noDucknewby

What about LaMike and Blount? I used to love watching the D get worn out chasing LMJ, then get bulldozed by Blount. I also loved JStew and JJ, they always seemed to complement each other. That said it's hard to make an argument against LMJ and Barner. Damn we had some great duos!

More on this:

Much respect for the team Whittingham put together this year. This was the team MC wanted but couldn't deliver. Now as far as mountains- Wasatch and Uintas are gorgeous, no argument there. But have you seen the Cascades from Mt Hood all the way to Crater Lake? Or Steens Mountain or the Wallowas? I'll give Utah a push at best. What Utah has hands down is the best red-rock desert in the world. From Canyonlands to Capital Reef to Bryce to Zion, one post-card view after another. I wouldn't mind retiring there.

Funny when I saw the headline I assumed it was the Dolphins job he was taking. Seems like a lateral move at best considering he was on the short list for some head coaching jobs as well. Gotta hand it MC on this one.

OK no lack of effort, but can they close the deal? I guess we'll see starting Monday.

Can't say I blame him, best of luck in the NFL. Considering his injury past, I don't see how another year of wear and tear would improve his draft stock. Holy cow this is going to be completely different team next year. For better or worse, Lanning's stamp will be on this team from the get-go.

I won't begrudge the life choices of a young man in his twenties. He gave every ounce while he was here, I wish him well (except of course if he plays the Ducks).

Interesting manifesto, Jon. Don't see how this ever happens, especially since the "Alliance" doesn't really seem to agree on anything at this point. Gotta say though, limiting the transfer portal window is a no-brainer. It's only a matter of time before a playoff team that loses a star player to injury (or transfer for that matter) just buys one from another contender. Mid-season transfers with immediate eligibility combined with new NIL "rules" absolutely have the potential to destroy the sport.

OK seriously, Greg Sankey as the co-chair of the "transformation committee" with Julie Cromer, AD at Ohio??? Yeah I'm sure she can keep him reined in (heavy sarcasm). As if the SEC doesn't already have enough power, WTH!

Friday Night Lights.

Another 0-12 season would warm my heart.

I don't begrudge MC taking the Miami job, sure the timing was horrible but breakups are never pretty. I was sorry to see him go, but I was still very concerned about the lack of performance in the Utah games. To paraphrase Mike Bellotti, the games you remember are played in November. Those performances led me to believe his schtick was no longer resonating with the team. Here's hoping Lanning and staff can make the Ducks fun and exciting again, while actually achieving that physicality Mario was always crowing about.

Neither party has much in the way of options, so they're probably a good fit.

Interesting statement from the P12 on CFP expansion: I guess we really are desperate!

Non-conference prediction 2-1, but could go 1-2. Conference 8-1, but could go 7-2 or even 6-3. Don't see us going 9-0, since it hasn't happened yet in the P12 and we have new staff/systems to learn. We should win the north regardless, it's just a train-wreck. P12 championship against Utah or USC (most likely in my book) a toss-up. I put over/under on wins at 9 not counting the P12 championship.

In a word, yes. Totally neutered and when they weren't enforcement was entirely inconsistent. College football is a mess at least partially because the NCAA clung to power way too long even though the NIL writing was on the wall.

Just win baby. The P12 needs separation at the top and a champion with 1 loss or less to get back to the CFP. If it takes going to an 8-game conference schedule let's make it happen. Adding non-conference games with the B1G and ACC (assuming GK can pull that off) makes the TV deal more attractive and early season losses to non-conference powerhouses don't hurt that much (see Auburn 2019). One good season with a top-ten matchup in the P12 Championship puts us back in the conversation. College football is all about "What have you done for me lately".

Well the B1G and P12 had a scheduling agreement ready to go until Stanford and USC nixed it because they didn't want to jeopardize their annual ND matchup. Would have been a perfect time to drop to 8 conference games, thanks Larry. Annual games with the B1G and ACC may just be pie in the sky, but I like his willingness to create a paradigm shift. I guess we don't agree on the P12, I really hope it survives and I think Oregon and USC can be a big part of that. That said, we really missed out on conference expansion and have boxed ourselves into a corner doing it. The B12 was left for dead and decisive action on expansion put them ahead of the P12.

Here's an interesting interview with George Kliavkoff in the LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2022-01-03/rose-bowl-george-kliavkoff-pac-12-conference-challenges Nothing specific about conference expansion, but IMHO good takes on CFP expansion, moving to 8 conference games and the TV contracts.

Yeah it was his fault because he wouldn't let Texas keep the Longhorn Network, which wound up being a deal-breaker for them.

Can't get enough!

Cal or Oregon would seem like logical destinations?

Still hoping BMac stays, doesn't seem likely though but until I've heard otherwise?

If you'd have told me at the beginning of the season we would have 10 wins, beating tOSU in the Shoe, plus the Fuskies and Beavers I think I would have considered that a good year. Coaching carousel aside, the fact is we got blown out in 3 of our last 4 games. Sure the Alamo Bowl loss gets an asterisk, and there were some real positive signs for the future, but I guess I'm past the "moral victory" stage as a Duck fan. Not trying to be a Debbie Downer here, but this is probably the most disappointing 10-win season I can remember. Still can't wait for 2022, cautiously optimistic as usual, but man I'm glad this season in the rear-view mirror.

Larry Scott's first major blunder was not allowing Texas to keep the Longhorn Network, which wound up being a deal-breaker for them. He put all his eggs in the P12 Network basket and we know how that turned out. As long as the University presidents continue insisting on AAU membership (ironic since 3 P12 schools are currently non-members) there's really not much value that can be added outside of the existing P5 conferences. I doubt we are strong enough to poach other P5 conference members. We also know they won't take a religious school, so teams like BYU, Baylor, TCU, etc. are out. We're pretty much boxed in unless the AD's can gain more autonomy and get academia out as the final decision maker in athletic matters. This would seem to be be doable at least in theory. Wouldn't it be great to have the ADs making the final decision in conference alignment/expansion? The only way the new TV contracts can be maximized IMHO is to have non-conference scheduling with other "Alliance" conferences locked in, for example dropping down to 8 conference games with guaranteed games with 1 BIG and ACC team every year (on a flex-schedule like GK suggests) makes the whole package a lot more attractive.