Nevada Dawg

Lane and Kirby have an interesting relationship and can get away with going after each other both on and off the field. They do so this because they are friends with a sense of humor stemming from their coaching together at Bama in 2014-15. Typical barb: yesterday Lane insinuated that Kirby looked a little chunky and out of shape running up and down the sidelines against Auburn on Saturday. You can bet Kirby will have a couple of zingers ready for "Lame Kitten" should the dawgs prevail in Sanford Stadium on Saturday. Yet they really do deeply respect one another I am told. And you can bet that these two will have a good time laughing and jabbing at each another the next time they get together at SEC media days. That's just who they are.

I'd bet my eye teeth that a 10-2 Ducks team gets in. But then again, my eye teeth ain't worth much. The second loss would have to be a really bad one to strike the Ducks from the CFP field. Safest path, of course is to just win baby. Go Ducks!

I gotta say JJ that I wonder what parameters you feed to AI to retrieve the wealth on information included in your opening post, lol! I'll also note that it is silly season re ranking anomalies and nobody should be surprised--happens every year. I'd love to see what the new and improved RPI-like computer index that is supposed to be consulted for playoff purposes looks like at this point. Though that will change as much football remains to be played and college football is less transitive than it used to be.

They'll continue with the big buyouts because they think they have to for success at landing the guy they (think) they want at the moment.

Highly agree. But fans and donors get impatient and expect the impossible these days The changing financial landscape of college football has insured hat their will never be another Alabama dynasty. Saban saw that and got out early. At Georgia, there are people beginning to wonder if Kirby Smart has lost his edge and even speculating about who would be the best fit if and when the time comes to part ways with the best coach Georgia has ever had. This is nuts, but I now believe that Kirby will tire of the sniping and be gone in another 5-6 years at most.

My response is "Who the he-l cares what McAfee thinks?" As for his prediction, even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then". But he did make a gutsy guess before that audience in Eugene, Oregon.

JJ has the right perspective on this loss IMHO. I told my great Duck buddy immediately after the game that the Ducks now have a wonderful opportunity to grow from this and I am glad that this opportunity came in the middle of the season. Here is the basis for my opinion. Last season every thing was roses for the Ducks ...that is, until the Rose Bowl. I saw complacency happening in the Oregon team as everything seemed easy. I feared it and it reared its ugly head in Madison Wisconsin against a team the Ducks should have (in my judgment) beaten easily. Things steamrolled along until the Rose Bowl against a team that the complacent Ducks had already beaten, came in boat raced them, surprising many on this board. I remember telling myself that I almost wish in retrospect, that the Ducks had lost the OSU game in Autzen. Nick Saban used to talk about rat poison, or the complacency that can result when players are repeatedly told how great they are. Today should fix that, losing AT HOME to a conference foe that people underestimated. How great is it that this lesson was learned relatively early and that players will maybe more closely listen when told that they have to scratch and claw for everything they earn? By the time the Ducks learned this last year, their season had just come to an end. Clearly nobody likes to lose. But some losses are better than others, and this one, in my humble opinion, is potentially a good one that could pay real dividends come playoff time.

I am starting to hear talk about Florida trying to lure Cig to Gainesville after they fire Billy Napier. If I am Cig, I'd stay right where I am. And as a Dawg fan, the prospect of such a move induces nightmares.

Given the way I have seen Cig rebuild and strengthen the Hoosiers, I think Indiana will be one of the top teams in the B1G as long as he coaches there. I have no confidence in the Illinois coach BB stemming from his dismal showing in the SEC, but we'll see if he can keep the Illini meaningful and competitive. My biggest disappointment among recent B1G coaching changes is Luke Fickell--I thought the Badgers would be very competitive by now. I think that Washington could well ascend to become a meaningful opponent again, as could USC if they finally decide to can Lincoln Riley, and I regret to say that I am not at all confident about the longer term prospects for Nebraska--but could well be wrong here. .

When I saw the Ducks" schedule whenever it came out, I told my great Duck buddy that Oregon was in the catbird seat for playoffs 2025. My critique is not of the best half dozen of the B1G teams, but the other dozen seem like cupcakes to me. Hopefully NIL will help to improve the competitive balance of the conference over time.

Cig seems to be brash mostly when bragging about this coaching accomplishments and is way too smart to give the Ducks bulletin board material. So, let's give him an experience on Saturday to make him more humble (if that's possible, lol).

I'll make this short and sweet--when (not if) CDL breaks through and hosts the big glass trophy, he will skyrocket to the top of the Ducks' coaching fraternity!

I tend to agree with this assessment. Cristobal needs to let his assistants pretty much run the show and not be Mari intrusive. Bonehead decisions is what I dislike most about Mari and i am not sure that he can resist if the going gets tense in a big game. Time will tell I guess.

