Yes indeed. Through Duck highs and lows, some things are constants regardless of where you find your anchor. Faith, love, hope and family.

Merry Christmas to all.

Promises, Promises.....

Just reported that DBs Lopa and Laulea are hitting the portal as of now. Not surprised by Laulea as he was rarely used, but I think Lopa was on the two deep at safety and didn't have too bad a game against JMU. I wonder if DL lighting up the defense post game had anything to do with it.

1 hour ago, Nevada Dawg said:

Oklahoma proved tonight that they suck playing with a sizable lead. The biggest play of the game IMHO came in the 2nd Quarter when Mateer, facing a 3rd and 3 around midfield, spun away from pressure and threw ACROSS HIS BODY to a receiver 20+ yards down field when he had 10-15 yards of unoccupied green grass in front of him. Had he not committed this egregious brain fart and simply tucked the ball and taken the easy 8-10 yards and the first down, he'd have put his team in FG position and likely been in position to improve on his 17-3 lead. What happened? The stop put a charge in the Bama offense and before you knew it, they marched down the field to cut the lead to 7. Plus OK quit pressuring Simpson and let him pick apart their zone defense. Really the game was never the same from that point on: a complete turn around.

Will Bama compete with Indiana. It will not surprise me in the slightest. However, because the opponent is Bama, this is one of the very few times I will root for a B1G team other than OBD to win a playoff game.

I couldn't agree more. That play flipped the game. Mateer went for the home run instead of getting the first down and slowly twisting the dagger into Bama. Okie looked undisciplined from that point on.

Looking forward to watching that Rose Bowl after OBD dispatches TTech on NYD.

I know I'm jumping ahead, but Hoosier daddy in that bowl of peaches?

Oregon!

Tough to beat the same team twice.

Go Ducks!

Oregon

35-14

3 Sacks

2 TO

235 yds passing

Oregon Ducks WR Dakorien Moore hints at availability on social media https://share.google/bR0A7xNA3Ri5rN291

Got to believe that DAK only puts this out there if he will be on the field.

This article in the NYT via The Athletic might be worthy of its own topic line as it compares the money out-money in economics of all 12 CFP teams, with an emphasis on Oregon v JMU. It gives a sobering look at the money involved to get a team to the top of FBS conferences, but also debunks the accusations that Oregon simply buys it's players when compared to other winning programs.

How do College Football Playoff teams compare financially? The gap can be tens of millions - The Athletic https://share.google/TAW0IYe9EwQVO699i

Barring some CFP catastrophe, Mendoza and his freshly acquired Heisman will almost certainly go as the #1 qb to a cellar dweller like the Giants, Raiders or (sorry, Dillon) Browns. They all desperately need a franchise qb that actually has a pulse and could be considered as plug and play. Or maybe to a contender that trades up for him.

After Mendoza it's Nussmeier, Simpson or Dante, with DM having the most potential in what is arguably a so-so qb draft class.

The problem is that 2027 may present the same dilemma if Dante stays, wins the Heisman and guides OBD deep into the playoffs. He then goes #1 to the NFL's smoldering dumpster fire de jour. As much as I hate to say it, maybe going #5-10 next spring to a team that doesn't have to play him is his best option.

Very good news. When Bear was on, he dominated the middle. Another year in DL's (and presumably, Hampton's) system and he's a second to third round pick. No longer a head case, he'll be head of the pack.

Hoping for more return dominoes to fall, like Theinemen, Tuioti and Matayo.

I think Washington is gone, but he will be a round 1 or 2 pick.

On 12/10/2025 at 9:22 AM, NJDuck said:

Where will the Oregon Ducks focus attention in the transfer portal?

We still have over three weeks until the transfer portal opens up in the world of college football, with things shifting this season to a 15-day window, starting on January 1, 2026, allowing players to mark themselves as eligible to move schools.

However, things are going to get a bit busy for Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks here in about a week as they start their prep for a College Football Playoff run, which begins with a home game against the James Madison Dukes on December 20.

Maybe Oregon picks up a safety to replace Theinemen, but with the 2026 class adding a Washington, Jackson and Benjamin, it will be "money" to go along with the returning secondary players.

Not really apples to apples since the CFP expanded from 4 to 12 teams, but contrast ND's behavior now with Oregon's after the 2023 PAC12 CG game where the Ducks missed the playoffs by 3 points. Oregon went to the Fiesta Bowl to play Liberty and Bo Nix stayed on to see the season to the end.

No entitlement or whining. An opportunity for an extra month of practice and building a team that one year later went 13-0 and won the B1G. The Domers are taking a short term view, as are several other programs declining bowl berths. The coaching carousel is a pretty weak excuse for taking a pass on an additional game.

