Nevada Dawg

This is a great pickup for the Ducks. Lanning was Jordan's contact person when Georgia was recruiting him, and I speculatged a week or so ago that if he could break away from Mama's wishes, Oregon might just be a likely landing zone, particularly if an NIL offer was attractive. Some on the Dawgs' main blog had speculated that he would be Athens bound. But as he would have to fight it out with accomplished DLs there and with two 5-star edge guys, Oregon was clearly the best spot for Jordan. I wish him great success in Eugene where he fills a big need. Go Ducks!

It is hard not to like this kid. Maybe he is not a great QB but he is something I respect just as much--a gutsy football player. Another one of these just won a second natty tonight--Stetson Bennett. To me, calling someone a gutsy football player is high praise indeed.

Kirby was actually trying to shorten the game after Bennett came out by handing the ball off repeatedly to the 4th string running back, freshman Branson Robinson. Somebody forgot to tell Branson to go easy and he scored two rushing touchdowns. TCU was so gassed by this point in the game that the most humane thing to do might have been to repeatedly go into victory formation--which could have been almost construed as tacky and condescending with nearly 10 minutes left in the 4th Quarter. I kept asking myself should there be a mercy rule that could be invoked in games like this?

I will point out that there have already been two non-SEC/B1G champions in the playoff era and both were Clemson of the ACC.

As I was a big proponent of the Dawgs going all in on Sewell out of HS, I have watched him carefully the past two years. In 21, he was generally slow to go to the ball side--to- side and seemed engaged only when plays unfolded right in front of him. This year was more of the same and, if anything, a bit of a regression from last year. I expected him to be a stud. He turned out to be a disappointment to me. I am not a football coach, but as an amateur scout, I couldn't justify drafting Noah higher than the 4th or 5th round. In my opinion, he should have returned and worked his butt off to improve his draft stock.

Though I posted yesterday about the smoke I'd seen from Georgia sources about Birch and the Ducks, the word among insiders on the blogs today is that the Dawgs are the team to beat for his services. If this is an NIL recruitment, the Ducks, I suspect have a fighting chance as the Dawgs will not be the NIL leader. Yet a reason that Birch committed to USC in the first place is that he was from Columbia and Mama wanted him in Columbia. Maybe Birch has developed enough independence to buck Mama's wishes, but I suspect she will voice her displeasure should he decide to play in Eugene 2500 miles from home. Of course, I have no personal inside knowledge, so this is all pretty much my thinking out loud (i.e., speculation) at this point.

I am seeing some smoke about former South Carolina DL Jordan Birch, someone who Georgia recruited hard out of high school, being a target of interest for the Ducks. The "smoke" was on the Georgia blogs. Anybody connected to the Ducks know anything about this? Jordan is a former 5-star and a very good college player.

I think it could easily be argued that the other three Heisman finalists and playoff participants) (Duggan, Stroud, and Bennett) were all more deserving than a guy who could not engineer a win over Utah to get in the playoffs. And by the way, having to rely on statistics to win awards is what is wrong with Heisman balloting. Just my opinion.

I told my rabid Duck friend after the first semi that I hope if the Dawgs are destined to win their game, that they do it more comfortably than TCU did over Michigan. What a laugh. Ohio State had Georgia scouted well and came in with an unbelievable game plan. My congratulations to Ryan Day and his staff. I remember telling my football chat mates near the end of the game that were Stetson Bennett to engineer a TD on Georgia's last possession, he would remain a legend on that campus for as long as any Georgia partisan in the crowd at the Benz remains alive. The guy plays huge in crunch time. His only fault on that drive is that he scored too soon, giving C.J. Stroud 50 some seconds to work with. And that almost bit the Dawgs in the rear. For now, I'll gladly take the win, pour some bourbon to celebrate, and look forward to the Dawgs vs. the Frogs in LA next week. Oh and honesty compels me to admit that as a toddler, my most dear imaginary friends were a bunch of Purple Frogs that I had named and played with a lot. Now I hope that doesn't come back to bite me next week.

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).