Desert Duck

I think Saban figured that if he didn't win it, at least they kept it in the SEC family, and among Alabama 'relatives.'

Isn't the limit ten on field assistants? I'm not certain there are any limits to anything in CFB anymore

Free agency for everyone in CFB.

In today's world of CFB with no such thing as a salary cap, we are living in the realm of no holds barred -- the sky is the limit, NIL, free agency, and effectively no scholarship limitations.

"I think the court ruling never imagined these kind of consequences to their decision." The job of the SCOTUS is to rule on the constitutionality of a case. The end.

I like it!

NIL has completely changed the landscape in regards to recruiting 5 & 4 star athletes.

They're also 0-10 in their last 10 major bowls. Ouch... that's gotta hurt. Every time I remotely think about getting a bit down on the Oregon program, all I have to do is remember where we came from when I first became a fan about a lifetime ago in the early 70s, and where we are today. Not to mention that we are 4-4 in BCS bowls, and 5-5 in our last 10 major bowls. I'm just exceptionally thankful to a Duck fan and to not be a Notre Dame fan -- or for that matter, a Husky fan. What a Groundhog Day-esque existence of drudgery that would be. It will be a lot of fun to see what Coach Lanning & Company bring to the table. I'm certainly very optimistic.

I welcome your article. Admittedly, I've even been wrong once... maybe twice, before. But let's keep that between us. I look truly forward to reading your well reasoned article.

When it comes to college football,, the SEC actually is that much better than every other conference out there. And especially our beloved PAC12.

"Only Dean Smith could hold down Michael Jordon and only Mario could hold down Justin" LOL. And isn't that the truth. It's quite special when the best lock-down defensive guy on your team is your coach.

Yeah... I'd have to say that Lanning had a decent weekend on the field. Holding a very good Michigan team to 11 points -- who up until yesterday had averaged nearly 40 points per game this season, kind of impresses the daylights out of me.

I bet nobody is more grateful than Justin I can't think of a better situation and coach for the kid in the entire NFL. I'm certainly not arguing that it hasn't worked out spectacularly for him -- and I couldn't be happier for the kid. I'm just trying to figure out how Oregon made this 2nd year NFL All Pro QB look so dog-gone mediocre his senior season. This is a kid who, at this rate anyway, has all the potential to go on and be one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks in history. And there's absolutely no hyperbole in that statement. Making a once-in-a-generation kid of his caliber look at best average, obviously took some serious and special coaching to accomplish. But thankfully, I'm thinking that in order to solve this mystery, we'd have to look about 3,000 miles south to a school that goes by the name, "University of Miami."

- Consensus All-American at Oregon. - Led the nation with six interceptions - Second among all Oregon players with 77 tackles. Yes, Mr. McKinley will be missed. All the best to him in the NFL.

2021-22 Season... so far: 4,631 yards / 67% completion rate / 35 TDs (best in Charger history) I sure am glad he got really-really good just after graduation. The Oregon coaches did a good job disguising him as an average QB his senior year .

I'm still trying to figure out how we went into Columbus and took out Ohio State. What a mystery.

Maybe go with saying the Covid protocol got us and we have to go home.

Maybe go with saying the Covid protocol got us and we have to go home.

Well... We did hang in there for about a quarter. So that might be something to build on

Without knowing who will be throwing the ball to him, this would be an especially big win. Which leads me to believe that this kid is rather confident regarding who will likely be throwing the ball his direction. Plus, the NIL opportunity Oregon presents is huge.

That @ Michigan 39-7 drubbing Oregon gave them was a game to remember, and watch again. Dixon was like Harry Houdini with a football in that game. I truly have never seen anything like it, and neither had the network camera-guys as they often couldn't find the ball either. For any Duck fan that would like to watch an old game for pure joy, this is one I'd definitely recommend putting on your list.

We all recognize and appreciate that it takes a village, but there's only one head coach. I doubt anybody does not give credit for the coaches and the system that had been handed off to Chip. Chip stepped into the right situation, at the perfect time and place. But Chip still drove the ship. And he absolutely changed and revolutionized the game of football. I don't know of anyone else who would have had the courage, or the ability, to pull that off. Is he a great head coach? Apparently not. However, what I do know is that from 2009 - 2012, he was a hell of a coach at Oregon, and I hope that anyone who witnessed it at the time, also appreciated it in the moment.

No doubt that Chip had/has his weaknesses -- and they were on display for all of us to see. But I also know that when Chip was deep into his 3rd year as head coach, for the first time in her life my friend's sister had held season tickets for those 3 years, and had been to every home game -- and had never witnessed them lose. As a kid whose first game was in 1973, it took a moment for that to compute. I looked at my friend and said something like, "We need to enjoy every second of this ride, because we may likely never witness anything like this again." Chip made magic happen for a small window in time, which I will forever be grateful for... flaws, weaknesses, and all.

Re MC: "Number one was game management. This became evident early on..." Early on, absolutely. As in the first play he called at Oregon was in that Las Vegas Bowl --- and it was a time out BEFORE the game ever started. I'll never forget that. I've never seen that happen before, and doubt I ever will again. Regarding Chip's "aloofness," l'd gladly roll with that everyday of the week, and twice on Sunday -- in exchange for that 87% winning record, 4 straight BCS bowls, and 1 NC game. Lanning? Well, hopefully he is wise and courageous enough at his young age to recognize and admit to himself what areas he is not gifted in -- and then bring in trusted people around him who will shore up those so-called weaknesses. To me, the ability for a leader to understand and embrace one's strengths, but especially their weaknesses, is arguably the greatest sign and strength of a successful leader.

And not only making the Pro Bowl, but selected as the AFC starting QB... over Super Bowl Champ Patrick Mahomes! So glad for this kid!