Yes, this may be the harbinger of the death of traditional bowl games. Expansion of the CFP to 16 (or more) may obviate this kind of petulance with the entitlement of old school bluebloods. But who is being penalized here? The CFP committee? The individual bowls not in the CFP? Or just the players, and their fans, that want to travel for an earned post season contest.

Ducks v JMU @ Autzen

Date TBD

IU

tOSU

UGA

TTech

OBD

Ole Miss

TA&M

OKLA

Alabama is in @ #9

Miami in @ #10

1 hour ago, OregonDucks said:

Here’s a college football seeding projection that I like:

1. Indiana
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Texas Tech
5. Oregon
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas AnM
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. Miami
11. Tulane
12. James Madison

Would love to be on the other side of the bracket as Ohio State and Georgia based on what I saw yesterday. Let them battle in the semi-finals.

https://www.si.com/college/oregon/football/oregon-ducks-college-football-playoff-path-opponents-james-madison-texas-tech

I would switch UGA and tOSU, but agree that the beatdown Bama took in the SEC CG leaves them out. In a perfect world ND, Miami and Bama all get relegated to the Weed Whacker Bowl.

I can't imagine Novosad not following WS to Kentucky. He knows the offense that Stein would design and would likely already be starting at a bunch of P4 teams not named Oregon.

This could change if Dante declares and the 2026 qb #1 is an open battle between Novosad, Moga, Smith and Beaver (still getting used to that name in green and yellow). I suspect that since Thomas rose to be the #2 this year, that there was either a fall off in performance from the scholarship qbs or injury issues.

Regardless, if Dante stays I imagine Stein takes Novosad with him and Oregon works to develop the successor internally. If he declares, DL hits the portal for a plug and play qb while working to have Moga, Smith or Beaver ready for 2027, and Novosad is still gone.

While it would likely derail Oregon's CFP run if Moore goes down and Thomas takes the helm, there is precedent for a recent NC won by a team with a walk-on qb and a very good defense. Think 2022 Georgia with Stetson Bennett at qb and DC Dan Lanning.

Man, Bucknutt defense is elite. IU did diddly-squat after that pick. At least they got 3.

16 minutes ago, Chas Man said:

They'll probably end up a 12 seed and be matched against OBD.

Just can't see that happening. Group of 6 is guaranteed a spot and that will be the #12. Unless tOSU or Indiana loses badly, Oregon will stay at #5. If Bama stays in, it will be the #10 or #11.

TT still having some red zone and capitalizing after turnover offensive issues. Giving whoever they play in the quarters plenty of tape.

I don't see TT moving up to #3 if UGA wins and the B1G CG is close. A single loss to #1 OSU is much better than TT's loss to ASU and Indiana drops to #3 at worst.

BYU keeps giving TT the ball. Mistakes Oregon won't make.

BYU has a sieve for an O-line and minimal downfield passing attack. TT just has too much talent and speed on both sides of the ball.

Tech looks to be the better team, up at the half 13-7. BYU qb is gimpy on a bad ankle and TT's front seven is handling BYU's O-line. Their LB Rodriguez is a load and their best defensive player.

Tech's qb is a bit undersized but evasive, like UW's Williams. Given a clean pocket he is fairly accurate but gets sloppy when rushed or pressured without an easy scramble out. He has thrown two balls that could/should have been picked off.

They have two good and tall WRs (#1 and #7) and the BYU DBs are a bit over-matched. The RB (#8) is solid but he coughed up a fumble that should have been a TO and instead bounced right to a Tech WR that got 10 more yards on the FG drive before the half.

Interesting that three of TT's drives on BYU's side of the 50 stalled out and resulted in 3 FG attempts with 6 total points.

Oregon will match up much better than BYU both on the D-line and in the back end. I'm pulling for a TT win so they stay at #4, OBD stays at #5 and they meet up in the quarters. I think Oregon wins that contest.

Go Ducks!

If the Mehringer and Hampton promotion predictions are accurate, then having Tosh and Will stay through the CFP maintains full season coaching continuity and a launch on both sides of the ball for 2026.

Call me an optimist, but I like it!

It beats the heck out of what is going on at Penn St, LSU, Ole Miss and most programs spinning in the coaching carousel.

7 hours ago, WTD25 said:

I’ll go with my usual OC request:

An under-the-radar, up-and-coming phenom that Dan Lanning has identified first.

Sounds like Mehringer. If DL believes in him and the players buy in, as they appear to have done, then it's time to get on board.

James Crepea is reporting Chris Hampton will be the new DC. Works for me as does finding an expanded role for Wadood with the DBacks.

My picks of the ones that may matter:

JMU

Bluefield St

No Tex

Tex Tech

Dawgs

Ole Virginny

Bucknutt

And here's to a Hurricane, Bama and Gold Dome free playoffs. I'd accept two out of three.

A man can dream....

1 hour ago, Jon Joseph said:

Pat, Duck! That pink thing coming at you is a slip! 🤪