I also meant to mention last night while posting here that I am glad to learn that Bear Alexander appears to have "grown up" considerably and s making great progress in Eugene after his miserable showings in Athens and Los Angeles. He, I believe, was on his last shot and is not wasting it. So, congrats to the young man and to the Duck staff for helping to set the young man straight.

I certainly agree that you are fortunate to have Lanning (as I have noted here several times). And I do believe that a Natty is in our future, maybe even this year. There is always hope, No?

My best friend, who is a Notre Dame grad, has the deepest contempt for USC. This staid retired Air Force Colonel gets absolutely profane when referring to Trojan football. In a recent phone conversation, I asked him if he will miss the ND-USC annual rivalry game going away after this year. His reply was "Hell yes, I relish the chance to blister their f----- rear-ends annually and would even enjoy the opportunity for an encore in the playoffs or a bowl should that come to pass." He hopes Lincoln Riley can remain at SC and keep them mediocre forever.

This is going to sound like a "homer" comment and I don't mean to overrate this young, relatively inexperienced bunch of BullDawgs, but I see 4-5 teams rated higher than them who would be underdogs (gambling odds) in a head-to-head meetings on a neutral field. I remind you that the Dawgs lost to the same Bama team in week 4 last season and dropped way down in the polls. So what happened. They learned from their mistakes and ended up winning the SEC. They, like the Ducks, earned an ill-fated Bye (remember all Bye teams lost their initial playoff game). My point though is that polls are nearly meaningless at this point in the season. Saturday night, I congratulated my dear Duck fanatic buddy on the PSU win and said they should probably rise to #2 in the polls. His reply: Why not #1? I cautiously reminded him that polls this early don't mean squat and said the early ascendance To #1 last year really didn't work so well last year did it? So I ended up besting his predictive ability on most of the polls, but I was quick to point out that the Sunday morning ESPN poll did indeed have the Ducks at #1.

Thanks Charles. We back sufferers should try to support and encourage one another. Two of my friends have a similar condition and can understand when one of us needs a brief rest on our hiking outings. The Sierra Nevadas rise straight up out of the Carson Valley floor where I live and can't be hiked on anything other than severe switchback trails. Three years ago, my regular hiking buddy and I walked a 6-mile extreme trail up to a waterfall above the little town of Genoa. I mentioned that hike to him a week or two ago and all he could do is groan. Truth be told, I have no desire to repeat that walk either although it sure was scenic when we did it. Hope you get to make that trip to Happy Valley for the next White Out involving OBD.

As one who suffers lower back pain, I can certainly emphasize. I can still walk for exercise with the help of an elastic belt, but can only go 10-15 minutes before having to sit and rest a few minutes. This is the long-term result of a bad auto accident in 1998, but thankfully, the problem didn't become terribly noticeable until 2-3 years ago (yeah the doctors told me it would happen eventually). What I can't do very well any more is drive for long distances or be comfortable on long plane rides. Sure hope your recovery proceeds steadily and is a good one.

I know some of you could care less whether this rivalry game continues, but as an old PAC-whatever league fan (I go all the way back to the Pacific Coast Conference), I am a traditionalist and am pleased that it will continue. Plus, given the way college football has changed, it will likely be a Duck win for the foreseeable future.

I would guess that just by walking around outside the stadium in Duck gear before the game, several aggregations of PSU fans are likely to try to start a conversation by offering something to eat and drink. In the big faceoff in Athens against Notre Dame in 2019, I saw Georgia folk engaging the ND fans all over the place the morning (and afternoon) before the game. I asked many Irish fans if they were having a good time on campus, and everyone said they loved the Southern Hospitality they were receiving, We did a lot of joking though that it wouldn't be that way Between the Hedges in Sanford Stadium once the sun went down. I suspect some of you will meet PSU fans like that. Just stay away from the students. Incidentally, you may be interested to know that the blogging procrastinators on the Dawg site in which I participate pretty universally predict OBD to win this game, and many don't think it will be close. This reflects, I think, the regard they have for Lanning and the lack thereof for Franklin ever winning big games. Thought you might find the sentiment in Dawg land interesting so I am passing it along.

LOL. These are 18-22 year-old college athletes who will be hyped up for a big challenge. I seriously doubt any of them will be looking for a cot in the 4th Quarter. I'd be more worried about the Ducks getting a good nights sleep on the road the night before. I also don't know where the team will be staying, but I hope that it is reasonably close to Happy Valley to avoid a lengthy bus ride to the stadium on game day. Go Ducks!

I'm not sure that CDL was at all concerned about the final score of that game which was already well in hand. I applaud his efforts to give his back ups reps against a P4 opponent on the road.

I much prefer coaches to give the backups reps in one-sided games as opposed to running up scores for whatever reason. Game reps are super important for player development and a coach never knows when those backups may have to be thrust into action to (hopefully) keep a team headed toward its seasonal goals.