Haywarduck

I think the extra travel will be a wild card to the season. It has already been questioned with the game at Purdue an interesting test. Can the Ducks travel well? The difficulties against the Arizona schools make me worried about just how well we do when traveling greater distances. This will be the test within the test of playing a BIG schedule. I do think Lanning will be a better game day coach, and the level of the players talent will continue to rise. The indicator of the season will be Heisman hype of Gabriel. If Gabriel stays a front runner for the Heisman, Oregon just might pull off the miracle season! Overall the Oregon Athletic Programs will get even more exposure and respect nationwide!

I mean he hired a prison guard who coached at the high school level, helped out with a couple colleges as an analyst then coached at the college level at one backwater university last time. If there is a coach who doesn't pick up a call from Lanning he is an idiot. Locklyn went from nobody to a top assistant in a couple years at Oregon. Oregon continues to be the place to go as an assistant, or as a head coach to ensure you become successful. If Lanning calls and offers, you just won the lottery! Oregon will be just fine, and I can't wait to hear who the next great assistant will be.

Locklyn will land on his feet, but if this season disappoints Ryan Day's seat is very hot. The nuts are throwing a lot of money around and if that money doesn't buy improvement Locklyn may have chased a sinking boat. November 30th is when Day either loses his job, or buys himself one more year. Call me crazy, but this is the back story few are talking about.

You had the hook in my mouth and I almost swallowed it until you stated the color purple was soothing to him. Just like saying the colors orange and black look good on me, nobody ever says that. Thanks for sharpening my game for the rest of the day!

Lanning's reaction...... reload and don't miss a beat.

Agree with many, our goal should be to go undefeated through the last games of the season. Not sure playing a tough early schedule will allow you to get to those last few games. The goal should be to get into and win the championship, end strong. For a long time the SEC has played 8 conference games, and a patsy late in the season. I never heard them speak to needing to play 9 conference games and get rid of the patsy because that is what the Pac-12 did. They did what it took to win the title, end of story. I couldn't care less what others are doing. The Ducks need to do what they need to do to win it all!

Oregon game of the regular season, Big Ten Championship, end of story. Oregon needs to get to the Big Ten Championship game, the rest of the games are just setting us up for that game. I think the tosu is a big one, the Michigan game no doubt, it might even be the first big travel game against Purdue. All the games will be important, but the game the team needs to get to is the Championship game. We are then assured of making the playoffs, that is the next big goal. The final goal is to win the playoffs. So the game of the year, January 20th in Atlanta.

There are ten other teams in the same situation as Oregon as far as the Pig-2 is concerned. With that in mind I can almost give Rob(bed) a pass on responsibility for the payouts, liability within the Pac-12 money's. What blows me away is to give the beavs a home game, and to take a home game away from us. You give the beavs even more money while screwing the Oregon faithful out of a home game? This is where you have to look at the two sides of the coin and make a decision. Should I help the beavs out, or do I stay loyal to the fans. Rob(bed) made his decision and all I can say is 'did he get a kick-back or what was going on!' Most of the time a school is left looking for a new AD when he leaves. I would say we should start looking now, and give him notice of intent to look for somebody who can lead us going forward. We need somebody who has the best interest of the fans, and the players, that isn't Rob(bed). Too many boneheaded decisions, I will say it, time to move on!

Much like a lottery winner, it sounds good, but it never ends well. The Pig-2, love the name, will go down in flames much like every lottery winner. When you earn it you are much more likely to keep it, grow it and have something to show for it. I like where the Ducks are now and in the future. The beavs and cougs just sat there, did nothing, as the bus left the barn, and found themselves on the lucky end of a Larry Scott lottery.

Great stuff, when you pull the curtain back the truly greats still look like the GOAT's. One must also remember Sabrina would have brought a National Title to Oregon if there had been an NCAA tournament her senior year. That takes nothing away from an amazing Oregon career.

If you look at the roster it is pretty astounding. What is also amazing is Couisnard's stats, he put the team on his back and carried them to the second round.

Love it, the formula, free throws, only one guy missed a free throw, everyone else was pure from the line. From beyond the arc almost 50% and Couisnard 5/9. I think it is time for the freshman to take a big role in the next game. Pressure will be put on Couisnard, and Shelstad is going to light it up! Dante will continue to up his NBA stock, in impressive fashion. He knows this is money time.

We can blame the presidents, athletic directors, but who was the Pac-12 commissioner in 2011 when the bylaws were written and signed in 2011? You guessed it, the gift that keeps giving, or taking.....

It is almost like Altman must start every season just saying you might want to try this way of playing, in a very low voice to his players. The players don't listen, and he allows them to fail, trying their way. By the end of the season he says we must do this, the same thing he said earlier, in a more stern voice. Llike clockwork the players listen, because they know what they have been doing hasn't worked. The problem is he must be saying you have to make your free throws, but they don't listen and that takes practice, and a longterm commitment. Teams that don't shoot well from the charity line seldom go far in the NCAA. It was amazing they could miss late in the Pac-12 and still win. This team must know how to shoot free throws along, with shooting from behind the arc. If they miraculously start doing just that, who knows how far this group could go. The indicator will be the free throw line and three point percentage. If they shoot just 70% from the charity line and 12% from behind the arc like they did in the championship game against Colorado, tournament teams will destroy them. Our Ducks have to at least shoot like they did against Arizona. 80% from the free throw line, clutch at the end, and at least the 30% on threes as they did against the cats. My take, they start making threes and making clutch free throws. They are living the dream now, and in every kids dream they make those shots!

