Nevada Dawg

I haven't read all of this thread so SIAP. But...aren't weird things known to come down in Corvallis., I do know about the infamous mud bowl in which the Beaves upset undefeated and #1 USC and O.J. Simpson. I also painfully remember a certain team we all love giving up a big lead in the 4th Quarter to fall there only last year. Could OSU upset the visiting Fuskies on Saturday. Absolutely! Do I expect it to happen? Not likely IMHO.

I was going to reply to the inevitable "panic thread" that emerged to say that Lanning wasn't going anywhere. IMHO it made no sense to uproot his family to go to College Station Texas, one of the armpits of the Lone Star state. I held off because it was late, I didn't want to wade through 80 some posts to ensure that I had anything worth saying...and thankfully Lanning ended the speculation quickly citing some of the very reasons I would have posted for staying in Eugene. I told y'all when he was hired that you would love this guy and I see that I was right.

Duck fans, you have a coach who knows how to build a winning program and this year stands as evidence of that fact. But I caution that Lanning has to continue to recruit like a banshee, and I am confident that he knows that the best route to a sustainable winning program is recruitment primarily at the high school level of those who are "culture fits" for what he is building. He took an inordinately large number this year from the portal to fill holes that weren't adequately addressed in last year's recruiting class. I suspect that number will eventually shrink to a select few to fill critical holes. Worrying about next year, my biggest concern is addressing the QB issue. Anyone who believes (and I hope this isn't throwing shade Charles) that one can easily replace a talent like Nix in the portal may be living in a "fool's paradise". Nix was a jewel who fell into Oregon's lap--enjoy the good fortune. My preference has always been to develop QBs from what is in-house, and don't you guys that two 5-stars slated to grace next year's roster.? But even at that, next year's QB play is likely to be a disappointment to many, even if you do take a portal guy. So enjoy the present and look forward to the continued development of the Duck brand over time on the national scene, even though the ascendance will not always be in a straight line upward.

If these guys were the ones setting the betting odds, I could see betting against these lines.

Don't think that the 12-1 PAC-12 champion Ducks get left out, even with having only beaten one team with a winning record to date. Besides, SOS will look much better if they beat USC, OSU, and UW. I doubt that there will be four undefeated teams in the end, so that Oregon should be in unless Texas wins out and ends up with a stronger SOS than the Ducks. Of course, I am assuming that either Georgia or Alabama gets in as SEC champs. Right now, the stars are aligning for the Ducks---provided they can continue to take care of business. fsu is going to lose.

Agree

Good analysis Jon on schedule and the task at hand. Some folks here seem to be getting way out front when job 1 should be concentrating on beating the Trojans and then, whomever is next. A great season can be ruined by a single slip-up! I've seen that happen too often in Athens, even a couple times under Kirby smart.

Expected Oregon to win this game convincingly and they did. Second year coach Mike White had to pretty much replenish his roster this year and the team is young. They are slated to have a great incoming class next year and will give a better account of themselves in the future. I'm actually surprised that White took the Georgia job because the program was a shambles after two bad coaches in a row. He worked miracles getting last year's squad to 16-16.

Big discussion tonight on one of the Dawg forums about the 24 draft regarding whether Bo Nix is a first-rounder. The consensus was not likely, although as a jury member , my own verdict is still up in the air. I think that if the Ducks reach the playoff and Bo has a good game in one such game, he gets a first-round grade. But we shall see what we shall see.

Yeah, ducks are really getting noticed. Another example: On his very popular "Always College Football" podcast, Greg McElroy and his guest Colin Cowherd seemed to agree that the Ducks are one of the top four teams and will beat the Fuskies if such a rematch takes place. Cowherd even said that the Ducks are the only team in the PAC-12 that is built like and looks like an SEC team and would probably beat either Ohio State of Michigan on a neutral field. Not sure I concur with that assessment, but I certainly believe the good guys belong on the same field with them--assuming they keep their eyes on the long prize ahead and keep grinding.

I haven't watched Ty much, but he looked like a deer in the headlights out there last year. However, a Spring and Summer of taking first-team reps in practice may make him look like a completely different player. At Georgia, Carson Beck looked like Ty as the backup QB in early 2020. He quickly lost his backup status to Stetson Bennett who, in turn, became the starter shortly thereafter. My point is that Carson had a paucity of first-team reps that year. When he got more in 22 and during the Spring and Summer of 23, his talent and knowledge of the offense became readily apparent. I won't be surprised if the same doesn't happen for TT next year. In any case, expect a period of adjustment in the offense, and some fits and starts, whomever takes snaps for the Ducks next September. Nix will not be easily replaced I fear.

So many outlets in my area (Carson City) do not carry the PAC-12 network. One day last year, a friend and I tried every casino in town hoping to locate a Duck game on the dreaded channel. We had no luck. Not even the large casinos at Stateline have the PAC-12 network. I found it interesting that, while visiting friends in the greater Boston, MA area last weekend, the PAC-12 channel was available on Comcast, Of course, I can't get it here on my Spectrum subscription even though I do get the ACC channel. What do you suppose that is all about!

