EastBayDuckDad

As long as they put a "bow" in front of it, they are good.

The relationships that DL cultivated during his time at Georgia are paying off in the portal. Bringing in Bo initially, then Jackson, Johnson, Burch and Jacobs on the defensive side have reaped big benefits. Ditto the relationships the position coaches have and the Bo-Tez connection. Even if a recruit initially opts to sign elsewhere, when portal time comes around they remember who wanted them and how much success they could have under that coach and system. Nolen is a prime example of the elite player once sought after by DL for his NC winning defense at Georgia. You've got to like Oregon's chances at landing yet another difference maker on the D-line. The portal (and NIL) is now a fact of life in CFB. Might as well embrace it and utilize it to put OBD in the NC picture every year.

Matt Ulmer's team is coming together at the right time. Purdue was no slouch and the Ducks beat them 3-0. They are playing their best VB of the year. If you are not a big fan of VB or just haven't seen it much, take the opportunity to watch this match. Women's BB is a finesse game of speed, great shooting and defense but not much pure vertical play, WVB is similar but played above the net. The athleticism is apparent on the digs, screaming serves, big hits for kills and the dives into the benches for balls. Wisconsin as the #1 seed is formidable but the Ducks can beat them in their own house and move on the the Final Four.

If Gabriel transfers in, and it seems probable he will, TT likely hits the portal. So bringing in Moore would be with the understanding he's the #2 and heir apparent. Novosad at #3. Moore has a special skillet. He's had a rough start at the college level , and the Chipper did him no favors at UCLA but there is so much raw talent there that he will be elite for someone. He was fantastic in the 2023 All American Bowl, throwing for 3 TDs in the first half for the East team. Novosad started for the West and looked overwhelmed. If Moore doesn't transfer to Oregon, TT might stick around thru spring to see if he can compete for the starting job. If Gabriel wins the QB1 role, TT would almost surely enter the portal in that late May 1-15 window. If Moore comes in, I can't imagine TT staying past the close of the portal on Jan 2. This is all conjecture but it seems pretty plausible. I think it all adds up to DL and staff having some faith in Thompson's ability to lead Stein's offense into the B1G next year, but not enough to just hand the reins to him. Adding Gabriel and Moore pretty much lets us all know that the faith in TT is thin.

So what do these states have in common? Iowa Florida Utah Colorado Oklahoma Oregon Washington (and a few others if I thought longer) They all have schools that play D1 football where... University of 'so and so' and 'So and so' State University ...play in different conferences. While there are rivalries that cross conferences, that is not always the case. Oregon (and Fusky, for that matter) gets zero benefit and only has something to lose by scheduling the in-state Ag school annually. I understand the desire to keep the tradition going but it helps the Ducks out not one iota to do this annually. At first I thought keeping the 'rivalry' going would be a good thing. Not anymore after watching the evisceration of the Pac-12 and the blame and finger pointing at the Ducks. Past some modest and symbolic buyout, Oregon owes OSU and Wazzu nothing. The fact is that the talent disparity will likely only get bigger. Best to leave p-o'ed and fanny hurt Beavus alone.

Georgia defensive back Nyland Green to transfer 247SPORTS.COM The former 5-star cornerback is leaving the Bulldogs 2021 5* DB who was valuable on special teams and in occasional backup role in the secondary. He was the #2 CB and #19 overall player in the 2021 cycle. Assuming that DL recruited him initially to UGA, I would think that there is a relationship there and OBD might offer him a spot. He has two years of eligibility left. Likely a plug and play CB.

For better or worse the answer is probably yes. Of our last several QBs the best were either lightly recruited 3☆s that were overlooked (Marcus and Justin), or transfers that lit up their game at Oregon (Vernon and Bo). The 4-5☆ kids just haven't consistently panned out here. Both Marcus and Justin were dark horse recruits that wowed everyone once they got here and then developed into top 2 or 3 QBs by the time they went on to the NFL. Oregon can and has developed great QBs internally. While we all hope TT develops and shines as OBD 2024 leader, there is a lack of optimism that he will. Maybe Moga will be the next MM. Both he and Novosad are at least a year away. Landing a Gabriel in the portal moves Oregon from a ??? entering the B1G to being a full fledged contender along with Michigan and tOSU.

Grab that Gabriel kid from Okie. Second coming of Vernon Adams. Accept no substitutes. Maybe Moore too, if he was humbled enough by his UCLA experience to be willing to learn and sit behind an experienced mentor for one year.

Once you get past the 'looks entertaining' part, you can see the potential dangers. Sure, we're not overjoyed with the Ducks playing Liberty in Glendale, but Jameis getting posterized by OBD is in the same league as what the Seminoles will suffer at the hands of the Dawgs. As a Mohawked A-Team poet once said, "I pity the fools"

If there are violations, I don't see them coming from the Oregon side of things. But U$C......? Just ask Pitt fans about Lincoln Riley and Jordan Addison.

UO just released this on X. He'll be in NYC on Dec 9. Jayden Daniels, Marvin Harrison Jr., Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. named finalists for 2023 Heisman Trophy SPORTS.YAHOO.COM Daniels is the prohibitive favorite ahead of the two Pac-12 quarterbacks.

Watch his film. Quick decision maker moving through his progressions. Not really a cannon arm but zippy delivery and he fits it into tight windows. Not very big at 5'11" (generous, I think) but a gutsy slippery runner when he takes off. Reminds me of a southpaw Vernon Adams. If the reported $2M NIL price tag is not bs, then I'll bet someone in the OBD donor stable has the coin. Assume that Marcus would have his ear if he said to go play for DL and Will Stein, behind a great O-line and with talented RBs, TEs and WRs. If the Ducks want to bring in a quality one and done QB and understand that TT would probably enter the portal, it seems to me that Gabriel is the better option over Ward or Moore. It would make quite a splash entering the B10.

