The Kamikaze Kid

Sadly, no matter how much NIL gets pumped into a Mario run program, 4 OT 14-12 wins over UVs will be his ceiling because that is all his offensive imagination will allow. Today we are grousing at how the Ducks should have put 60 on Cal and 42 was underwhelming. Last year we were just thankful to get a forth and goal stop to survive against Cal with mostly the same roster. Miami is seeing their results swinging the other way with mostly with the same roster. Doing less with more is just how Mario rolls.

I notice an absence of discussion about a rather large elephant in the room. What if Lanning + Dillingham = two football savants ping ponging off each other building a super team before our eyes. Maybe it is in their mutual interest to stay teamed up for the next two-three years and reinvent football together much like Chip and Aliotti did a decade ago. These two coaches are still figuring out a lot of things about team management, roster construction, recruiting operations and much much more. Dillingham is in a prime position to both learn on the job and be in title contention year after year. The prime jobs will all be there waiting when Dilly is ready.

UO 41-17 3 4 315

I see Utah as the new Stanford. Beavis looks like the new kid on the block. For #3, I'll go off the board and say SD St. Welcome to the Pac. Now hold down that SoCal fort.

This year's UCLA team may end up being Chip's peak there. His offense is one of the best in the nation and is being lead by a QB getting Heisman attention. So Kelly at his peak since leaving the Ducks just got out coach by a coach and offensive coordinator coaching in just their seventh game at their positions. That fact still boggles my mind. It's hard to grasp what we're actually witnessing take shape before our eyes. If things play out as expected, the UO will either make the Playoffs or be sitting at #5 or #6 in the country by the end of the year. I would imagine that if the Ducks run the table in convincing fashion, the buzz around this team will be too strong to keep them out of the playoffs.

Here's how I understand the options. 4 teams = 2 SEC + BIG + whatever 8 Teams = 3 SEC + 2 BIG + whatever 12 Teams = 4 SEC + 3 BIG + 3 other conference Champs + whatever

I saw a graphic here on the forum that showed that the UO has the most viewers in the west by far. More than either USC or UCLA. I think the UO being a national brand and not just a small NW TV market should be a big factor in a nice streaming deal.

Sadly, there will most likely be a few players we expected to see rise to the top that may end up instead leaving. On the bright side, just about everybody Lanning has brought in has been an immediate impact player. He knows better what he’s looking for in his system than we do. Next year, I would not be surprised if another elite senior QB transfers in along with a couple game changing O linemen to shore up that position. I don’t see a Lanning coached team falling out of the top ten any time soon.

"Byron is a guy that's worked extremely hard and at some point it's about him feeling comfortable with himself, being able to step back out there on the field. We support him in every way from a medical standpoint and our coaching staff. He's a great kid. He does everything the right way and once he fee ls like he can get out there and compete for us, we welcome him out there to be able to see him on the field for us." - Dan Lanning This statement seems to back this prospect up.

"Byron is a guy that's worked extremely hard and at some point it's about him feeling comfortable with himself, being able to step back out there on the field. We support him in every way from a medical standpoint and our coaching staff. He's a great kid. He does everything the right way and once he feels like he can get out there and compete for us, we welcome him out there to be able to see him on the field for us." Is Lanning saying that Cardwell is holding himself out? Is he silently red shirting himself to save eligibility for a transfer? I don't want to start rumors but that seems to be a possibility.

These days are absolutely awesome. Lanning has the UO brand back. That's all he'll need to keep it rolling. I expect a portal tsunami heading our way. I expect some recruiting flips as well. This team looks fun, the coaches are cutting edge and the Ducks look poised to be in the national conversation once again.

Oregon is positioning itself to be a playoff level team for years to come. That will always be attractive to top level recruits from LA and beyond.

And on the day after watching some of the best UO coaching in many years.

Oregon is building four growing story lines. First Lanning is becoming the Boy Wonder coach. He has taken a team from game one beat down to #8 in the country by his 7th game ever coached. Also Dilly is becoming the new Chip before the worlds eyes as Oregon reinvents offensive concepts yet again. Bo is becoming the dark horse Heisman candidate. The biggest story line of all is the rise from the ashes by the Ducks themselves. If Bo keeps getting 4-5 tds every game, they continue 1% growth every week and win convincingly, they will most likely be the media darling to be this years Cinderella that crashes the big dance.

The Kick wasn't the Pick but I think it was the fake statue of liberty play Dixon waltzed into the end zone with at Michigan. A program defining moment. The Ducks are back in the national conversation. Lanning will now be the Boy Wonder coach, Bo will now be the Heisman dark horse. The Ducks will continue their weekly progression while storming through their Pac 12 schedule. They will soon become the national fan favorite to claim that coveted #4 spot. Hind sight will show this play in proper context but it just might be a program altering moment.

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Yep. Recruiting may have been the biggest win on the day! Recruits inside Autzen for Oregon's win over UCLA are buzzing about the Ducks 247SPORTS.COM The latest here.

Dilly seems like a pretty smart cookie. I think the smart move would be to stay with wonder boy Lanning while they both together figure out how to manage a legit top 10 team. Sure he could head out there and take any desperate dumpster fire job (ASU) he wants but that only puts him inside a dumpster fire. Not a good long term strategy. A couple years of calling plays, leading a recruiting team and game planning with another master like Lanning will send his skills up a few notches. I'd way rather walk into the right upper level SEC or BIG 10 coaching situation than extinguish the fire in the dumpster of a desperate bottom feeder.

I could see the UO back up the Brinks truck to keep him around for a couple more years. After that he may just walk right into an LSU level head coaching gig like Lanning did.

UO 42-38 3 3 240

How many coaches on this list are first time head coaches? How many are in the top 10? B+? Seems more like an A to me.

Lanning is obviously in all business mode as he’s planning out scheme to go up against an undefeated college football master mind. He got a free pass for the UGA game but he will be forever compared to Chip as UO head coaches. This is game one of that legacy. He’s more locked into the battle on the field than the rah rah rah in the stands. I think that’s a good thing.

Dude coached at UGA in the SEC. I would assume he understands crowd noise both home and away. I think he’s saying the fans are great but it’s the players making plays that win the games.

Lanning could stick around for ten years, become a coaching legend, and still head somewhere else and only be 46 years old! I think Lanning is WAY more focused on putting his stamp on a program and building his legacy than simply climbing a coaching ladder. Taggart and Cristobal both chased fools gold "dream jobs". Both made huge mistakes. Lanning seems like a better decision maker to me so far.

Fake injury game final score: UO 15 Cal 13. Seems more like a paint drying race to me.