Nevada Dawg

Most Duck fans, myself included, would have been overjoyed in September to know that the team with a first-year coach would finish with 10 wins...no?

There seems to be no solid team "culture" at UM at the moment. If this class is mainly NIL driven and does not gel into some form of team identity, my expectation is that it will underperform on the field much as we have seen with A$M this year. Older players who have busted their tails for years often resent the big bucks flaunted by incoming and unproven high school talent--another problem plaguing the A$M team. I predict these problems will continue for schools that recruit heavily through NIL.

I don't think that Noah would have improved his draft stock by a return to Eugene but I would have liked it had he finished the season in the Holiday Bowl with his teammates.

Neither would I put a second SEC team in. Have to reward the teams that take care of business. TCU beat five ranked teams during the course of the season and belongs in the field in my opinion. Using the same criteria, Ohio State has to be in as well, although I believe that they and the B1G are generally overrated.

I am not getting any younger and applaud the coming of a 12 team playoff in 2024. I hope that I get a few years of this. By 2024, Lanning will hopefully bring in two more solid recruiting classes and be building the depth necessary to not only make the field, but also to make a little noise as well. But it will take some time to prevent the rich from becoming richer. Case in point: Given the current CFP rankings, a quarter of the field, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee would be in (four if LSU were to upset Georgia in the SEC Championship game). My prognosis is that over time, as more teams have realistic aspirations of at least making the field, that recruiting will become a bit less concentrated on the blue bloods as more talented kid see that they can be relevant attending the solid programs out there (e.g., an Oregon or Wisconsin) who will get to the dance more frequently than is possible now. And the major bowls will still be relevant as part of the playoff tournament.

This is almost certainly the reason as I have been told he is a midwesterner through and through. And I'll add one other thing that some of you already know: Luke Fickell is one hell of a football coach who will mold Wisconsin into a formidable B1G powerhouse.

Ducks 17-14 1 TO created 4 sacks 190 yards passing

I was really impressed with the offensive game plan and Nix's execution of it on Saturday. Obviously the plan was for Nix to get the ball out fast on passing plays, thereby minimizing Utah's chances of getting at him. His veteran leadership was palpable all night. I particularly loved one of the final plays on offense where, with an empty backfield on 3rd and short if I remember correctly, gimpy Bo caught Utah completely off guard by calling his own number and diving forward for the game clinching first down. I guess it is possible that Dillingham called this play, but I'd bet that this was something a veteran competitor just decided that he could pull off. Now just go out and find a way to skin the rodents--Go Ducks!

As an interested fan I'd like to know: Has Lanning given any injury/player availability updates for Saturday's game as yet? Can Bo play and, if so, how limited is he expected to be?

My Dawgs had he same problem 3-4 years ago when supposed all-world freshman QB Justin Fields backed up Jake Fromm and was not properly prepared to truly step in and lead the team. When he did get in, Justin's plays were limited to calls from the booth and the kid looked like a deer in the headlights, kinda like TT on Saturday.. In my opinion with Justin, this was a coaching problem, not a player problem. Justin saw the handwriting on the wall and transferred to Ohio State, where the very next year he played like an All-American. It could be that TT is a lot less talented than Justin Fields. But it also might be that the kid has to leave Eugene for a true chance to display whatever talents he possesses.

One thing I think I know: Dan Lanning would love the kinds of challenges that Georgia presented this year (though maybe not in his first game at the helm). That game was very diagnostic for the coaching staff and did, I submit, more good than harm. PAC-12 schools need to play big intersectional games and win some of them if they want to be taken more seriously by the dudes doing the rankings. As for being afraid to leave home turf, Georgia has at least one home and home coming up fairly soon with UCLA and others of note like Clemson as well. Many Georgia fans, myself included, would love to have a home at home with Oregon so they can see what playing in Autzen is all about. Georgia fans, who travel very well, would also look favorably toward H & Hs with Washington and USC as well.

My own opinion is that Oregon will not leapfrog 1-loss Tennessee on strength of schedule. Also, Alabama went to the playoffs in 2017 when they did not win their division or play in the SEC Championship. Oregon would have an argument for inclusion should they win the PAC-12, but I'd bet they are not getting there by displacing a 1-loss Tennessee.

SI projections for bowl matchups are historically bad...just saying. I still believe that if TCU goes undefeated, they are in the playoffs. Of course the Frogs could lose, but it is not immediately apparent who will take them down. My best guess if it happens is Texas in Austin. But I wouldn't lay a bet on that outcome. I also expect a one-loss Tennessee to make the field.

