Nevada Dawg

Whoops, sorry about the spacing glitch above.

Well living in the Pacific time zone, at least I'll e able to watch most of the game before I tire. Imagine the plight of superfans like Jon Joseph in the east who may end up horizontal and snoring before the 2nd half kickoff.

I think that Charles's premise for this article is spot on. If you have followed my posts on OBD, you know that I think that the B1G is the most overrated conference in the country. And the discussion we are having here kinda bears this out. Having said that, the addition of the four west coast schools will improve the conference. Rather than there being maybe three relevant schools in the football mix, I think there will be four or five, with OBD firmly in that mix for the foreseeable future. I expect Whisky to improve under their new coach Fickell and for Nebraska to show a true resurgence under Rhule. Even Michigan State could become relevant again under J. Smith. The B1G actually needed the infusion of new blood as much as the new blood needed a good conference tie up.IMHO.

I don't really have a good feel for how this one will go. If the majority of Georgia's beat-up defensive linemen can play and contribute, even at 80%, then I think that the Dawgs stifle the Alabama offense and win the game. I'll be watching the "availability" reports closely this week. On the other hand, Georgia's offensive line has yet to gel as we had hoped it would and the loss of All-American guard Tate Ratledge certainly hasn't helped matters any. I could cite some other data, including some from a good friend Tide fan who is self-handicapping his guys' chances. So there are some reasons this game should be considered essentially a toss-up at this point. That 1-5 record sticks in my craw a bit because it does not reflect how close those games have actually been. But the losses did happen. It sure will be nice to finally get Bama into Sanford Stadium where they haven't appeared since 2008. Next year that happens.

Damn I have one of these around here somewhere (unless I have given it to my 2-year-old great grandniece who loves the darned thing and almost giggled herself to death playing with it).

Maybe a simple-minded outlook at this point, but as a Ducks fan, I'm glad that things are hunky dory in Eugene and care little about all the mental masturbation surrounding the less fortunate schools struggling to survive in the new football landscape. Don't misunderstand, I do care about these schools and hope that they can work out something to their satisfaction. Whether All Y'all are satisfied with what they come up means little to me and, I suspect, to the participants in the new PAC-12, 10, or whatever. It is late, I don't mean to come across as overly preachy, but that's my say and I'll now clam up.

Harbaugh has always liked to ground and pound when he had the troops to be successful at it. Let's hope, for Chargers fans' sakes that these troopers remain healthy because I read somewhere that the Chargers lost all of Herbert's top receivers to free agency and Coach JH had to scramble to get decent ones for Herbert to throw to. One of those receivers is Georgia's Ladd McConkey, an early 2nd round draft pick (#34) that Harbaugh knew from being torched by him in the College Football Semis. He liked him so much that CH talked the organization into bonuses that essentially made McConkey's contract a first-round deal to make sure Ladd would be happy in Chargerland. Word is that Ladd and Justin hit it off right away and that Ladd is already becoming a favorite of Justin and Charger fans. So both Dawgs and Ducks can be happy with this match and Go Bolts!!

I did notice and this was arguably he most exciting SEC game of he day. I say arguably because given their recent success, there were viewers all over the country who were watching, and in many cases hoping, that Kentucky would upset the Dawgs in Lexington.

Yep the Dawgs looked absolutely flat until the 4th Q in the win over Kentucky. Don't mean this as an excuse because there is no excuse, but rumor around Dawgland is that the Dawg players were largely focused on the following game against Alabama and took Kentucky for granted--something you can't do for road games in the SEC. Actually, the defensive performance was OK. The Dawgs still have given up no touchdowns, only field goals this season. But tonight's offensive performance was lackluster to say the best. But give Kentucky credit for they played well and always do when we play them at their place. I expect the Dawgs to drop 3-4 polling spots in the rankings this coming week. Strange as this may sound, I suspect Kirby will actually enjoy becoming an underdog to Bama and Texas and will use it to his advantage with a team that may have been becoming a little too full of themselves. While the Dawgs do have a couple of notable weaknesses IMHO, I expect them to play far better at their next game in Tuscaloosa.

To reinforce your point, Nevada blew that game against SMU (but give the ponies some credit) and should well have won that game. As for BSU, I am pretty darned confident the Ducks get this one done but have to say that it could well worth taking the points and laying a bet on the Broncos If... If this game were to take on the Blue field rather than at Autzen. I think that BSU could keep this one interesting for a while if their offense, which I know nothing about, is any good at all.

It is certainly nice that the Ducks are very clearly on the national radar now--I love it to a point. This is no time for rejoicing. I went through high expectations for the Dawgs as early as Kirby's second season, but was advised by sage voices to be cautious about what I said and very, very uneasy until the Dawgs actually won something. I watched the Dawgs get their hearts ripped out, both times by Bama, in OT in the 2017 Natty and the 2018 SEC Championship game--two games that a more experienced coach and squad should have won. In 2021, I was overly cautious even with an 8-point lead in the Natty with two minutes to go and didn't allow myself to feel confident until CB Kelee Ringo intercepted Bryce Young and returned the ball 70 some yards for the clinching score. My first reaction was unbelievable exuberance followed immediately by relief, fatigue, and a healthy pour of bourbon. It was FINALLY over. Never take for granted that something is likely to come to pass because others think it might. If my Dawgs can't get it done this year then I'll be hoping it is my Ducks. But no matter how good the team, it is always a struggle to make it to the end, especially if you have never been there before.

