The Kamikaze Kid

Well done Utah. You're now back in the game.

To me, there are way too many possible scenarios to even contemplate at this point. Major upsets always seem to happen to dramatically shape the playoff landscape. Just win baby! Then let the rest sort itself out.

I would be surprised if the UO wasn’t favored at home against a team they’re basically tied with in the rankings. As impressive as UCLA’s offense has been, the Ducks have been slightly statistically better. The Ducks have had impressive separation from their opponents in all but two games this year. Both of those games were on the road. I like their chances.

Houston, BYU, UNLV and SD St would create a great little SW grouping added with the four corners schools. Owning the West coast outside of LA, the Mountain West and South West is about as big of picture that the Pac can realistically paint.

I think the D just getting to focus on themselves and not an opponent for a week, will do wonders. They may even debut some narly stuff we haven’t seen yet to welcome Chip back.

That seems like polite coach speak for “ no comment “. I wouldn’t expect the coach to throw a player under the bus in an interview. Hopefully QB2 isn’t needed for awhile. I’d also like to see Butters get some meaningful reps against CU or maybe even Cal.

I want to see everyone bury SC. All the ranked teams we play will be higher ranked by beating them. And most importantly, I always feel a little better about life when they lose.

I'm surprised at how well the coaching staff can diagnose a problem then have that problem solved the next week. That puts top notch coaching on full display which I think will only benefit recruiting elite players. Results speak louder than words.

Key word here is modern. Mario's brand of physicality requires eating a leather helmet before the game.

I'd rather stay in a new and improved Pac but the thought of USC running from the Ducks to the BIG only to end up having to come to Autzen every other year in a west pod scenario is just too funny.

Freeze out the Big 10. Have an early season September Pac/ ACC challenge double header (Friday-Saturday) at SoFi Stadium. Convert the Rose Bowl to a Pac/ Big 12 match up. Also, UO should stay in the Pac and be the west coast Clemson and make the expanded playoffs most years. LA kids then have to decide on BIG 10 obscurity at USC or UCLA, the frozen tundra of another Big 10 school or stay on the west coast, still play in LA yearly and make the playoffs at the UO.

WATCH: Dan Lanning breaks down bye week plan for Oregon football 247SPORTS.COM Oregon head football coach Dan Lanning gives an update on what the plan of attack is this week for the Ducks' bye week, his review...

Ask Saban what giving Lanning extra time to prepare can do.

UO football history would have looked quite different if this had been any of those four plays at the goal line.

I think a thing that makes moderation difficult is when player/ coach/ team repetition goes from a one off performance and becomes a character trait. One boneheaded play or game can be critiqued without getting personal but repetition of the same issues allows observers to make critiques of the players/ coaches/ team themselves not just the particular play or game. I think this is where things can take an ugly turn and can become piling on. For example, seeing Mario do the same frustrating things over and over, fans start giving personal critiques because the patterns become personal to him and not about a particular play or game. The same can be said about reoccurring themes by players and teams. I don't know what the answer is to riding the fine line between decorum and pointing out frustrating repetitive miscues. I do think this thread is a great first step in the right direction. I think it would help moderators a little if posters could take a moment to contemplate if their post is constructive criticism/ observation or just angry venting.

If it weren't for the "Mario brought the UO back from the dead" and "he some how managed to get them to the Rose Bowl" narratives, he'd still be here and we wouldn't have Lanning. Thanks clueless east coast media!

If I wasn't nervous, it wouldn't be fun.

Coach Lanning's wife is also a survivor. I'm sure he takes cancer awareness pretty seriously.

I'll be rooting for Utah in their next game and rooting against UCLA in theirs.

The weekly train wreck that is Miami and the weekly growth of this team couldn't be more opposite. I think The Ducks and The U were nearly identically ranked to start the season. I'm just constantly amazed at how Mario's decision to leave may have just ushered in a UO golden era reboot. And Mario can stop giving us so many pratfalls to talk about when ever he wants if he can help it.

Great post Hayward. Lanning has had to process a few significant check marks so far this season. He's had to get the team back off the mat after being destroyed in game one. Had to defeat a top 20 team, come from behind on the road, and avoid a trap game slip up. The next one up will be winning a straight up chess match with a master. If he wins that, then the next check mark will be handling success. So far so good.

The growth rate of this team both individually and collectively is staggering. Freshmen jumping in and having an impact early on a great team will get attention from recruits. So will the coaching up they'll both see on the field and hear about from the players. It's nice to see the secondary becoming a strength of the team. By the Utah game, the entire team may become the strength of the team!

Isn't running it a part of TT's 5 star skill set? What if they just let him run a few designed keepers to get mojo going? A couple 15 yard scampers and maybe some simple short passes open up. Give him two or three going for the end zone drives and then hand it off to Jay for hand off duty. I think they need to put him out there on a mission to score and develop a killer instinct. TT may be called upon to save the season. He'll need to ready. And if he's not the guy, they need to find that out soon and develop Jay ASAP.

Next weeks game to keep an eye on. #10 Penn St at #5 Michigan #6 Tennessee hosting #1 Alabama #8 Ok St at #13 TCU #7 USC at #20 Utah. The Ducks could move into the top 10 next week without playing a snap.

This offense has gone to extremely awesome in a hurry. We have a great QB handing off to great running backs or passing to great receivers or great tight ends all being protected by a great line. It makes me wonder, if you were a 5 star recruit, would you prefer being the man and getting the lion's share of the snaps or would you prefer sharing the load with other awesome players at your position. Being the man gets you a boat load of stats and highlights but sharing the rock cuts way down on wear and tear and potential injuries. If pro ball is my end game, I think I'd prefer less wear and tear, get enough highlights to get NFL attention and take fewer snaps on a star studded team. Thoughts?