Logger29

Thanks for posting this. Brought back a flood of memories.

There’s some metric which tries to rank fans on a pain index. I’m not sure how it works but Seattle fans must be near Dante’s 7th ring. Mariners, Sounders, Kraken, Sea Hawks, and last and certainly least, the Huskies all a blaze in a major dumpster fire. At least they can enjoy the spectacle from the “best setting in sports.”

Double lucky, our kids are as passionate as their parents. Pray for our grand kids, that they aren’t as warped.

David, that defense Georgia is playing is plenty exciting and Bennet just went for 57 and 7. Michigan is no slouch on D. When you load up on talent and couch that talent up all the old bromides still apply, such as “Defense wins championships.”

We are weak. But maybe our ineptitude coupled with the strong Mountain West and MAC’s strong showing against Power 5 teams will speed the movement to expand the playoff. If Cincy beats Bama it would really validate a 12 team tournament.

Ducky, I too am amazed that teams like Purdue can display such exciting offense without a stable of blue chips. Michigan State was without their star running back and Pitt without a star QB and both teams played enthusiastically. MC appears more and more to have been lacking in many skills as a coach beyond recruiting.

Hey, have any of you been watching these “Under Card” bowl games? The Tennessee vs Perdue game was amazing. Michigan State vs Pitt was a good contest. Iowa State vs Clemson was worth watching. Admittedly, I’m a college football fan to the core. The bowl season is my favorite time of the year. I realize the bowls are mostly meaningless and have a dubious future, but golly I do enjoy watching the various teams from all over compete. Anyone else still turn down wine and cheese seasonal get togethers with neighbors in favor of a good bowl matchup? (Total transparency here, my wife is unique in her understanding of my odd obsession.)

It’s possible to respect a rival team’s players while detesting their fan base. Such is the case with Washington. This is where the unique dislike I harbor for the purple masses comes from. Big city Universities seem to generate a large segment of fans with no connection to those universities beyond a zealot’s fervor for the team, as long as they are winning. The worn out “Nike U., dirty program, buying championships” is juvenile and speaks to a deep seeded inferiority complex. Don James was a pompous, tower coach who benefited from deep pocket boosters and unlimited scholarships. He pandered to the press and won their affection and votes. Keep in mind the lone Husky National Championship came via votes not a playoff win. The Husky program currently plays second fiddle to the Sounders. The typical Seattle sports fan cares more about beating the Timber’s than Husky football!

Canzano is a faint echo from the days of journalists know as “Sports Writer.” I don’t agree with him on many subjects, but he brings a literacy to sports opinion writing which Fox and ESPN talking heads lack. John’s column on “Identity” regarding Oregon football struck a chord. Since Kelly’s departure I’ve been trying to discern who OBD are or trying to be. Maybe the former players were pondering this very conundrum; how to hold on to the legacy of the past while embracing the future? Mark H. was the beginning of the end to an in house hiring succession which was tremendously successful up to that point. The House of Florida usurpers have come and gone without ever establishing any identity beyond recruiting prowess (I love using that word for some reason). It is to be hoped, as Canzano mentions, Lanning will embrace Oregon’s past and build on that foundation as he and is staff move forward.

Since our retirements my wife and I have made every effort to attend Duck bowl games. We have not always been successful in the endeavor and the Ducks have not always qualified. As our family has grown, attending Duck bowl games has become a family vacation in a warm location. Last year COVID shut us down but this year we where actually boarded and ready for take off, when flight cancelled. Just got home from Sea-Tac, a two hour drive on snow covered roads. We are beyond disappointed. It would have been the family’s first time in San Antonio. We planned to spend a few extra days and take in the sights. Don’t cry for me Duck Brothers. I share this pitiful tale for a reason. Like many of you, I see a seismic tremor coming to college football. An expanded playoff is coming. The bowl game as reward to the team as well as the fans in a warm weather destination will become a quaint legend. It saddens me. My wife and I bought tickets to the Independence Bowl, the first bowl with Rich Brooks. We had both barely begun our careers, just bought our first house, and my wife was pregnant with our first child. We couldn’t afford to go. But Oregon at 6 and 5 needed to guaranty so many tickets to get the bowl bid. We ponied up. Everything changes. Now Duck fans apparently have developed a snooty attitude regarding “Lower Tier” bowls. Too bad. Last thought: about a decade ago we stopped monetary contributions to the academic departs from which our degrees were issued, no political commentary allowed by Charles but I think you can guess why. All our contributions now go to the Duck Athletic Fund. Duck athletics give us joy, even during these odd times.

