Mic

Not to dump on Mario but isn't that what being a HC is all about, making the final decision? By not changing the play call he's entirely responsible for the loss. Seems he has a lot to learn still about what a HC is and does. He's good at recruiting and good at relating to his players. He's not HC material, evidently

Not that it matters much but I think McAffee picks the Washington Huskies - thinking he gains some redemption from his comments about the (Washington) Cougars. Or maybe he just thinks they'll win. He'll want to please the fans and be their hero. I think Corso might pick the Ducks. Regardless...GO DUCKS!

I think you just nailed it candy. The players are now seen as $ potential for the university. If not, they're getting there fast. But then, CFB has been slowly sliding that direction for several decades now and is just picking up steam. I wanted to root for Louisville last night to beat Notre Dame, (and did) but a lot of the luster went off when I learned 25 players and virtually all of the staff were brought in wholesale this season. It's no different than an NFL team changing owners, firing the coaching staff and swelling the team with free-agents, only worse because the wholesale change-over in the NFL is partially held in check via player contracts.

Probably shouldn't be looking ahead -this season will certainly be an historical one and the Ducks figure to be in the middle of it, playoff wise. But one can't help seeing what's peeking over the horizon and just how it might effect the one sport many of us love so much. I, for one, fear for the best collegiate sport ever invented. NCAA Football: Here’s why you should cherish this college football season | CNN WWW.CNN.COM Here’s why you should cherish this college football season, arguably the last of its kind ever. If this story has appeared before, I do apologize. It's the 1st I've encountered it and it is a bit dated. But it kinda gets the gist of things.

That's a very good question, Charles. Why on earth would it matter? There must be something behind this we aren't figuring. Maybe complaints from schools getting the short-shrift on the recruiting end of the stick? dunno Possibly they (NCAA) feel that certain schools have an unfair advantage over others. I agree with you - they're wasting time on the small stuff when the big stuff goes wanting.

No wonder they dominated the Colorado front line so thoroughly.

I would think so. It's a way to keep his head in the game, his feeling of contributing to the team and just being a Duck. I know when I was in the service and was assigned to teach younger men my skills in the nuclear submarine service I myself learned so much more - by teaching. You cannot teach a subject or skill without becoming immersed in it yourself and if he can coach up the youngsters behind him he will himself improve immensely in his knowledge of the game. We all want to see him heal completely, be successful and remain a Duck till his collegiate career is finished.

Am I the only one out here that hates these mass-transfers, team to team, yearly? I'm not against a reasonable number of transfers - Lord knows Oregon has certainly benefitted from the portal with Bo Nix and others, but how does a coach build teamwork and loyalty if players are moving in and out yearly? How do the fans? I know, I'm probably a minority but the CFB with NIL and mass Transfers is morphing itself into mercenary minor league for the NFL. It's not there yet, but it seems to be heading there and gaining steam,. I sure hope I'm wrong but amateurism seems to be dying on the vine. GO DUCKS.

When you consider how impactful injuries can be for a team, any team, it's really amazing. Fortunately, Oregon is deep in quality running backs. This injury isn't as serious for the team as, say, Cam Rising's is for Utah or Travis Hunter's for Colorado. But it's certainly serious for Noah and we all hope and wish the best for him going forward.

I checked on this and you appear to be right, I didn't see that he has utilized a red shirt yet. hopefully, since this happened in their 4th game this will be the case, if he wants. Injuries are so unfortunate for the individual (not to mention the team) but sometimes they come with a silver lining as Noah can take the time to heal properly and gain more experience, more strength, more knowledge of the game in the meantime.

Didn't look that severe on the field. Just goes to show you how difficult these types of injuries can be. Our prayers go out for the young man that he makes a full recovery and gets back on the field again soon.

Bobby drops Georgia to #4 because of their "close win on the road" at Auburn (by 7). He has his former Ohio State team at #1 after their "close win on the road" at ND (by 3). Makes perfectly good sense - if you're a Buckeye homie.

