Mic

Yeah, I saw that too. Usually bye teams don't get so lucky but with all the top 10 teams losing yesterday, someone had to move up. Plus, this sets up for a big Game Day matchup if Game Day decides to come to Eugene.

She'd be popular with the fans but I'd prefer to see a former player or coach. Is Nick Allioti or Mike Bellotti (who both coached against Chip) available?

With all due respect to Utah who beat USC last night, the Beavers played them a lot tougher in their 3-pt. loss, if you ask me. The Beaver's defense is pretty danged good if they can hold that team to just 17 points. Utah couldn't do that.

Bye week's are seldom helpful to most teams. But, if it's any consolation, this morning's coaches poll has Oregon at #9, UCLA at #10. Btw, Utah sits at #15 but right now, Oregon had better figure out a way to stop that monster TE they have who, along with Cam Rising, almost single-handedly beat USC.

I agree with David Marsh: the Beavers do look better defensively than the Ducks - at this point. The hard thing to tell is how well WSU plays on the road without their fans. Also, going back and watching the highlights I saw a USC team that was pretty unstoppable at time, hanging 42 points on Utah in Rice Eccles, where-as they were only able to score 17 against the Beavers in Corvallis. If any team can stop Oregon's offense, they can beat them. I don't even want to think about that last game in Corvallis until it comes.

Add another tick for home field advantage: Rice Eccles field certainly helped Utah best USC and I'd be willing to bet a nickel to a donut that the same thing occurred in Knoxville. Autzen and the fans need to do the same for the Ducks against UCLA, Utah and Washington.

With the almost obscene endowments of many of these big universities it makes one angry that they even charge tuition at all. Maybe that's a better use for all that money rather than trying to compound it even more by selling the name, image and likeness of amateur athletes. Talk about Greed! Imo, this is the absolute epitome of it and it's emanating from our so-called schools of "higher learning".

Mater Dei HS has produced a lot of good athletes. We have a couple on the team now, if memory serves me right. A perennial California HS powerhouse.

Hmmm ... then perhaps a lot of us who played HS sports should be sending our bills to our schools for back wages. I guess I never knew my football and swimming coaches were capitalizing off me and pocketing all that $. Dirty scoundrels!

That's a mighty bold prediction, Dr. I just don't know....? I hope you won't be disappointed if the Ducks finish 10-2 with a bowl win or even 9-3 with one. I mean, this is Lanning's 1st year with a whole new staff. It would be a monumental task for them just to make the Playoffs. First things first, Dr.

30Duck makes my point earlier about ND and how they always seem to get more attention and credit than they should for playing teams they seldom struggle with outside of any Conference where they would have to play tough opponents and compete for standings. I'm convinced beyond the shadow of doubt that's exactly why they've turned their nose up at joining a conference. Maybe we can force them to join the WAC, something they can handle.

Great article. For all the reasons we can think of (and a few more as laid out in this article) this is probably going to be one of the most interesting, potentially explosive and crucial games at Autzen this year. Win this and Oregon will handle Washington and Utah both, imo. Lose this and everything's back up in the air and anything could happen. I almost need the bye week just to get mentally prepared for what's about to go down on Oct. 22nd, 2022 in downtown Eugene, Oregon. GO DUCKS!

So ... the old concept of amateurism is outdated and should be laid to rest once and for all. Is that where this is all heading, under the banner of getting our HS and college athletes a "piece of the pie"? In the immortal words of Robert Frost "something in me doesn't like a wall." Only in this case, it's paid performance - for our youngsters. Forgive me if I sound judgmental. I don't mean to CalBear. I'm mostly just sad.

Didn't something like this happen to ND in the fairly recent past?

????!!! Let's see what Vegas has to say about that - not that they would know better - but they kinda do, don't they? Well, I'll be danged! I just checked the vegas odds (didn't know it would be out yet) and they have Oregon at -4! I'm more than a little surprised so maybe fan duel knows something after all. I'd thought UCLA by -7, but what do I know?

I'm still struggling with getting my head around all this talk about a playoff bid after what happened to them in Atlanta. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy some people are actually considering the possibility - it just boggles my mind how fast and how convincingly Oregon has managed to bounce back after what the Bulldogs did to them in front of a national audience. There just can't be many (if any) other teams in the land that could come back from a beating like that. Speaks volumes about this team and this coaching staff, imo.

Anything's possible, I suppose. But a lot of cards are gonna have to fall in place, not the least being a 12-1 season and a Conference Championship before they even get a consideration. I wouldn't bet the farm on it. Any media and committee members wanting to freeze Oregon out have their Ace card in their pocket: that embarrassing loss in Atlanta. I am just so skeptical of the NCAA, the Playoff committee and the media giving Oregon any leeway because of that. I sure hope I'm wrong!

I guess I better clarify. What I've always wanted for Oregon is a kicker who can kick the ball off the tee into/out of the end zone consistently, not 1 out of 3 or even 3 out of 5 times. 5 out of 5 times. Our return coverage hasn't been stellar this year and seeing the ball go out of the end zone is my idea of a good kickoff. Reduces injuries, eliminates run backs. It does reduce the possibility of pinning the opponent inside the 20 (minimal gain there) and eliminates the chances for a fumble by the return team. But overall I think it better for the defense to know they will be starting their defense on the 25 and not the 45 or worse. I don't want to see the kickoff eliminated because with speedy return men if an opponent can't kick the ball deep enough O can still get the ball out and take it up field. I just don't like seeing our opponents receive the kick at the 5-8 yd line and make a 35 yd + run back. It seems like this year has seen more of our kicks not returned. And I like that.

An excellent post but I clipped these 2 short bits from it merely to say this is the epitome of Chip Kelly ball. Defenses are almost an after-thought until it gets to crunch time or early in the game to get the lead. Once his teams have the lead the opponents are screwed - as long as his team can keep scoring. This year, his team has kept scoring. Oregon is not dissimilar in that it plays its best when ahead (WSU game excepted). Best not be missing the 1st qtr. on this one!

Somehow I can't but help thinking the schools are going to figure out how to capitalize on some of the NIL $. And by extension, the conferences too. This would dovetail into the media markets handily as a lot of other $-making schemes already have. Has anyone voiced a serious concern for the future of Amateur Sports other than poo-pooing it as an 'over-reaction'?

Bo's 'bad luck' he drew one of the best defensive teams in the country for game 1. Might be a more interesting comparison to draw the line after 12 games, assuming he makes it thru 12. i know Dixon didn't. Might be some others, like Herbert, etc.

ehhhhhh-yaaaaaa.... no? I think this is a rather high estimate because O's competition gets a lot stiffer going forward starting with UCLA. He may rack up some good numbers against CAL & Colorado (but not 6). UCLA, Utah and OSU are going to be stingy on the TD side. Wash is a guess because, like OSU, even when things are looking down for them they play Oregon tough, even in Autzen. Those are overly optimistic TD numbers, in my humble opinion. But I'd be happy to be wrong and crown you the TD Prognosticator of the Year if they come true. Might even buy you a pint.

I like that. USC = University of Spoiled Children. Mind if I capture that?

I can't believe I've been watching college football this many years and I didn't know the kickoff tee wasn't used! What's that holding the ball upright for the kicker then? Wait... I'm not talking about FG's and extra points, I'm talking about kickoffs. I think we were on two different pages? My bad.

So my wife and daughters keep telling me ....