Well, not at all serious, but just suppose the rule were put in place, what might the unintended consequences be? If football players were now expected to at least attempt to kick the ball at an early age - Pop Warner or Pee Wee - and coaches had to address kicking techniques early on, rather than recruiting kickers ready made from a pool of soccer players that were smart enough to realize the money in the NFL is much better than in the MLS, how might that look? Could be 6’5” tight ends can also be elite kickers. I have no data only a hunch based on my little knowledge of physics, guys that size with the proper coaching might make 60 yarders common place. So long Franz, good kick Bubba.

A lot of down time for me today, so I will bore you all with my worthless opinions. I have a totally different take on this issue. But first, glad someone has mentioned the poor quality of Duck special teams during Mario’s tenure. It was very disappointing and lack of kick off and punt coverage was a factor in keeping games too close for comfort. To the point, no I don’t think punters and place kickers need special carve out scholarships. In fact, I advocate for a drastic change. New rule: before any kick the player kicking must have participated in a minimum of one play from scrimmage. Ever since high school, when some new teammate, often a soccer player, mysteriously appeared at practice after the end of summer daily doubles, and was introduced as Franz the kicker, my regard for equating kickers with football players has been mostly that of suspicion. In my experience, the kicker and holder ( usually one of the team equipment managers) spent the practice sessions kicking and drinking Gatorade. I realize things have changed. Kickers have developed incredible skill and the kicking game is critical to success, but common on man doesn’t it fry you that critical games come down to a guy who never has to launder his uniform? Aw, just kidding - sort of!

I could not agree with you more Hayward. Not to sound like you know who but ……. DO SOMETHING!

To be the consummate devil’s advocate let me ask, is it truly better to “rule in hell than serve in heaven.” Overly dramatic but not far from the truth in regard to the to PAC 12’s current state. Standing pat and hoping for the best will be the downfall of the conference. Candidly, I personally would favor addition by subtraction. WSU, Cal, OSU, Colorado, and AZ all struggle to fund their football programs. Those schools fan bases, excepting WSU and OSU, are fickle and their school’s administration’s reluctant to pony up. They need to step up or step aside and allow new members with loftier goals and deeper pockets to take their place. I grew up with the PAC 8. I would miss the old rivals and perhaps out of conference scheduling would keep some traditional games going. So, I agree expansion itself is not the answer. But an upgrade in membership could be what prevents the current PAC 12 powers from bolting the conference all together.

I, like many others, continue to be frustrated by what seems a lack of outside the box thinking by the PAC 12. it seems one way to delay, maybe even defeat, the march towards an SEC dominated Super League may be to beat it to the punch. Nationally it may be impossible to wrestle the tv payouts and viewership from the southeast markets. However, the Midwest and Pacific regions need not be forced to concede their autonomy and allow themselves to be picked apart - the USC, Oregon, Washington’s and other national brands can look to fellow western programs. Pretending the the academic standards of the Pac12 would somehow suffer if the San Diego States of our region joined the conference is elitism run amuck. The Mountain West has been eating the Pac 12’s lunch. Independent BYU was plucked away like candy from a baby ( 5 and 0 vs the Pac12). Our new conference commissioner’s honeymoon is over. It’s time to step up and try something different, before the Pac12 finds itself relegated to the status of a lesser conference, a title it has arrogantly sought to bestow on neighboring conferences in the past.