I imagine the $2 million softened the blow, but you do want to win. Great effort!

Altman is a coach who conjures greatness from his players. It may take a while, but like clockwork he creates magic on the hardwood as the season progresses. Let's hope the magic isn't over and he can put up a deep run. It will take free throw shooting and some long ball luck, but that can happen, anything can happen in March! Another trip to Arizona would be an amazing end to Dante's career at Oregon, and and equally awesome start to Shelstad's. Can both of these players take another step up, stay tuned!

Wow, all is good again, and there is life after this long winter!

Agree about development of abilities and culture. A coach has to develop the abilities and culture of a program and that was sorely lacking with the last coach. I also agree the chasing of stars was misguided. One only has to look at the 2020 class where we recruited extremely well at WR, but missed Odunze as a lesser recruit. The key to me, he was a track athlete. Rome ran track and was a grinder. We went after more highly sought after recruits, who proved to have less of the 'it' factor. What I see on the team now is speed, at most all positions. You have a Devon Jackson who ran a 10.5 in high school at LB. He was rated as raw, and that is what we need to see developed. We also need to see that grinder mentality from these new guys. I see the talent, speed, we need, but the question is can Lanning pick the hungry guys, and keep that craving within the players, or do they just get comfortable with all the NIL and comforts our program has? I think the trick will be Lannings ability to negotiate through this new phase of fat and content college players. Saban left because of it, and many programs are struggling because of it. Will Lanning be the guy who knows how to maneuver through the new college football landscape?

Agree Denver would give Bo the best shot, as Payton knows how to use a qb. I mean he turned Taysom Hill into a winning qb, enough said. Ok not enough, he turned crab legs into a winning qb. Agree with many on here you never know how the NFL QB game will turn out. The coach and surrounding cast are so important.

Still peak earning years, why not tack on another 9 figures while you can. A million use to be a lot of money, now these guys have moved the decimal over two digits! Congrats Arik, you deserve it! Man among boys.

Or he left the startup and tried to run a couple public corporations and went on to define the Peter principle. The sad thing is that startup might have become something special under Chip. Much like when Jobs left Apple, actually was run off, it instead floundered. Rather than Jobs coming back, we upgraded and are now looking to realize the promise of that once amazing startup. Great analogy, and thanks for letting me run with that! I agree with Charles, Chip isn't what he was at Oregon and I think more will start to understand this after his time at Columbus is over.

I think Chip Kelly was the luckiest guy in college football, much like MariØ, Slick and a few assistants. They road the backs of guys who really put in the hard work, Bellotti and Brooks, and built a program they took advantage of. I give CK more credit than the others, but he was at the right place, at the right time. That place, that time, for him have passed, and he is just continuing to riding the fumes left over from that ride. I don't have much good to say about CK going forward so I will leave my comments to the above. I do agree he had the potential to quietly be a good NFL OC, or small college HC, but that isn't who he is.

I think Oregon football is a combination of what Loyola Marymount and UNLV where in basketball. They were exciting, innovative and had players who the nation related to along with their programs. I don't see Oregon football as standing on its own just because of their history. I think MariØ football almost killed it, but he took advantage of the kids who saw what was done when Oregon was exciting and innovative. The thing Lanning has done is reignited the excitement for Oregon football. The secret sauce, that it is becoming evident Lanning understands, is the speed element. Oregon has to have speed if it is going to be explosive, innovative and exciting, that is the Oregon difference. We now have to win it all, something UNLV, nor Loyola did. If we don't then we could just become a footnote in college football history, much like the two programs I mentioned became in basketball. I don't think we will just be footnote, we are going to put a big footprint of college football

And remember you deserve all the goodwill coming your way. Sometimes those who give, just know giving and have a hard time just allowing all the energy to come to them, instead of always giving. All those who have spoken on here are sending their love and energy, take it and heal. I am sure there is much love and energy from all those you have touched, allow that energy to come to you and help bring you the strength you need. You have made so many things better in your life, now let us into your soul, and maintain, gain and become all you can be so you can enjoy these years you have earned! We are here for you!

Agree and changed the wording on my post, from 'and' to 'or,' to better align with the intent. My intention was to contrast the Alabama program with the Texas program. Both had the talent, but Texas always came up short over the past 15 years. I agree we have the potential to turn into an Alabama type program, or a Texas type program, my bet more like Alabama. Also just read an article about how the attitude of the players after the Rose Bowl loss help lead Saban into retirement. Creating a culture of hungry, chip on your shoulder type players is tougher than ever. The derecruitment process within a program is even more critical with NIL money, and the coddling of student athletes in this day and age. The one great indicator is how Lanning is bringing in multiple players to compete at positions of need. He is trying to put the best product on the field, time will tell if he can, to the level needed.