cartm25

This one feels good. Was hoping Lanning would eventually land some big DTs during his tenure.

Totally agree, and I am really excited about the recruiting class. I wouldn't characterize myself as "bowing" to UW, but rather not mocking a team that won the final P12 Championship and is participating in the coveted CFP. But that's my position, and for those that want to mock UW at every opportunity . . . I totally get it.

Don't have any major issues with what he said. I'm fine with him defending Helfrich. I liked Helfrich and thought he was a good coach, but not so good at recruiting. Without the transfer portal, the Ducks would have been without experienced OLinemen, Burch, Bo Nix, Bucky Irving, etc. Would have faced 2023 with a brand new, inexperienced OL and Ty Thompson at QB. Not sure what the Ducks' record would be under those circumstances, but I would not guess 11-1 regular season.

I will hold off making fun of the Huskies’ recruiting until the Ducks end their 3-game losing streak to UW.

An offensive genius HC will likely always get the right QB and WRs. It’s one of the benefits of being an offensive wizard.

Did Lanning really verbally accept the Oklahoma job?

LOL, I had never heard of the "Mendoza Line". Looked it up and it's perfect for Mari Cristbal

Imagine my joy seeing Mari Cristbal's picture at the top of this article, LOL: 2023 college football Bottom 10 year in review - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM Ryan McGee salutes everything from sloppy entrances and misguided decisions to wacky plays and celebrations gone wrong.

Totally agree!! I've dismissed any pretense of the conferences caring about academics anymore. The concept of "student-athlete" in college football is laughable now. They're "professional athletes with a side of 'student'", these days.

@Jon Joseph Great article, with much appreciated reflection. Naturally I'm going to go point by point and give my two cents . . . not really , at least not about everything, ha Here are some of my general takes: - re: Media Deal/Streaming - Imagine if Deion Sanders made his P12 debut in 2022. Networks would have sprinted to sign a media deal with the Conference of Champions; especially when they saw the collection of QBs starting for P12 in 2023. I'm glad the Apple deal didn't work out. I just read that Apple TV + and Paramount + are considering bundling their content. Turns out there's still demand for a one-stop place for all one's favorite content . . . and that bifurcating content across 10 streaming platforms that all charge $10/month (or more) may not be the best model. - I predicted a 9-3 record for the Ducks based on historical performance against winning/ranked teams. I was re-taught an important lesson: Historical performance doesn't always predict future outcomes . . . especially with a Heisman-caliber QB. - I didn't think the OL would be a "weak link", per se, but it was definitely an "unknown" for me. Glad the Ducks proved me wrong . . . except in the P-12 Championship game? - I was very skeptical that the 2023 defense would improve as much as it did . . . to my undying shame. EXCEPT against UW. That's enough from me. Thank you for giving us topics to discuss and banter about.

Would be a bit demoralizing if Cam Ward ends up at tOSU; no team I dislike more than them. I think Ward and tOSU would flourish with Ward at the helm.

Sorry if I'm behind the times, but have these happened, or are they rumors? Cam Ward at tOSU will make them the instant favorite in B1G . . . IMO.

I have a love/hate relationship with the transfer portal. I love it because Dan Lanning has been great at finding value-added, experienced pieces to the Oregon team puzzle, so far. BUT, much like recruiting, I grow tired of the RUMORS that can betray our emotional highs in an instant (i.e., Seaton to Colorado). My love is only given to the transfer portal AFTER the dust has settled.

Honestly, this is very unsurprising to me, and we should get used to more of this. Can't tell you how many recruit graphics I now see that have teams in the running: Bama, Georgia, Oregon, Ohio State . . . and Colorado? It hurts to say it, but be prepared to lose recruits now on a semi-regular basis to Colorado. Will be interesting to watch their recruiting ranking trajectory.

As someone who dropped a dime or two on the PAC-12 Championship game (and watched them lose in heartbreaking fashion), I’d rather have multiple games at Autzen: SEASON TICKETS

I've not read every post/article on this forum, so forgive me if this question has been asked: Why is he leaving Oklahoma?

Sounds like Oregon may be looking to get another transfer QB to take over. What does this mean for the "highly" recruited QBs that the Ducks have on their roster? Now that QB experience seems to be the sought-after trait, what does this mean for recruiting HS QBs? Just keep doing it until you stumble across The One? Regardless of coach-speak--"We've told the QB room this is an open competition."--my guess is the arriving transfer QB that was just paid good NIL $, and likely promised playing time, will ALWAYS have the leg up in the "competition". This reminds me of something that occurs in my work. I provide financial services that can lead to being an expert witness in litigation matters. The attorneys always want someone with deposition/testimony experience, yet the professional without that experience can't get that experience . . . until they get the opportunity to have that experience. I get the feeling QBs recruited to Oregon out of HS will always be trapped behind the incoming transfer QB that has the experience the HS QB recruits so desperately need. Your thoughts?

I'm skeptical of Dillon Gabriel . . . but I was skeptical of Bo Nix. In Dan Lanning I trust.

There is definitely a DeBoer problem, IMO. Since becoming HC of UW, DeBoer is 3-0 against the Ducks . . . that's a problem. A few comments referenced Lanning's recruiting compared to DeBoer's. I agree that, based on star rankings, Dan Lanning can seriously recruit, but from my vantage point, DeBoer recruited and/or developed an NFL-caliber QB and THREE NFL WRs (not 1, not 2, but 3). Oregon has been recruiting at historic levels since 2018 (~top 10 average over the years), while UW has not. But DeBoer steps in and within two years makes the elusive 4-Team CFP, all while going undefeated against the Ducks. That, to me, speaks to incredible coaching. There was a comment about DeBoer reaching his Apex, while Dan Lanning still has more room for significant growth. Not sure I agree fully here . . . how much further can a coach improve beyond going undefeated, and making the CFP? Win the CFP, is all. What I'm trying to say is, I would argue that DeBoer appears to be near or at the apex of coaching in general, and not halfway up the mountain still hoping to get to the top. Oregon's defense gave up 27.4 PPG in 2022 and that improved to 17.3 PPG in 2023. DeBoer's offense continued to score in the mid-30s against the Ducks even after the significant improvement in the Ducks defense. I know this all sounds negative, but I'm writing this hoping that the Ducks don't chalk this up to mere "luck". That would imply that, absent luck, Oregon would win every time without needing to adapt or change anything, and I just don't believe that is the case.

I respect Bo’s decision while I also think it’s ill-advised.

What opponent do I want to see the Ducks play? ”LIBERTY!” . . . said no Ducks fan . . . ever.

What an awful matchup. This is “Lose / Lose” for Oregon. If the Ducks win, no one will care. If the Ducks lose, everyone will criticize. Another reason I NEVER judge teams based on the result of bowl games.

I think it should be: Michigan Washington Texas Florida State I understand the “4 best teams” argument, but the CFP committee has also added in a criteria of teams that have earned/deserved it. Not sure how you keep an undefeated P5 conference champion out.