Jon Joseph’s article describing the on coming transition of college football as most of us knew it to the Super League model, is at the core of this debate. Pre 1971 ( I may be off by a year or two ) freshmen could not compete on varsity teams. The expectation was playing time was earned in practice. Earning a starting role as a sophomore indicated exceptional ability. Being a three year starter was a big deal. Blue Chip was the only rating given to highly thought of recruits. Now 4 and 5 star recruits expect some playing time as freshmen and as of late enter the transfer portal if not starting by their sophomore year. I’m actually surprised none of our young QBs have not transferred already. As to developing talent by limited playing time. It’s great during a blowout, but when did the Ducks blow anybody out recently? So I’m with the Van Down by the River; start Nix or whoever looks to be capable of producing wins. 4 and 8 may be a magical season in Corvallis. It won’t get OBD to the playoffs and certainly won’t get Oregon an invite to the Super League which appears to be the end game.

Jon, we could quibble about details and time line, but the “SuperLeague” seems inevitable. Our son played DIII ball (4year starter, 4 year letterman, senior small college All-American honorable mention - met and married the small college All-American goalie from his school’s women’s team, small college athletes share weight rooms, great place to meet, “uh, need a spot? Can I have your phone number?”). He got a great education, played almost every down on defense for 4 years, met his future wife, and after graduate school began a professional career. What’s my point? Small college football is not perfect, notice͓̽ like DI seems to be an elite group of schools at the top every year. However, the ideal of a student athlete still has life at the lower levels of the sport. In your list of possible Super League teams there are lots of fine schools and programs missing. Could those programs emerge as the ones to envy as the Super League and the unsavory trappings it will accumulate dominates the big screens? I probably won’t turn my back on my university. But I can see my backside parked on rickety wooden bleachers along with the scattering of parents, girl friends, and a couple of stray dogs watching small, slow, fellows playing football for the love of it.

Nice article Darren, as usual. I’m old and conflicted regarding OBD. Growing up in Eugene the Ducks were the only game in town. With the eyes of a child I believed them to be the best, when in reality they we’re consistently mediocre eventually in my young adulthood, with the exception of my undergraduate years when Jerry Frie coached Fouts and company to a string of winning seasons, the Ducks only national notice͓̽ was an occasional Bottom Ten mention. You know the story from those days of obscurity to the almost National Championships. What a ride! Now what to think? Jon and Hayward you are truth tellers; without majority of 4/5s on the team the current playoff is realistically unattainable. Yet my fondest memories are not of Chip’s Blur blowouts or the near misses for the National Championship. Defeating the Dogs on Wheaton’s miracle, the Fiesta Bowl win over Colorado, beating Michigan in the Big House resonate more with me. Hopelessly stuck in the past but hopeful for continued success. I’m eyeing the new coach and staff optimistically. Jon, next year’s schedule sucks and makes even another Alamo Bowl seem iffy. Hayward, speed, where did it go, or does our offense fail to utilize it? So many questions to ponder. Charles thanks for a forum to consider all things Oregon. Go Ducks!

Ages ago I read a quote by I believe Frank Broyles at Arkansas. It went something like: “Every team needs a couple of players willing to try to screw their bellybutton into the turf to win.” For the last couple of seasons I’ve been looking at all the 4s and 5s Mario and staff recruited and hoping for the emergence of a Brady Breeze, Jon Boyett or any member of the”Gang Green.” With the exception of Noah Sewell, none have stepped up. Maybe I’m just too “Old School.” Maybe it’s asking too much of today’s players to risk injury and a pro career to give that old 110%. The current NCAA ad proclaims “only 2% of college athletes go on to play professional sports” this suggests maybe it’s not just about recruiting and coaching up talent. Maybe recruiting and coaching heart is part of the winning equation?