Nevada Dawg

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.

I never liked MC as a coach from the first game I watched when he went on a forth and 2 late from somewhere around mid-field, got stuffed, and the opponent (maybe Stanford?), moved the ball a bit and kicked a last minute. field goal to win. Why he didn't punt the ball for a sure win was beyond me. I was really incensed by Mario not having the Ducks more game ready against Utah for either game last year. I understand that much of Utah's squad returned this year. Having said that, I can almost guarantee that this year's Utah game will bear faint resemblance to last year, not only because the Ducks have an experienced and far superior QB now, but also because Lanning will have them ready to play the damn football game in a way that Cristobal never could. Yeah, Cristobal did you a big favor by leaving and you made the most of it by hiring DL. Congrats!

I'm with Debbie Duck: It is an undefeated UCLA or bust for the PAC-12 this year as far as playoffs go. My prediction: Bust after the Ducks throttle the Bruins tomorrow. Lanning, of course, wants to win em all, but he'll take a first year trip to the Rose Bowl as a sign of a stupendous first year (as well he might).

I think Corso, if he comes, dons the Duck Head. I know he loves the mascot.

Oregon: Improving USC: Overrated (and I thought that prior to USC's losing to Utah

Yeah for us as well, though it may not matter ifno one beats Tennessee.

I think it was in my first post on OBD that I said that you were going to love Lanning while also cautioning against heaping unrealistic expectations on a first-year coach and his staff. I expected miscues on his part and we may see some yet this year. But quite frankly, things are going better so far than I had anticipated. I think what I am seeing here, based on team play and statements from some players, is the establishment of a new culture that players are buying into. A culture based on sound fundamentals will lead down the road to a team chemistry in which the older players will encourage the younger ones to buy in and to work hard to get better every day. If I am right, I expect really good things to happen for the Ducks in the coming years and a level of excitement in Eugene that is something to behold. Rest assured that I will be rooting along with you!

The biggest problem with being in the B1G is that the state with the abundance of high school talent is Ohio and Ohio State "owns" it recruiting-wise. That being the case, they will continue to dominate the B1G. A 12-team playoff field means that Oregon in the PAC-whatever will reach the playoffs more often but...3 out of every 4 seasons seems to be excessive to me.

That is a very good point Kurt and you are probably right. But it certainly would be impossible to to exclude an undefeated PAC-12 champion. I actually think that Bama will have their hands full with Tennessee IF...IF Bryce Young is unable to go on Saturday.

Yes I think so. Bama has been a bit uninspiring this year and could easily have lost two games already. Those things make a difference when there are many potential deserving teams.

In my view, the Ducks have looked very good since week one. I could actually see them running he table but will not be shocked if they don't. UCLA and Utah look legit to me and SC could loom in a title game. If I had to guess, I'd bet that the Ducks end up in a New Year's 6 bowl. Someone in this conference is going to have to be ranked a lot higher to make the playoffs. One of the teams is going to have to become dominant for that to happen I think.

Herbie has had some astoundingly bad picks this year--maybe he is compensating for Corso's absence on Gameday.

If what was said about Robbie today, that he never saw the field in a game for Oregon, is correct, we should recognize that experientially, he is now playing in his 4th or 5th college game. Hopefully the kid will grow up fast and have a good career at Auburn. The potential is there but the SEC wars are a rough baptism for anyone as inexperienced as Ronnie Ashford.

If I may play devil's advocate for a moment, it is possible that Ty's deer-in-the-headlights look is simply due to a lack of meaningful reps in practice with the first-team offense ,and he may never develop if he never gets these reps. Had you seen Justin Fields on the field as a freshman at Georgia, he looked, and was, totally lost trying to run the GA offense. It was a great decision for him to go to Ohio State as the Bucknuts ran an offense tailored to Justin's skill set and he probably had little chance of unseating a less talented but solid college QB as a sophomore or even a junior. Now Justin is in Chicago trying to run a Bears offense that is not well suited to his skill set and he is again struggling. But he got the big pro contract and may develop yet into a star. A change of scenery might be good for Ty, particularly if Nix returns. I don't know how Dillingham operates, but if Ty's skill set does not suit the OC (do we know what that skill set is?) he may not get a real chance to win the starter's job and should probably transfer. If he leaves, good luck to the young man.

I thought that Leach would be a joke in the SEC when his hiring was announced. Yet I was wrong. His teams have consistently been competitive and I actually view my Dawgs visit to Starkvegas in November to be their number 1 possibility for a "trap" game. His spread offense has been a challenge for some SEC defensive coordinators. The first time the DAWGS played MSU, the game became a bit of a shootout. In his first start, J.T. Daniels had to throw for more than 400 yards to subdue the SEC's other bulldogs. Yet I can see the sentiment on this tread toward Leach. Some of his antics and comments are a bit bizarre.

Ohio State is essentially the Clemson of the B1G. This is perhaps the most overrated conference in America and it is even worse for basketball than for football. Charles's statement in comment 7 above about Oregon remaining in the PAC-12 re expansion of the playoffs is right on in my humble opinion.

I throughly enjoyed the Oregon-WSU game and thought as I watched that the Cougs had deserved to be ranked. The proposition that they may determine who wins this conference is perfectly reasonable to me. Having said that, the comeback win by the Ducks was an important accomplishment for getting them by a potential spoiler that other contenders may not so successfully navigate. Oh, and I smiled when I watched the experienced Bo Nix calmly direct the Oregon offense in crunch time. He is not going to be a Heisman candidate but he has the moxie to direct his team when the chips are down, as in the rapidly expiring 4th Quarter in Pullman. I suspect that this is one reason Lanning is apparently sold on Nix for the 2022 season.