Perhaps the most difficult 3-game series of the season for the Ducks. Only one of them at home. The Ducks are really gonna get tested and I hope that if they come out of it in good shape, the AP rewards them accordingly.

You are correcto-mundo. My bad. Should have done my research. Thanks, Charles.

Pretty good analysis and encouraging to read for Oregon fans. Some of us wondered if the hire of a Defensive mind like Dan Lanning might see the Defense improve but the Offense maybe suffer some and Oregon lose that identity they had built-up beginning with the Bellotti-Kelly years of wide-open, exciting offenses that made the team not only hard to beat but darned exciting to watch. With Dillingham's hire, the ball kept rolling. But when Kenny left, we were sorta disappointed because he looked to be the right person to keep the train moving ahead at lightening speed while Dan and his DC got things under control on the other side of the ball. But in comes Will Stein and things are still a-rollin'. Imagine: A top 5 Offense (which Oregon may be on track for) coupled with a top 5 Defense at the same time! Then take it a step further and imagine a top 2 or 3 O & D at the same time! It not only could happen, it sorta is as the season progresses and right even get there before this season is all over. How nice would that be?

Well, given the opportunity to compare head-to-head matchups with the same team (Colorado) it certainly seems that Oregon has the much stronger Defensive unit, no doubt about it. True, Colorado was playing on their home field and had a week to learn from their defeat in Eugene, but that hardly seems enough to help them score 41 points against USC and have the strong 2nd Half they played. Offensively things "might" be a push between SC and O (might being subjective) but there is no comparison as to which team is better equipped defensively. Good news for Oregon fans.

Thanks Charles. I'll be in contact with you soon about a copy of the Colorado game. It was broadcast on ESPN3 on Sling and that channel does not allow recording. I'd love to have a copy of that game tor review again.

How big is the match-up with the Huskies? The winner gets serious playoff contention attention. The loser slides back out of the picture until and after that team wins three more games, at least, maybe 4.

Yeah, they'd have to be. And a second team might be too. Remember, this is an expanded playoff this year and right now even the media are beginning to whisper that the Pac-12 just might be the best, (or most competitive) conference in the nation. And I think they're right.

Here's my conspiracy thought of the week. O beats UW and O 'jumps' to 7. UW beats O and they 'jump' to 4 or 5. Just saying -

I think the issues at Mn are deeper than the HC. But this sort of thing always happens when a season doesn't start out well.

Wait... we're not all fruits and nuts? Speak for yourself Solar! (might have something to do with the constant link to Animal House) I wonder if some people think John's still on campus somewhere.

Bummer. Life ends eventually for all of us but it's never good to hear when someone you love, or admire, or look-up to leaves this earth. Seems a lot of people I held in these 3 categories have passed this year.

That's a very favorable schedule for the Ducks, imo. Extremely favorable. I hate to think of what happens in 2025!!

This might give people a small indication of how the game (and particularly offenses) have changed since the 1994 Gang Green team: Total points scored by Oregon (11 games, 9-4) were 329 (29.9 ppg). Points scored against O were 212 (19.2 ppg). A diff. of 11 points ppg. This season so far: Oregon (5 games, 5-0) are 258 (51.8 ppg). Points scored against O are 59 (11.8 ppg). A diff. of 40 ppg. Even if Oregon sees point production drop by 25% going forward, in the remaining 7 games (not counting post season) the Ducks would score an additional 272 points for a 12-game total of ~529 points. A 33% decrease in production would still generate ~240 more points for a total of 498 points! I would think that despite the increased level of competition ahead of them, Oregon could still manage to score ~33 points per game, average, which is 33% below the average so far. Adjust for 11 games (instead of 12) and the point total could still be as high as 456 points. Gone are the days when 17 points win you many games. Maybe in a Championship game with two terrific defenses but probably not even then.