I've gone through all seven stages of the grieving process over Friday's game: Shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing, and finally, acceptance. With acceptance comes perspective. If we all could have looked into the crystal ball in July and seen the current outcome (aside from losing twice to Fusky) would that change how we feel about the season? 1. OBD goes 11-2 2. Plays in the last Pac-12 CG 3. Misses going to the CFP by 6 points total for the season 4. Plays in a NYD 6 bowl 5. Bo is a Heisman finalist 6. Offense and defense are top 20 7. Demolishes Utah in SLC, Spoiled Children at Autzen and then Beavus in the final Civil War Who would have said in July "What a crappy year! Oregon sucks! Fire Lanning! Boycott the Fiesta Bowl!"? We are all suffering from the curse of unmet expectations because OBD were so close to the prize. Heck, at one point Georgia and tOSU were #1 and #2. How do you think their fan bases are feeling? Not to mention FSU's? I'm as disappointed as anyone but won't let that blind me to the fact that 2023 was a very good season that still has a game to go. With a special HC who has the program on an upward trajectory and with a special QB who cares enough about his teammates, adopted college and town and his legacy to give it one more go. So I will be either in attendance or watching the Fiesta Bowl on TV, with a favorite beverage and wearing every color of Duck gear that I have. Rooting for OBD.

'Sport psychologists are educators who teach techniques to help the athlete better handle competitive situations but they don’t help athletes get their life in order. Clinical psychologists and psychiatrists help with life issues but do not possess the skill set of performance enhancement techniques.' Hopefully that clarifies the issue. Pretty much every major college and professional sports team has them. Consider then a component of the training staff. An ice bath for the mind.

Yep, this is potentially U$C v Tulane part two. Zero upside for the Ducks. Unless compelled by NIL contract, no way Bo plays. Ditto TFerg, Troy and Dorlus. That said, great opportunity for the 2s to step up.

IMHO the eight best teams IF they are playing their best roster (Not necessarily ranked top to bottom): Michigan Fusky FSU Alabama Georgia tOSU Texas Oregon I could see Oregon paired up against Texas, tOSU, Georgia or Bama but also Penn St or even Louisville, Notre Dame or Iowa. The outcome likely won't be reflective of how good a team Oregon was this year due to opt outs. It may be more like a 2024 pre-season game with only bragging rights on the line. I will watch with interest but not put a large amount of emotional currency on the outcome.

QuackAttack, kudos to you for being the first to voice the concern, but several others on OBDF had a similar perspective, though perhaps not quite so forcefully. Several threads contemplated what the CFP committee might do under this exact scenario. Myself, Duckman2, the Esteemed FishDuck himself (who generated a separate thread about the Ducks potentially getting screwed) and many others were concerned that a one loss Oregon Pac-12 champ could get iced if Alabama beat Georgia and everyone else (Michigan, Texas and FSU) won out. Not exactly 'chaos' but what ultimately happened outside of the Pac-12 CG. If I recall, ESPN had a predict-o-meter that let one test every feasible outcome. It projected something like a >80% chance the Ducks would be in regardless of the results in the other games. High, but not 100%. Alas, this is all what ifs and coulda-shoulda. We'll never know since domino #1 didn't fall. We'll see later today if SEC bias rules the land. There are three undefeateds, two of which deserve to be in the CFP. FSU's inclusion is debatable as both Bama and Georgia are better teams, but heck, so are Texas, tOSU and Oregon. How the 3 and 4 spot settle out is anyone's guess. Thankfully this is the last 4 team CFP. One can list all the reasons why a 12 team playoff is about media deals, dollars and how it won't alter who wins it all past the top four seeds. But this season has illustrated that there is no dominant team and that the any of the top seven or eight could have potentially won out.

So in all of our doom and gloom, here's a ray of sunshine. The Ducks appear to have emerging studs in Evans and Shelstad with solid play from Rigsby and Oquendo. Shelstad drains the winning trey ala PP the last time they beat Michigan.This could be a solid crew when they get N'faly back.

Right now Bama is up on UGA by 17-7 at the half. Milroe is throwing all over the place on their D. The potential nightmare scenario with two 12-1 SEC teams and 13-0 Michigan and FSU getting in and a 12-1 Pac-12 champion Oregon getting left out may have played out anyway, leaving them to end up playing a 12-1 tOSU, Texas or even Georgia. As much as it grieves me to admit it. I want the Washington team that beat OBD yesterday to show up in the CFP. Maybe not to win it all, which would make the b*st*rds insufferable, but to at least play well enough to make the swan song of the Pac-12 a good one.

For some reason this doesn't surprise me. Doubt it has anything to do with last night. Several options in the QB room right now but I can't wonder if the real reason isn't a potential portal addition. Like that Wazzu kid. Ward would be a one and done, and TT would have the most to lose, but Van Buren would have been 3rd or 4th on depth chart.

I'm glancing sideways occasionally at the ESPN app to see a score or two but don't give much of a rat's behind about who wins what, except to draw a bead on who Oregon may play in a bowl game. Other than that, getting a head start on some winter tasks. Yeah, a few days of mourning is in order. I appreciate the way the OBDF is getting through this and that we all have a platform where we can constructively vent and commiserate. Thanks, Charles

Well, it'll take a couple days to get over this one. Kudos to UW, they went out and took it.

The problem is Burch, Florence and Jackson are all out. Oregon secondary running on fumes and the D-line is getting beat. It sucks but it is what it is. Washington has played the better game. Short of a miracle..

Both Oregon's starting DBs are out and it shows. Got to get to Penix faster.