EastBayDuckDad

The biggest travesty was not including Justin Herbert in the list. Top 100 since 2000, and he's not on it? As noted, that would have made Oregon 3rd on this list. JH stats at Oregon: Passing yds. 10,541 Comp rate. 64% TD. 95 Int. 23 Rushing yds. 541 Rushing TD. 13 wth kind of criteria did the ES(ec)PN "brain trust" use to exclude him? Same as the idiot that claimed before the draft that Herbert would get some coach fired.

And yet somehow he was first team all B1G and will be the first TE off the board in the draft.

I don't know if he qualifies since he had a big second half of the 2025 season, but I would count Jamari Johnson in this list. I considered him a starter as his role was expanded along with the rest of the TE room when so many WRs were injured and Stein had to run a lot of 12 personnel. He will now be the #1 TE and I think he will be a nightmare matchup for most LBs and 'delta' safeties, even if he isn't quite as gifted athletically as Sadiq is.

Desert Duck, I couldn't agree more. Once we hit that 'golden' age of 60 the risks pile up for cardiac disease and not just for those of us of the coarser gender. Family history, high cholesterol or LDL, hypertension, smoking (or history of) or being a bit fluffy. Check a few of those boxes and add in a little exertional chest tightness or shortness of breath (SOB, as we appropriately used to call it), fatigue and sleep apnea. A cardiac stress test is smart if you have some symptoms. And if you don't, but check some of those those boxes, a cardiac CT calcium study is worthwhile as a screening test, even if insurance won't cover it. It identifies possible dangerous coronary disease. There is a reason a left anterior descending artery blockage is called "the widowmaker" Sorry to sound like a heart health PSA in the middle of Charles telling us about his friendship with 30Duck. I'm a retired surgeon that still thinks about this stuff and has a wife that pushed me to identify my heart issues before she became a 'widow'. Most of us are now at the age where we are seeing friends pass and if a little knowledge will maybe prevent a passing or two, hopefully I can be forgiven for my soapbox medical advice.

I love the top prediction but reading between the lines, there are too many B1G teams that would make the playoff. By my count he has Oregon, Washington, U$C and Indiana all in. What about a Michigan team that beats OSU in the 'shoe'? Does a three loss OSU get left out? Can any three loss BIG team get in? So maybe five B1G teams in the CFP? I can see the snowflakes falling in Hades, hear the outraged whining from SEC land and the hurricane roar from Pawwl F's ears flapping.

Gonzo is doing his part as is the rest of the Pat D. Maye and the offense not so much.

In order of impact: Out: Blake Purchase, Kingston Lopa and Tionne Gray In: Koi Perich, Iverson Hooks, Carl Williams IV and Andrew Olesh

Ok, I'll bite, even though I have no dog in the fight and my Niners, the Broncs and Bolts are out. I would like to see Gonzo get a pick and a ring. Pats 24-14 1 TO 2 Sacks (Maye is tough to bring down) 255 yds Seahawk passing (c'mon, it's Sam Darnold for heaven's sake) The highlight will be the Budweiser clydesdales stampeding Bad Bunny at the half and pulling higher ratings.

Great article, Don. The margin between victory and defeat is frequently razor thin and can hinge on a single missed assignment or coverage read, a bad snap or slightly wrong angle. Those errors can be minimized by repetition but never eliminated. A key injury or blown officiating call is out of the control of the players and coaches and can swing a game. Duck fans have seen each of these things play out in high stakes games. Something that maybe doesn't get talked about quite as much is momentum. A setback can flip a player, coach or team's attitude enough to alter confidence and execution. The "Big Mo" can turn on a dime in the wake of a sack, fumble, pick or special teams catastrophe. There is a snowball effect when things go wrong. Was Oregon really that much worse than Indiana? No, but when you throw a pick six first play then follow it with devastating turnovers in your end of the field, you turn that snowball into an avalanche that buries you and gives all the momentum to the other team. Players and coaches may not give up (like FSU, Jameis and Jimbo did against OBD a few years back), but you dig a hole you just can't climb out of against a good team, and the rout is on. Regardless, football remains a game of inches, and one day soon Oregon will gain just enough of those inches to win it all.

Lincoln Riley selling the U$C AD and the donors on his contract extension while branding the team. Ok, I'm done now...

Seems to me that condoms and U$C go together like... Trojan-ENZ and Trojans! I see a fever dream where Oregon, after the 2025 win, goes on to beat Trojan ENZ in La-La-Land this fall, then wins the rubber match in the B1G CG. Disgruntled Troy fans, wearing their prophylactic raincoats in anticipation of foul Indianapolis weather leaving Lucas Oil Stadium, just saw Tommy sheath his sword for the last time. Sorry, had to do it...

I don't blame the kid, Baton Rouge is a lot closer to his Wash DC home and likely comes with the biggest bucket of NIL cash from the Geaux Tigers donor base. Shame he has to have Lame Kitten as a role model. Yes, Oregon could have used him at LT to protect Dante's blind side. He is a notch better than the talent there currently, but one never knows how he would have fit with Pancho and the crew. Crader and Wilson are solid tackles and starting them avoids the dropoff in efficiency that afflicts an entire O-line when transfer players are added. There is solid depth behind them. Incoming freshmen Iheanacho and Tofi are huge and talented kids, and it's possible that one (probably 'Nacho) could start inside at OG, or at least provide additional depth while they develop. Every day the O-line will match-up against four future NFL, and probably two first round, players in practice. That will expose any weaknesses so DL and the Law Firm can then adjust and shift personnel to get the best starting four around Pancho. Pregnon will be tough to replace, but World and Harkey maybe not so much. I'm 'glass half full' in my belief that the 2026 front can be as good, if not better, than the 2025 version.

Track fast and football fast are related but not the same, particularly for WRs. Those ten pounds of helmet and pads make a difference. In line speed is great and in the open is the deciding factor. Football fast takes advantage of that little shimmy fake, tight break, precise route running and stop and go to create separation. IU's Becker (Sarratt and Cooper as well) impressed with football fast moves and the use of the back shoulder throw. It quite honestly won them the NC. You don’t need to vapor trail past the DB, but do need to run a precise route, sell the defender on the go and not telegraph where the ball will be until the last second, have a QB that can deliver it there and go up and get it through contact. Mendoza did a good job at that throw. Moore has the skill to do the same but needs the judgement to know when it is the right play. Oregon has the WRs to make those plays but has underutilized them to this point. The addition of Bair gives them the 6'3" player they need, but he will have to learn the position and how to use his size and speed. If he is football fast and not just track fast.

Well, that was fun!

I don't know how IU blocks those punts but they do!