Mic

Oregon's had a couple clean games, penalty-wise, and that's great. They've also had a couple that were bad. Playing a bitter rival on their home-field will test their self-control and I expect Coach Lanning will be stressing that all during the bye week. The noise in the stadium will also test their ability to communicate along the line to avoid the dreaded false start bug. Then there's the wild card: Pac-12 refs. Can't do anything about that but play your best and keep your cool.

Well, there's that, all right. But they have the film on how Stanford had success themselves in the 1st Qtr too. It wasn't just a slow start, Stanford had the right game plan until O made the right adjustments. Then the speed and talent difference took over. UW matches O in both of those categories better than S did, that's for sure. I'm not saying Oregon won't win this game - Lord, I hope they do - but it is easily the toughest game on the schedule until Utah and both being on the road make them even tougher.

Wow. That's a good question. I'm sure someone on the board here probably knows. Maybe Charles has an idea.?

Really ?! Now this really surprises me because the game is in Seattle and the Huskies are ranked higher. Penix is on the inside track for the Heisman and the Huskies beat Oregon in Eugene last year. Either the gamblers are looking to recoup some losses or they figure the defense of the Huskies is really suspect. I'd guess a game time spread of -6 for UW, but this is why I never gamble real money - unless it's lunch and a beer, or some such.

So far, thru 5 games: Oregon: 258 points scored - against 59 points allowed. Oregon has outscored 5 opponents by almost 200 points, an average of 40 ppg. Certainly this will change going forward as opponents get better and tougher, but it's still a remarkable feat. And one still gets the feeling that Dan Lanning's team hasn't put the foot all the way down on the throttle even yet. PSU maybe excepted.

Same could be said about Oregon's schedule with the single exception of TT in Lubbock. One reason I think Oregon may be vulnerable to UW is the fact that outside TT, no game has prepared O for what they'll be up against when they go to Washington. AZ did a lot more to get the Huskies ready for us than Stanford did for O to get ready for them, imo.

Guys, it's been this way for a long time - as long as I can remember. Even when they did get mention, it was always with a tinge of condescension or reluctance or some nonsensical excuse about why the opponent was beaten or upset. My friends and I have pondered over this for 30 years. There's an undeniable media bias against the University of Oregon and I cannot for my life understand why.

Happy to see Fresno State in the top 25. Well, 5-0 can earn you some respect, I guess. Always interesting to have a 'joker' in the deck. FS was one team I was hoping might be asked to join the Pac when first learning of USC & UCLA's defection. OSU & WSU should consider them, if they're interested.

My feelings too, which is why I'll be sitting this game pick out that Charles offers each week. I never pick against the Ducks and I'd have a hard time picking them to win this one. I'm hoping I will be as wrong on this as I was wrong when I thought the Colorado game was going to be a shootout.

I wasn't worried as much as I was frustrated that the Ducks came out so cold and un-ready to play - and that it lasted for more than an entire quarter. The fact that Stanford could only get two field goals never made the final outcome doubtful. But it was still worrisome to see them playing so poorly early on. Whatever the reason, it's got to be corrected and not happen again or the teams left on the schedule will be much harder to beat than they already will be. I think everyone knows that, players and coaches alike.

Some of the new combinations have spoiled me. I'm less fond of these "throw-backs" than I used to be. Maybe it's the strips on the top of the helmet.

I wonder if Whittington will be ready to go? Ankles are hard things to bounce back quickly from, so much depends on it being limber and painless to the twisting and stresses. But your point is a good one, Oregon doesn't rely on one back to do most of the running. And Bo Nix is a runner they have to account for as well. Dowdell looks to be getting better as well. And down at the goal line, I still like Haasenritter though we haven't seen him much lately. The kid is tough in short yardage situations. He's small, compact and very tough, can squeeze thru small holes.

It should be interesting to see what the odds-makers say on the betting line. I'd guess they'll have the Huskies as the favorite by at least -6 points. The O/U will also be interesting. 65 maybe. I highly doubt either team will score their average in this one. Unless it goes into OT. I probably won't pick on this one either (I sat out the Colorado game pick) because I never pick against Oregon and I'd seriously have a hard time picking for them this go-round. I really don't know who wins this one but the Huskies have the home field and that might be enough.

Less penalties, better tackling in open space and tighter coverage of the receivers (ie less separation) resulting in more knock downs of passes are all improved. Add to that a better pass rush and there we have it. A much improved Defense.

I'm glad it's them and not O with these antics.

If they get by this one intact (doubtful) I'd say chances are good the Ducks run the table. WSU, USC, Utah and OSU pose the biggest threats and 3 of those games are in Autzen. Utah still has no offense and it's beginning to look like Rising isn't going to be back soon enough to get to mid-season form by then.

As an after thought: penalties helped Kentucky upset Florida. There were at least two lost chances for TD's early for Florida and the Wildcats did the rest. Penalties, penalties, penalties.... the great wildcard in any aport.

Arizona's speed, if such, won't be a problem for Oregon. They don't play this year. USC's will challenge Oregon and then we'll see how quick each team is - compared to each other. Toughness is another factor. Oregon is beginning to show real toughness on Defense again. Since the game's in Autzen I have confidence it will come down to both speed & toughness along with execution. I like Oregon at this point.

Different opponents. But yes, we're seeing severe improvement. How Colorado scored on USC was one good indicator. How Oregon stopped Stanford twice to force the fg's (while the offense was still in the locker room) yesterday was another. Including those 3 stops on 4th & short. Seeing how they do against UW in two weeks will finally tell us how much improved O is on defense. O's weak point has been the passing attack and that's UW's bread and butter. If they can slow down Penix enough to win the game, on the road, I will finally eat my words about Tosh Lupoi.

I've never been to a game in Palo Alto but friends tell me even when it's near capacity it's not loud because the fans aren't noisy like other teams. Yesterday, there were only 32,000 on-hand for the game. It was almost like the spring game in Autzen each year. 1-4 will do that.

Agreed. Lanning may've underestimated Stanford just a bit. In my probably worthless opinion I think what happened to Oregon in that 1st Qtr and half of the 2nd was probably good for them. It showed them what can happen when a lesser team comes prepared to play and they aren't off the mark. And it showed Oregon that when they get their s__t together they are able to score on anyone. Of course, they already knew that. The defense is definitely improving.

We'll see how well this unicorn does when he plays ND, Utah and Oregon. Yeah, he's good. But this conference this loaded with good QB's. I wouldn't trade him for Bo Nix for anything. For me, this season isn't about who wins the Heisman.

Pac-12 refs. Oregon has had their share in games too. I wish Oregon could get the penalty bug under control. It had a lot to do with Kentucky beating Florida.

Tough enough that I picked this one of three games Oregon might lose. The 1st was TT. This game against Wa is the 2nd. The Utah game is the 3rd. All three are road games. So far the Ducks got by narrowly in Lubbock. This next game is the toughest one (I think) for them to win this year. If they do win it, I think they'll handle WSU and OSU both at home. Then there's Utah and it may well come down to how healthy both QB's are, Nix and Rising. Right now, Utah has no offense.

Well, it got even closer (48-41) but all I'm hearing about is Caleb's 6 TD's and his Heisman stock rising. It comes down to a difference in coaching philosophy. Do you feed your QB to bump his stats or do you distribute the ball to more players to make the team better? Lincoln Riley is pursuing another Heisman for Williams. Lanning is pursuing a Pac-12 Conference title and if it takes 4-6 players sharing in the scoring, all the better. GO DUC