GatOrlando

This isn't a message or an excuse for Oregon losing today. Ohio State looks like they're clicking and it came after they really only played one great game (for them). That game was in a loss vs Oregon btw. My problem isn't even with Ohio State not getting a bye. But that should be remedied as well, the Big 12 and ACC are by far two tiers below the SEC and B1G. My issue is the path Penn State and Texas were given over the two teams that beat them in Championship Saturday. Oregon and Georgia were rewarded for winning, but the next day when we saw Penn State get SMU at home and Boise the week after and Texas got Clemson at home and ASU the next week compared to Ohio State/Tennessee and Notre Dame/Indiana. Which looks tougher? I'm not saying Oregon would beat Ohio State if they met for a championship. But they did beat them this year and it was clear these two were the top two teams leading up to Ohio State losing to Michigan. Heck Tennessee was looked at as far better than Indiana, SMU, Boise, ASU or Clemson. So either way the top seed gets a far tougher matchup than Penn State or Texas. I would like to see Oregon get Boise or ASU. Give Texas or Penn State the game vs Ohio State. The playoff committee needs to fix the format, not the teams. That's the conversation we need to push. It's absolutely mind boggling that we got Penn State not having to play a P4 roster two games into their playoff journey. SMU still has an AAC level roster tbh. End of rant.

I can't see this game as a two score win for either team. That favors Oregon in the two fields I see them with advantages. Special teams and head coach. If this game does become close I really believe Ryan Day will tell Chip Kelly to go conservative which will result in Ohio State taking away their own best weapons. He did it against Michigan and two years ago when they blew that Peach Bowl against Georgia. If Will Howard gets hot early and their secondary allows aggressive pressure fronts I fear Ohio State could put up a big enough lead that even Ryan Day couldn't blow. I don't see Lanning allowing that though. He won't have Gabriel in empty set formations like Heupel did with a freshman QB on the road.

As an outsider to the Ducks fan base I've grown to appreciate the welcoming nature on this board. I've noticed the mood go from excited to anxious the last few days. I understand why, but I do wonder how the feeling will be post Rose Bowl. Let's say Oregon wins. Is the feeling relief or a subdued sense of euphoria? Are you just looking forward to the next one and getting ready for a team like Texas or is there a sense that you just knocked out your toughest hurdle and feel like the biggest roadblock is gone? Now worst case scenario ,Oregon loses. Do you feel like the season is a success or do you need time away from it to answer that question because your ultimate goal wasn't completed? Looking at your season I would say it's obviously successful and Lanning proved he's one of the best coaches in the game. Losing to Ohio State doesn't tarnish this season. Winning the second toughest and most historic conference in year one while beating the three blue bloods is historic. But that just makes you expect and crave more. I'll say this one last time. This shouldn't be a quarterfinal game. You guys should be playing Boise or Arizona State. Georgia got the short end as well imo. Penn State and Texas lost on championship Saturday, even on selection Sunday everybody saw they got the easier draws. This needs to be fixed. It's not hard to do either. The NFL showed how to do it for years when the AFC and NFC had the two bye per conference system.

1.) The media. Just about everybody crowned Ohio State before a game was played. They can still claim they knew. 2.) The talent. Everybody talked up the 20 million dollar payroll. Had Oregon been crowing about their reported 23 million dollar roster things may be different. 3.) Recency bias. Ohio State thrashed an SEC squad. Oregon hasn't played in nearly a month. 4.) The rematch. Many believe Ohio State *would've won the first matchup in Eugene if Lanning hadn't exploited a loophole. It's also extremely difficult to beat a good team multiple times. This game isn't a home game for Oregon, that's a 3 point loss to their odds in Vegas. * I dislike this notion because what ifs and should've should never be taken as analysis points. 5.) The brand. Certain programs are just seen as perennial favorites. Oregon is a great program but they aren't established like "The" Ohio State. Oregon is making their first playoff game in a decade and seeking their first ever National Title. Ohio State has made six of these things and has multiple National Titles.

Getting your first title is a big achievement. To do it you would have to 16 games and beat five straight championship caliber opponents in a row. The first team to do any of that. I don't think we're going to be seeing many undefeated squads going forward.

Bad news is this will be the toughest opponent in the playoff. Good news is this is the toughest opponent you'll see in the playoff and you know you can beat them. Get past them and it's likely Texas with a hobbled QB in Ewers that let Cade Klubnik look like Tom Brady. Then it's Penn State, a less talented team than either Texas or Ohio State and a team you were up two scores on just about the whole BTCG. Or Georgia with a backup QB.

