Kurt Rambis

You mean aside from Lincoln Riley?

I won't say we need to pump the brakes on anything, but I do think certain situations are hard to judge in a scrimmage game like this. For instance, the QB sacks and possible QB runs. Some of the "sacks" I saw, I doubt would have actually been a sack in a live game situation, and the QB could have rolled out or taken off. They were erring on the side of safety for the QB. At the same time, I'm sure the QBs were told absolutely no running, so we couldn't evaluate that part of it either. Also hard to judge given what I'm sure is vanilla game planning and calls, including O-line blocking schemes at this point, plus each team being a mix of starters and subs, with a bunch of guys shuttling in and out. In these games, I look more for individual performances. QBs shouldn't make boneheaded decisions, particularly knowing they have no chance of getting hit. QBs should be reasonably accurate on passes. Skill position players shouldn't fumble. Guys making the tough, contested catch (including DBs). Tight coverage. Stuff like that. From what I was able to see (unfortunately just in extended highlights), I was most impressed with Cota. Given his numbers at UCLA, I wasn't terribly excited about getting him from the portal, but I may have been flat wrong on that one. Nix's decision making and Thompson's accuracy concern me. Still think '22 is a transition year - new staff, new schemes, some guys probably won't fully buy in, some are wrong for what these coaches want to run, etc. It'll take a while for this to shake out.

I see that Tom Snee is not currently with the team. Any scoop from anyone on what's happening there?

From CBS Sports: USC set a spring game attendance record: There were 33,427 people who braved the Los Angeles traffic and made their way to the Coliseum for a glimpse of Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams in USC paraphernalia. Of course, Oklahoma had over 75,000 for theirs...

The "average" is how each team is ranked, not just the "star" rating. Recruiting services usually give a numeric rating; in this case it seems to be on a 100-point scale. Anything above a certain number is 5 stars. Oregon and Texas might have the same number of five star players, but Oregon's players average 90.6, while Texas' players average 90.13. So when rated based on stars, TX actually looks slightly better. When they use the exact numeric ratings for each player, Oregon looks slightly better.

Unfortunately, so does every other team, with the popularity of the transfer portal. Guys who don't get selected as the starter may just up and leave, because it's so easy and seems so promising. About the only way it's probable to have a true succession without much risk of the backup leaving is either to have a guy who CLEARLY is not as good as #1 - and he knows it - so he's happy to be #2 in a big-time program, or to have a senior starter with a freshman backup who is willing to be patient as the heir apparent. I think the days where you recruit and keep a big-time QB every year or every other year are gone. Who wants to ride the pine for two years when you can just transfer to someplace and have a much greater chance of immediate PT? Who's going to wait for three years for one year as a starter?

Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Jonah Miller enters transfer portal WWW.OREGONLIVE.COM Jonah Miller, a redshirt-freshman who moved to defensive tackle from offensive line this spring, entered the transfer portal on...

Which really points out just how well Wazzu, Cal, Utah, and Oregon State are coached - competitive teams without the same level of talent. And how poorly USC and Washington have been coached - #2 and #3 in the conference in talent and both had awful results. New coaches now, so who knows for the future, but both Lake and Helton took chicken salad and turned it into...you know the rest. Unfortunately, it also says something about the coaching for OBD - clearly #1 in talent but not in results. With the Ducks, you can at least point to how extraordinarily young all that talent was over the last year or two, but even so...

I love how everyone "knows" why Conerly made his decision (just like there are many experts on why every kid made his decision). This article claims it was negative recruiting against Riley as not being tough enough for the SEC. Other articles claimed he was given more NIL money. And I'm sure others out there think they have secret knowledge of other reasons. Unless we hear it from someone truly in the know, like Conerly or his family, I tend to discount all of these claims. Maybe they're entirely true. Maybe they're half true. Or maybe someone is simply trying to read tea leaves, make assumptions, or jump to conclusions. Maybe Oregon coaches made some of those claims and Conerly didn't agree with them or didn't take them into account but chose the Ducks for other reasons. Maybe he prefers staying closer to home...didn't feel entirely comfortable in LA...felt Oregon would give him a better shot at being a high draft pick...felt SC and UW would spend his first season or two of college ball with losing records...really likes a girl in Eugene...thinks Oregon offers a major that really interests him...was given a big bag of cash by a booster. I mean, do we really think anyone but Conerly and a few people close to him fully understand why he made the decision he did? Do we really think some writer for Trojans Wire or WashingtonUsedToBeAGoodTeam.com or whatever it is has some inside scoop on why Conerly made his decision? Heck, I'll bet in many cases even the kid himself doesn't fully understand why he chose Oregon or Stanford or whatever--he went with a gut feeling. Yet writers will claim all sorts of things or cite "unnamed sources." I miss actual journalism.