I, too, hope to see a Dawgs-Ducks game in the playoffs. Honesty compels me to say that I think that a relatively healthy Dawgs win such a matchup, but it would not totally shock me should the Ducks prevail. As I've said before on this forum, I'd be in somewhat of a win-win situation were it Dawgs versus the Ducks. That is, I would still be gratified if my second favorite team won the game and claimed a natty. Far better that in my opinion than a Michigan, Ohio State, or whomever else winning it all. So, Go Dawgs...and Ducks!!

Yep, this year would certainly be an interesting 12-team playoff if only it had come to pass. I can't remember a year in recent memory when that would have been true. Sorry if this is off the theme of this thread. I just couldn't have helped but speculate this after perusing Jon J's post above.

Quitting on one's team is certainly not likely to be favorably received by NFL GMs. And what of Caleb's comment that he'd return to USC if he didn't like who drafted him. I am not sure under those circumstances that his USC teammates would be all that that thrilled to have a quitter back. He's not going anywhere I'd guess.

I can't help but laugh about this maybe because I'm in my upper 70s. But the prospect of a 9 AM Pacific raises the prospect of many players taking the field before their morning bowel movement happens. That could get really messy. As for the 9 AM Eastern time slot, I had to get used to that in a hurry when I moved West because if the Dawgs were playing a cupcake or lower echelon SEC team, they'd be placed in that slot on the SEC channel. But just because I adapted didn't mean that I liked it.

Yeah this PAC-12 season is certainly the most interesting and competitive in (my) memory, which goes back a long, long way! What the h-ll kind of interdimensional phenomenon happened to do what has transpired for the ole Conference of champions? At least she went out with a bang and not a whimper! Too bad the media deal wasn't being negotiated during this glorious last hurrah as the PAC would have undoubtedly received better terms.

Ducks had darn well be ready for anything on Saturday and I suspect they will as the consequences of failing to do so could be severe. Clearly if the lipstick gets applied to the Ducks' beaks, the playoffs are a goal for another year. The loss last week shows quite clearly that the path to the promised land is quite narrow; in fact there is only a skinny ledge. Every week it is win or perish. Go Ducks!!!

Aw, Lanning is going to be just fine. My guess is that he will take easy points from this point on when it is prudent to do so, and will take fewer risks while protecting leads at crunch time.

I've said it before and will say it again (for the last time, I promise): punt the --- ---- football. I understand PK"s reaction and I had a feeling of dread as Oregon lined up to snap that ball. . Just to give you some local flavor on this, Kirby Smart, in this first year, did exactly the same thing on a Fourth and 2 and it ended up costing him the game. The opponent: Vanderbilt on homecoming day. Maybe this wasn't as risky as giving Washington back the ball in the middle of the field, but the results were the same and he took unbelievable heat for it. But as I also said the other day, it is now water over the dam and we need to look ahead rather than backwards and hope that lessons have been learned.

Good Lord yes! I am 77 years old and probably had a 80% chance of making at least one of those two FGs at the end of the half (disclosure, I enjoy placekicking every now and then at a local venue when I can get someone to go with me).

I am firmly in the take the damn points camp. But the biggest brain fart in this game was the decision not to punt the damn ball with 2:16 left. It is bad enough to have to give Penix and those elite WRs the ball with that much time remaining, but I'd sure as hell rather have them possessing the ball down field deep in their own territory than around midfield!! I was pretty confident about winning this game until the "no punt" decision unfolded. Having said this, I also think points would have been nice inside the 10 at the end of the first half, even though it would not have immediately given us the lead. This decision on Lanning's part was even harder to justify than "no punt" in the 4th IMHO because at least he could argue that had the first down been made at the end of the game, it is almost certain that Washington, with either only 1 or no TOs, would never have possessed the ball again. Yes fellow Duck fans, this was a tough cross to bear. But I am already looking ahead to the next game and the need to keep chopping wood in pursuit of a berth in the Championship game in Vegas. Only now, there is no margin for error.

Haywardduck's quotations about UW's prowess vis a vis the Ducks is bulletin board material for sure. Hopefully Lanning put this on an audio loop in the workout room for the Duck players to hear over and over and get really motivated to tear the heads off the allegedly mighty Huskies. Kirby Smart used this approach after a disappointing loss at Auburn after the Tigers coach said in a post-game interview "We really kicked the dog crap out of them didn't we"?. That audio loop played in the workout room once it became clear the two teams would meet for the SEC championship . The result: Dawgs 28-7 in the rematch.

Hey Charles, I was planning to post this but you beat me to it. Although there is no question who I am pulling for on Saturday, I really see this game as a "pick em." I would guess the line slightly favors the fuskies because the game is in Seattle, but it is likely a big play in the 4th Q determines who wins. As for squabbles over who is the best coach, each has real strengths. I like Lanning though based on his apparent recruiting prowess. You work for two of the master recruiters in the game and it rubs off.

I and a couple of my Bama friends actually think the "culture" is not as strong as it used to be at Alabama and that part of the reason for that is that Kirby Smart is no longer there. I know that DL was aware of that vibe at Georgia because I heard him talk about it in interviews while he was DC in Athens. I figured that culture would be a big deal for Dan after he moved to Eugene. I am not as wired to what's going on in the Ducks program as I am with the Dawgs, but hearing you guys talking so much about the rapidly evolving culture there convinces me that my prediction is coming to fruition. Go Ducks!!!