There are programs that will now be threats every year. With the portal presenting teams with large collectives a chance to just plug holes to cover for recruiting misses. Oregon, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Notre Dame have well funded collectives that will make the gap get bigger and bigger. Ole Miss had a all out push. That's one of the reasons they are so upset about failing. They've never been to a playoff or even an SECG. Kiffin got a sizeable raise and was using the potential Florida opening to get another(no thanks btw). If he can't get over the hump than people are going to start wondering if he is anything more than a good but not great coach. He was spouting off about Ohio State and their 20 million dollar investment while grabbing up every transfer his own collective could generate. Maybe he should've donated some of his nearly ten million dollars annually through an alias and keep that away from his ex wife's allimony cougar searching for a cub fund. Things are going to get worse as Tennessee is at around 14 million and that's considered mid level now. Lane is going to need even more than his X whining to catch up to what Indiana has at their disposal. Forget Oregon, Michigan, Penn State Oregon Ohio State. I don't have to tell my friends here any of this, but Lane has been extremely lucky to have Auburn and Florida being train wrecks. Well Florida had a warchest prepared to buy out Billy and go after a proven winner. That money is now going to the transfer portal. We've raised FSU and Miami. Took a serviceable receiver from UCLA, a five star from Oregon and are the favorites to land one from Texas. You saw Lagway when Elijah Badger was our best weapon. I'm not ashamed to say I'm excited. This isn't a Florida board, sorry it's been ten years guys . My point is I don't see a program like Oregon or Ohio State collapsing at all. Oregon is returning to the playoff for the first time in nine years. I don't see them missing more than a couple in the next decade. Maybe none if the B1G starts campaigning for more teams like the SEC is. This Rose Bowl is going to be round two of Apollo vs Rocky. Except neither team is an underdog. Seems like it should be round two between Boise and Oregon. That would be more Rocky vs Apollo. Oh well, let's just enjoy the show.

The SEC is used to getting it's way. Alabama has gotten the nod several times while the narrative or formula is shaped to get them in. Kiffin recently said Nick Saban should become the commissioner of college football. "All hail the SEC!!!". The bully will keep pushing you till he gets pushed to the ground. Put less SEC teams in next year to send a message. This SEC whining needs to stop. Next thing you know we'll get SEC schedules with three FCS teams on them. Sankey will be pushing for more SEC teams every year, regardless of how ridiculous it seems. Maybe I should be for it. We'd get six or seven SEC teams every year. 7-5 Florida would be a fringe playoff team.

This best team garbage or blowouts in the first round garbage is stupid. We got blowouts in the pre BCS era, BCS era and four team playoff era. Remember Oregon vs FSU? How about Alabama vs Michigan State, Clemson vs Ohio State, Clemson vs Notre Dame, LSU vs Oklahoma and you can go on and on. As this playoff home game scheduling becomes normalized and the CFP gets the seeding fixed, you'll get more compelling matchups. The griping from ESPN is a way to get people talking. I take it all with a grain of salt. Let's get the seeding fixed though. Arizona State and Boise State deserved to get in, they didn't deserve byes though.

This is the same guy who made Al Davis look credible in his reasons for firing him. The guy who was then hired at Tennessee and guaranteed a win over defending champion Florida in the Swamp just to play not to lose by more than two scores. This is the guy who then left like a thief in the night after his only season in Tennessee to go to USC, he didn't tell his players and he spoke to a shocked media as he was clearing out his office. How did that tenure go down? Oh yeah, he was fired on the tarmac after three years. The Lane Train was cute at Florida Atlantic, but he has no credibility at all when it comes to anything relevant outside of shaming Paul Finebaum at SEC media days. Ole Miss is a never was, and this was their dream team. They complained about Ohio States 20 million dollar roster, they called Oregon soft. Meanwhile they were one of the most aggressive teams acquiring guys through the portal and it still wasn't good enough. Ole Miss tows the SEC line because they can't stand out on their own. Go cry to your third wife Lane.

If that's his trash talk or inner motivation to get his team pumped up, he doesn't have any kind of future as a motivational speaker. It's like replacing James Earl Jones voice for Darth Vader with Ben Stein.

They should keep the first round campus sites. The guaranteed playoff spot for the P4 and GO5 should remain. But having a guaranteed bye for a GO5 or lesser P4 champion should be eliminated. If Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Ohio State are ranked 1-4 by the committee, those should get the byes. But Oregon is getting a harder path than the team they beat in the conference title game. Same goes for Georgia. So Penn State and Texas get home games vs the two worst playoff teams and then get the third and fourth worst teams in a neutral site where they are favored to win by more than their first round games? Oregon gets a top four team in a venue they are quite comfortable in, Georgia gets what is arguably the best Notre Dame team in my lifetime without their starting QB? This would be like the Chiefs getting the Bills in the Divisional instead of the Broncos or Ravens. The NFL adjusts second round games depending on seed. The Chiefs get the lowest seed as a reward.

I can safely say the B1G has the best top programs. Not just this year. Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State are elite. They all could've won the SEC. The SEC clan thing isn't imagined. I don't get it myself. It's not like having Georgia or Texas winning it all makes Florida any better. You think Michigan fans are rooting for Ohio State? Is there a Washington fan rooting for Oregon? The whole "SEC SEC SEC" chant should be mocked. I hope Notre Dame stomps Georgia. Same with Arizona State over Texas. Alabama and Ole Miss got real quiet after Tennessee got drubbed. Tennessee actually beat Alabama where Indiana hadn't beaten anybody. So four blowouts don't mean Ole Miss or Alabama should've been in. It just means the perceived better teams were just that. My only qualm is that Oregon got the best team of the four advancing. Ohio State had a better year than Texas or Notre Dame( two top ten wins) They beat Penn State in Happy Valley. Oregon had the best season, they were the only undefeated. The matchups should have Oregon vs Boise State. Georgia vs Arizona State, Notre Dame vs Penn State and Ohio State vs Texas. Check out the money lines. Texas and Penn State are double digits favorites. Oregon is a one point underdog.