I was 9 and probably off fishing at the Seacliff wharf in Santa Cruz county. The only college football I watched in those days were the four big New Years Day Bowl Games--Orange, Sugar, Cotton and Rose Bowls. The old man was always perturbed because the Sugar and Cotton Bowls were on at the same time. As there were no remotes in those days, He'd drive us crazy sitting on the floor spinning the channel selector back and forth to monitor both games. Sometimes, we'd miss half the Orange Bowl because the Rose Bowl parade was running at the same time and Mom simply had to watch that one! But she did enjoy football and would root like a trooper for whatever Pacific Coast team was facing off against the Evil Empire in the Rose Bowl. She had grown up in the Midwest but absolutely hated the Ohio State Buckeyes. So I was indoctrinated early against the Big-10.

This game will be hyped beyond belief by NBC. It should attract a massive audience I'd expect. Are there any other big games being broadcast at the same time?

Lots of marginally talented guys who are credible short-term backups have made tidy fortunes carrying a clipboard along NFL sidelines over the years. More power to Marcus if his "back-up" career leaves him set for life in the years ahead.

Front-line talent is top notch IMHO. It is the talent "depth" on a young roster that I most worry about at the end of a grueling season. How far the Ducks go may depend very critically on how healthy they remain, although that is true of everyone, and is were quality depth becomes most apparent.

Yeah I don't think that the amateurs would lose every game either but they certainly wouldn't medal in today's world.

This is probably the last time we see Steph, LeBron and KD at the Olympics, and 2028 will be a strong challenge after seeing what I saw out of France and Serbia, both loaded with NBA players. This rising competitiveness abroad makes the tournament all the more exciting IMO. The same is true for the women who squeaked out a 1-point final second type win against the French women. I think that we have the NBA and WNBA to thank for this worldwide infusion of interest in roundball. I had assumed (there's that dreaded word assume) that both gold medal games would be walkovers for the US. Yet, they were infinitely more interesting because they were not!

Just for informational purposes, There is a prognosticator in Dawg Country, Uncle Lou, who picks the records of all the G4 teams every post-Spring practice season. I listened to his podcast for the Ducks the other day and he predicted a 12-0 regular season for the Ducks mainly because the OSU game is at Autzen. This guy is no clown but a darn good picker, so this is indeed a sign of respect. Like me, he is a Lanning fan all the way with the qualification that he is still yet to win a "big" one. According to Uncle Lou, that happens Oct 12 (although he thinks it very likely that this is reversed in the B1G Championship game--he only officially picks the regular season. Thought All Y'all would like to know.

didn't know Hocker was an ex-Duck until after the race, but that makes his thrilling upset all the sweeter. Congrats Cole on a truly thrilling performance. Races like this is why I love the Olympics!

Yeah, but I want the recruit for whom the "other boxes" are the main thing, and if it is perceived that they are not, particularly by one's prospective teammates, culture problems could clearly surface. Some who know have said that this was a problem a couple of years ago when T$M clearly bought the top rated class. Now several of those "bought" players are gone, as is the head coach.

Lol, thanks Jon

And SC follows suit by flipping a Georgia commit the very next day (or two) later. The Georgia player flipping saw the stacked DB room at Georgia and had been seeking other pastures since late Spring. As the SC flip was also a DB, this comes across pretty much as a trade with Georgia getting the player more willing to come in and compete for a job--Kirby's kind of guy. As for the theme of this post, I would take a move by SC to hand the reins over to Prime as an indication that the Trojans were in the early phases of de-emphasizing football. How could a once proud program be so cavalier?

I care about his opinion. He is a first-rate college analyst. Of course, analysts who make so many calls get a number wrong. I believe Michigan has a good shot .very good, at reaching the playoffs but have lost too much to be considereed prime candidates to hoist the trophy when all the playoff smoke as cleared. In this sense I agree with McElroy. Of course, I also know that many of you may not give a flip about what I think

Yes Charles, you do. And those who do often end up living their dreams, at least some of the time. A couple of sources who know Kirby Smart well say that he always dreamed of their being a day when he was mentioned as belonging in the circle of Nick Saban and the other coaching luminaries of that era. He lost out in the head-to-head competition while Nick was still around, and two of those games, the 2017 natty and 2018 SEC championship, are games that many think UGA should have won. But after two Nattys and a near miss on the playoffs last year, Kirby has earned his spot at the table. I'll be watching with great interest to see if young coach Lanning can manage to pull up a chair at that prestigious coaches table over the next few years. Go Ducks!

I saw the Lanning interview with McAfee today in which Dan Lanning jabbed back playfully at Kirby Smart's nice comments about meeting Phil Knight and wishing he had some of the NIL war chest available to Lanning. It is abundantly clear that Smart and Lanning really like each other. In fact Lanning said Kirby was an awesome mentor from whom he learned more than he had from any other football coach. Had Smart been there he might have quipped back with something like "Yeah, I might have taught him enough that it will probably come back to bite me in the butt some day." They are both great guys IMHO, awesome football coaches, and excellent guides for serious minded young men. The profession is lucky to have them.