday. The playoff semis are on New Year's Eve this season. Watch the viewer numbers take a big dip.

So many rumors about him leaving. But he did not get an offer from Florida and Notre Dame and likely will not receive an offer from Oklahoma?

Ole Miss will match whatever Miami agrees to pay Kiffin. Ole Miss in Kiffin's 2nd season is going to a NY6 bowl. Ole Miss defeated A+M and who knows how Kelly will fare at LSU? He will no longer be playing 5 ACC teams and Navy every season. Auburn? Ole Miss is trending up. The Tigers is trending down. And at some point, Saban will leave Bama.