Yep I did tell you that you'd come to love Lanning and will add that I hope that the Ducks gain a rematch with the Dawgs, for several reasons. I have always been a closet Ducks fan and am a Lanning fan. The playoffs are still far from certain, even if the Ducks win out--lots have to happen. From my selfish perspective as a Dawg fan and no disrespect intended, I'd rather face the Ducks in the playoffs than the Vols again. Now that last sentence ought to expose me to some shots from the Ducks fan base, but without an intersectional resume other than 49-3, I really have no basis for knowing how good the Ducks really are. I do think that on a neutral field (as in the playoffs) they are even money to take down either Michigan or Ohio State who have no intersectional resume either. Ohio State did beat ND in game one at home, but like Oregon, ND has improved mucho since September.

Wow I did not know about the 5-game contract with the ACC. Can they simply become a member for football and retain their financial contract apart from the conference pie? Being able to play for a conference championship could be in ND's interests with respect to seeding in the coming 12-team playoff format.

LSU now controls its own destiny in the SEC West but is a 2-loss team. Don't see how they get to the playoffs. Tennessee is still very much in the picture and I don't expect them to lose again. Oregon now has a pathway to the promised land but they will still need to win out and receive further help along the way. If TCU remains undefeated, no way Oregon leapfrogs them (no pun intended).

Man I hope that Oregon never goes to the B1G. I've said it before and will say again, The B1G plays boring football and is the most overrated conference in America. Assuming the money distribution stays reasonably competitive in the PAC-12, I firmly believe the Ducks would be better off right where they are. I don't know about USC, but I suspect that UCLA will eventually regret their move to the Midwest. Imagine playing mid-week basketball games in Maryland or Rutgers. This is nuts from a travel point of view, And having lived in the Midwest, the BIG fan bases will certainly not welcome the California schools with open arms. Just my $.02 worth and sorry if these points have already been made over the past couple months.

This is true and the injury ends a brilliant college career. According to Kirby, Nolan remains important as a "coach on the sideline".

Georgia cannot simply replace Nolan Smith. He is an important team leader and a coach on the field. Yet that hardly means they are doomed to lose the game. His position will be played by committee with some of the committee members being young but talented and relatively inexperienced. I don't mean to come across as a self-handicapper here. It is quite possible that Tennessee could win this game with Nolan playing. A football chat buddy who is a rabid Tennessee fan and ex-Vol player thinks Georgia wins this game if the team is really dialed in. However, if Georgia is the least bit lackadaisical, as they were for their two FCS games, his money would be on the Vols. My best guess is that Georgia will not be the slightest lackadaisical and will probably win a tight one--but my confidence in this outcome is not real high. But one thing I do know: Should Georgia lose, Kirby will gladly congratulate the Vols and certainly not try to pin the loss on Nolan's absence.

Yeah the mathematical laws of cumulative probabilities make almost any outcome seem highly improbable when aggregated over 4 or 5 events/games still to come.

McClain is a south Florida kid. He probably has some affection for the Hurricanes and tie big bag ensures that he can stay home and do South Beach up right. Believe me, as a "fun" locale, Miami has it all over Tuscaloosa or Gainesville, FL.

I suspect the "grind" will not be a problem for this staff which, I am sure, is challenging its players to work hard and get better every day. If they are getting their message across, and it seems as if they are, the team is not close to peaking yet.

The answer is Nooooo! Georgia has played games on the coast before although it has been awhile. They have a home and home with UCLA on the schedule, first game in he Rose Bowl in 2025 if memory serves me. They had a home and home with Ohio State coming up that Ohio State bailed on. They also had upcoming home and homes with Oklahoma and Texas on the docket that the SEC struck down because these teams will be in the league and the dates do not work with the revised scheduling formats. Uga fans would love to have more intersectional games with the PAC-12, and the second most desired away game, after the Rose Bowl which will no longer be in play as a PAC-12 home, is probably good ole Autzen. SE chickens? Hardly!!

Well there is one thing I can promise you: Should the stars align such that the Ducks and Dawgs match up in the playoffs, you can bet that Bo's interview, if on tape, will be recorded and broadcast on a cycle in the Dawgs' workout sites prior to that game. I could ask for no better bulletin board material. I personally know or know of, some of whom comment here, several Dawg fans that follow Oregon football and will continue to do so. Believe me, these SEC fans most certainly do not hate Oregon. Kirby Smart also maintains great relationships with all his ex-assistants who have become head coaches. He may try to beat their brains out between the lines, but he wishes them all well and is happy when they succeed.

I concur that the Duck offense has improved a lot but it has faced nothing like the Dawg defense since September 3. I'm guessing in a playoff game, the Dawgs prevail 42-17.