I definitely see "honeymoon." That's when it still doesn't bother you that cauliflower gives her gas or that she clips her toenails in bed. Big rose colored glasses. And I definitely see rose colored glasses a variety of times on this board. Comments about how Lanning is going to eat USC's lunch in recruiting, how his D will stifle Riley's O, looking forward to lots of 5-star recruits, best coaching staff ever, etc. All before the staff has coached one game. Maybe all the optimism will prove to be fully warranted - we'll get top 5 recruiting classes, compete on a level playing field with SEC teams, go to the playoffs even before they're expanded to 12 teams, etc. I hope so. I've backed the Ducks since the days of Reggie Ogburn and Vince Goldsmith, and dearly want to buy some absurdly overpriced national championship gear. But it's also quite possible that the coaches will prove to be great recruiters who aren't great in-game coaches. Or that Lanning will be one of many who are awesome coordinators and not terribly good head coaches (Charlie Weiss, Buddy Ryan, Mark Helfrich, etc.). Or that SC will re-establish dominance under Riley and we'll consistently play 2nd fiddle in the Pac-12. Or that Lanning will jump ship in two years for an SEC job. Or that Dillingham will be lacking as an OC. Or that we'll end up relying on the transfer portal for seasoned mediocrity over promising inexperience and have trouble keeping recruits. At this point, I see a lot of honeymoon optimism from fans. Not to piddle on anyone's parade, but I'm very much in a wait-and-see mode. Not because I believe any of the negative things will happen, but because it's not yet proven that they won't. A lot of us were pretty excited about Willy Taggert and Mario Cristobal when they started, too. Let's just give it a realistic chance and see where it goes...

Trying to predict what any kid will do based on our adult logic is a losing battle (says the father of a 15-year-old). Heck, predicting what half the adults will do based on logic is nearly impossible (says the guy who has studied consumer behavior for 3+ decades). It's absurd to have a dream school based on cool uniforms or a favorite player from your childhood, but what do we consistently hear about kids regarding the Ducks? "I grew up watching DAT and the uniforms were totally cool." I figure a ton of these kids make decisions to transfer to or from a particular school, or sign an NLI, partly based on such logic as: that one cheerleader was SO hot...I look great in the road unis...the DB coach is really demanding...that party was so dope...it's close to the beach (says the guy who went to Pepperdine - but never went to the beach)...someone made me a promise about playing time...they want me to pimp a Ford dealership for my NIL but I like Camaros...they didn't chant my name at the basketball game...

One problem is: who would work on it? The NCAA is completely toothless and they have largely given up. Power 5 commissioners are looking out for their own conferences and can't even agree on an expanded playoff. Individual schools aren't going to limit themselves when other schools remain free to pay whatever they want. A huge problem right now is that we have no one in charge of the playground, and I'm not sure when (if) that's likely to change. And no, this isn't another "here's what's wrong with college football" rant. I don't think we're complaining or predicting the death of the Ducks or college football in general. Speaking for myself, this was more a reaction to the recent threads with SC and UW fans throwing shade at Oregon's recruiting. I like all of your ideas, but I'm just not sure who could get any of them implemented...?