He's a Florida man. You guys have enough. Come on home Jeremiah!!! We'll take Ryan Day as well. We'll take double digit wins Ryan. Urban Meyer went from Florida to Ohio State. The pipeline was built at that point.

Chip raised Oregon to a National level. His scheme enabled him to turn undervalued prospects into game changers. But the world caught up to his scheme and he was still recruiting at the same level while he was at UCLA. He sent to a place that could give him the talent he couldn't get on his own. Gus Malzahn is very similar. He is a better recruiter though.

I think this Rose Bowl is going to be the defacto title game. Much like the Rose Bowl last year between Michigan and Alabama, and the Peach Bowl two years ago with Georgia vs Ohio State. Going into tonight I thought we'd get one good game. But Ohio State couldn't let us even have three quarters. Tennessee will get ripped for tonight, but they weren't paper tigers. They beat Alabama and South Carolina(two teams Sankey wanted in). They just ran into the dominant version of Ohio State. For me the question is whose dominant side is better. Who can beat you in more ways? Who can adapt if their game plan falls to crap? My answer is I think Ohio State is the best team when they are playing at their best. But I don't think they can adapt as well when they get thrown off their game. Oregon has enough talent to make Ryan Day adapt. For that reason I think Ohio State is favored right now, but Oregon will make Will Howard have to make the right decision in the end and he'll make a mistake. Oregon wins it 38-31. Go get your first title!!!

Oregon State has nothing to look forward to. Oregon is two months away from a very exciting future with games that matter. Hosting Ohio State in October. Traveling to the defending National Champions house. What does Oregon State have? If it weren't for the Ducks playing them, not much. Tickets to their newly renovated Beaver stick house are going to be easy to get. Probably buy a Little Caesars pizza and you get a ticket to watch them play New Mexico.

With the football season winding down, I'm likely gonna check out for a while. I've grown tired of off-season coaching carousels, transfer portal changes, and recruiting flips . I mostly just care to hear about the games. Whoever is suiting up, and whoever is leading my favorite team is whoever it's gonna be. I'll be tuning back in around summer camps. I'll believe the Gators can make the expanded playoff. But our season has ended, and all the usual off field foolishness is not interesting to me. For example talk of Napier needing to be fired, or losing three recruits the past week. Plus I really can't watch Georgia win another title, FSU winning one against the odds, or Jim Harbaugh winning one. The other far fetched options like Alabama winning another one, or Ohio State backing their way into another one is too disgusting to fathom. I got my Duck rooting glove on right now. I hope you guys do it, I believe you can. So for most likely the last time in a while. I'll say Go Ducks!! When I start following the sport again come Summer, I fully expect you guys to be defending champions. I'll buy a gaudy Nike shirt. I can only imagine what that will look like, I'm expecting it to be wild though.

Sadly the whole season has been this way. We blew back to back games. Last week against Missouri, where we could have essentially left five seconds. But we had a guy go out of bounds. Good teams overcome adversity. Great teams steamroll through it. Florida isn't either right now, but next year is the third season. Please do the nation a favor. Beat the sand out of Michigan. Do Gator fans a favor and beat either Georgia or FSU. Go Ducks!!

I went on one of their boards to gage their sentiments. Mind you it's fresh news. But Smith is now a money-chasing mutt. He's not wanted to coach the bowl game. One message went something like this " Smith is a spineless merchant. A LIAR!! HE MUST ENJOY BEING OREGON'S KICKBALL!! GOOD RIDDANCE TO THAT TRASHCAN! HE CAN BITE A ROCK". They also have a rather unique name for Oregon. I won't say it here, but you can likely imagine what it is.. Makes me appreciate the civility of this board. BTW, one poster blames all this on Oregon https://bennyshouse.com/thread/25445/forget-who-caused

It sucks being a fan of a program where you can't even enjoy having massive success. You just know your coach is gonna be at the top of every other programs wish list. It's rare to have a guy like Whittingham stay at a place like Utah for years. Oregon State fans feel like they've been dumped twice this year. First by Oregon, now with Smith. If they can't keep a Beaver graduate, who can they keep?

I hope we can get bowl eligible, it would be a signature win for Napier. Last I saw was Florida State -10.5. Battle of the backup QB's!!

I wanted to put them alone. But the maximum options were five. I couldn't put them above an undefeated squad.

You still have to get past Washington of course. But assuming you beat them, who do you want to make the playoff?

7 points allowed? Just turned on the game. I thought this was gonna be a great game to watch. Three more to go guys!!