Canzano: Oregon's biggest win of Dan Lanning era sparks collective cheer WWW.JOHNCANZANO.COM Josh Conerly Jr. spurns USC for Ducks. I think this article really says it all. Yes, apparently NIL was a significant factor in getting Conerly to Oregon. Like it or not, it's the reality of major college athletics today. My takeaways: For any Oregon fans to claim NIL isn't a big factor and the Ducks just out-recruited other schools for any player they got likely isn't accurate. Kids aren't turning down fifty grand from Alabama or Oklahoma just because Eugene is a nice place to live for four years. For Oregon fans (or any fans) to claim their hoped-for player chose another school because he got paid more is little more than sour grapes. Maybe he did get paid more - but it's not like he wouldn't have gotten paid at your school, so let's not pretend the winning school did something wrong or that your favorite school doesn't offer financial incentives through NIL. For the USC and Washington fans whining that Oregon just outbid their schools or else it's inconceivable that Conerly would have gone to Eugene - get a clue. Obviously your schools were "bidding" on him, too. You lost out. Grow up. Deal with it. Smart kids are going to take full advantage of this, but NIL won't be the only factor. Yeah, if Georgia is offering $50k through the NIL and Arkansas is offering $1k, Arkansas probably isn't in the running. But if a kid chooses Georgia, that doesn't automatically mean Georgia just outbid everyone else. There might have been ten schools all with reasonable offers, and the kid liked the degree program, liked the coaches, felt he would have a better chance to play for a title, felt he would have a better shot at getting drafted, or thought the co-eds are hotter there. I HATE that NIL is part of recruiting now, and that things are largely unregulated. But for the moment, that's how it is. So let's not pretend otherwise, whether it plays into Oregon's favor or against the Ducks for any given player. Sorry, Husky and Trojan fans - try harder next time.

Most of this is just amusing, but a couple of comments really angered me. An example: “Honestly, what ever happened to loyalty to a community? No 206 kid should ever go to UO, ever. Looks like getting enough money has changed that thought.” How sad that any supposed adult thinks a kid "owes" them as fans anything, and that choosing a school the fans don't like is somehow being disloyal to the whole community. A very large portion of Seattle couldn't give a rat's derriere about UW football, just as a significant portion of Oregon couldn't care less about how the Ducks do. This decision will impact not just the next few year's of this kid's life, but his ENTIRE life - NFL prospects, education, preparation for a successful pro career, preparation for a career after football, possibly meeting someone who could become his spouse, lifelong friends, and on and on. But a few sickeningly spoiled fans think somehow this kid owes THEM something. I'm sure there are kids at Oregon right now who came from Seattle - do the fans get upset about them? No, because they don't have a bunch of stars next to their name. And I'd say the same thing about anyone who complains about an Oregon kid going to UW or UCLA or anywhere else. This anonymous turd and his/her ilk are nothing more than petulant children throwing a tantrum because they didn't get their way - didn't get something that somehow, in their derangement, they have come to feel they DESERVE. Screw what is best for this kid and/or what he wants to do - HE OWES ME!! Pathetic.

I have to say I'm getting rather tired of kids entering the transfer portal with an announcement that thanks and lauds all their coaches, teammates, fans, the school, etc. If so-and-so coach showed you how to be a man and improved your play, your teammates are all your brothers, the fans are all the best, the experience was awesome, and you'll be a Duck/Sooner/Gator forever, why are you leaving? I'd like to see a more truthful transfer portal announcement from some of these kids. "It really wasn't a hard decision, and I'm transferring from Tennessee. As a three-star recruit (which was insultingly low), I thought I'd come in and start right away at LB. Instead these clown coaches didn't recognize my innate talent and brilliance and stuck me at third team. Totally unfair. The guys starting in front of me don't deserve it; they're just all-SEC selections, fifth-year seniors and future first-round draft choices. But they're not future hall-of-famers like I am. "I also didn't like that sometimes the coaches would yell at me and hurt my feelings. And that dang academic advisor actually expected me to attend class! "So I'm leaving UT because I've already had people whispering in my ear that I can get a huge NIL deal at another school. I'll be expecting UCLA or Texas to ship me a buttload of money and let me come in as a starter right away. Can't wait to blow this dump! See ya, suckers!"

When I played, I had the Rambis glasses and mustache, if that helps. Not to mention the impressive leaping ability...

I gave up on thoughts of loyalty to a team, city, school, job, or anything else a long time ago. Let's face it, if the Ducks found a better RB, Dye would be a backup this season. Teams "suggest" to players all the time that they transfer if things aren't working out as hoped, or the player doesn't fit the system of a new coach. Coaches leave all the time for better (or at least different) jobs. In the NFL, fans often still expect players to be loyal to their team, even though the team can cut them, bench them, lowball them on a new contract, etc. And let's face it, college football is becoming more and more like pro ball all the time. Not just in terms of the NIL, but coaches moving around for huge new contracts, players worrying about their brand, worrying about their draft position, etc. And in non-revenue sports, schools frequently pull the scholie of an athlete who sustains a serious injury. Oklahoma State did that to my daughter's physical therapist when she sustained a back injury and couldn't participate in gymnastics any more, and we've heard that from swimmers at other schools as well. Can't blame a guy for lacking loyalty when teams so often show no loyalty to players and coaches certainly show no loyalty to teams. I wish it were different, but...

I'm just not going to worry about it. I used to be a huge basketball fan - season tickets to Pepperdine basketball, occasionally Laker and Clipper games (even courtside a couple of times), always watching the playoffs and many regular season games, etc. Then my favorite team became the Portland Jail Blazers - thugs and criminals galore. The game itself was no longer fun, as Pat Riley ground out 85 - 76 wins with the Knicks. The whole NBA devolved into super teams, unlikeable stars like James Harden and Kyrie Irving pouting their way off every team, etc. Simultaneously Pepperdine basketball, once the premier program in California, fell on hard times with a series of bad coaching hires. One-and-done meant no continuity and no one to follow (or even to hate). So I largely stopped following the NBA. And you know what? My life went on. I got even more into Ducks football. I got into fantasy football. I started watching international soccer (just watched Portugal/Turkey over the weekend). And I did a bunch of other things with my time and money. In short, I was perfectly fine. Still am. So as long as college football is watchable and enjoyable, I'll watch and enjoy it. If at some point it reaches the point where I'm no longer enjoying it, I'll move on. I hope that doesn't happen, but if it does...oh, well. There's nothing I can do to slow it or stop it, so I'm not going to expend energy worrying about it.

We see this all the time in sports, business, politics, etc. The Philadelphia Eagles "dream team" with Michael Vick that fell flat. The Nets with Durant/Irving/Harden that ended up a disaster. Texas teams loaded with five star players that ended up in a minor bowl game. US Olympic basketball teams that were individually far move talented than their opponents but couldn't play together and didn't medal. Talent (both individual and team) only takes you so far. Hard work, coaching, buy-in, sacrifice, and having players who are content playing specific roles rather than everyone vying to be the star are all critical components as well. Every team needs a Kurt Rambis.

Seems pretty clear: the higher your star rating, the higher the chances you'll eventually be drafted - and the gaps are huge. At the same time, it's not a sure thing at all. Some of the same things have been done with the stats on NFL draft position - first round choices have a much higher chance of making the team, still being in the NFL after five years, making the Pro Bowl, etc. than lower round choices, but there are still plenty of first rounders who wash out. Recruiting ranking and draft position are no guarantee, but both suggest much higher chances of making it. We can all talk about the 6th round choice who ended up a superstar (Tom Brady), the UFA who ended up a Hall of Famer (Donnie Shell), and the nobody recruit who ended up with the Heisman (Marcus Mariota). And those things certainly happen. But the odds are strong that the highest rated players will find success over the lower rated players.

If she was making 20 grand a month EXTRA and is now an Uber driver, she obviously wasn't bright enough to save that additional quarter mil a year...

The men's water polo coach has been charged with crimes; the others deny any wrongdoing and blame the coach. Sounds like the investigation is on-going.

Last season, the starting QB for the University of Alabama earned considerably more money than the starting QB for the Philadelphia Eagles. Just sayin'...

Well, but this is another layer. These aren't fake athletes, they're actual athletes in non-revenue sports whose recruitment/admission apparently hinged on whether mommy and daddy would make a big gift. So if her parents were worth enough money, she's suddenly good enough to play volleyball or run track or whatever for the Trojans.

From The Wall Street Journal (behind a paywall so I didn't bother to link to the whole article): Newly released emails show athletics staff and fundraisers at the University of Southern California discussing admissions for certain applicants while assessing their families’ ability to donate to the institution. One fundraiser told a top athletics official that an applicant’s family would be asked for at least $1 million “if we get her in.” In another email, the same writer recommended that a student not be given a job she had sought with the football team until her family came through with a gift. Another fundraiser offered to speak to a track-and-field coach if the family of a student admitted as a walk-on in the track and field program was “really thinking of a gift.” The emails were sent from 2013 to 2018 and were released by lawyers for former USC water-polo coach Jovan Vavic, who is charged with taking bribes to designate applicants as recruited athletes. Only one of the four figures involved in the correspondence has been charged with wrongdoing. The others deny that they conditioned admission or participation on a team on families’ donations. USC said it had been deceived by Vacic. I wonder how often stuff like this goes on at a variety of universities...