What are the ratings really worth? They give five star kids and five star programs the benefit of the doubt. Dante Moore is a more well known commodity, but there's something wild and exciting about the unknown behind door number three.

Arch Manning is being hyped like he's going to win the Heisman and lead Texas back to the promised land. Why? Because of what he did vs Mississippi State? Quinn Ewers was once the highest rated recruit ever at Ohio State. The guy became a 7th round pick. Hype and branding are what these rankings are all about. Drew Allar is number one because Penn State is going to do what Michigan and Ohio State did, we all have to believe that.

Super Sayin is going to be great because Nick Saban thought so, and now he's with Ohio State and the QB guru Ryan Day.

Major Underwood is the ten million dollar man. Best talent money could buy, he's got to be awesome because look at all those attributes.

Autzen is about 50,000 maximum capacity smaller than Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. Neither Michigan or Ohio State come close to the decibel level from what I've heard. If Florida ever plays at Oregon I'm going to make it a point to go.

After this year I'd like to ask my friends here if Penn State, Wisconsin, or Iowa is as loud as I've heard.

1 minute ago, JabbaNoBargain said:

Not untrue, there really aren’t a lot of college powers in large metros in any sport, but USC has overcome this quite a few times. The right coach and administration could still kill it there.

Not going to lie, if I could be 20 with no expenses and making $500k+ a year LA would be pretty appealing.

It's a great place if you have the $$$. I understand why pros gravitate there. I see the appeal for an 18 year old we with millions of NIL or collective money in their pockets. There are endless ways to enjoy being young and wealthy. Easy to get into trouble as well, which any of us at 18 could fall into despite our upbringing and being taught better.

USC and Miami are always talked about by our great friends Cowherd and Finebaum. Cowherd loves those two while Finebaum hates them with a burning passion. I kind of wish they'd do a show together 😂.

USC and Miami both have multiple titles, Heismans, huge branding, and no shortage of bag men and controversies. So there's always going to be the benefits of resources, but also the downfalls of distractions. It takes the right coach to juggle and walk the line. Neither have the right guy at the moment imo. Neither will ever have the home field advantage of an Oregon or Florida either.

USC has the same problem most programs do in major markets with pro sports, celebrities, nightclubs, and a million things to do everyday. Notice that Georgia Tech (Atlanta), Miami, UCLA(Los Angeles), Boston College, Rutgers(Jersey/New York) , Northwestern (Chicago), Temple (Philadelphia) Vanderbilt (Nashville) and just about every other program located in a major market just doesn't have the fan support.

Eugene, Ann Arbor, Madison, Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, College Station, Auburn,Gainesville, Athens(Georgia), Knoxville, Happy Valley,Oxford(Ole Miss), Clemson, Lincoln, and Norman are great home environments. Texas(Austin), Ohio State(Columbus), and Washington(Seattle) are really the lone mid to major metro markets that have great college atmospheres.

Miami used to have a somewhat good environment when they were playing at the Orange Bowl, but Dolphins stadium is huge and soulless. The Coliseum and Rose Bowl are great, but they are like ghost towns unless USC is in dynasty mode or it's the actual Rose Bowl game filled with fans from outside LA.

I know the article really wasn't about home environments, but I truly think there is a lack of passion with the USC program unless they are undefeated. Duck fans rock out every week. The passion level is at another level.

8 hours ago, Mike West said:

So let’s beat this dead horse some more.

How is paying a kid $2M for his name, likeness and image, when less than a million people know his name, never see his image, or anything of his likeness?

Everyone knows who Shedeur Sanders is. Even people who don’t follow football. How is some no name kid making more money than Sanders for NIL if he’s a no name ?

I think this should all start with the proper definition ( legal?) definition of what NIL actually is.

Perhaps the Supreme Court should decide.

Whatever this is, I sure don’t see multi million dollar payouts as using a kid’s name, likeness or image.

It's a way of trying to make paying players sound palatable. There's been a wink wink under the table payment plan in place since the Pony Express. The NCAA would go after certain cases just to make themselves feel better, but I've seen kids from downtrodden Orange Blossom Trail driving around in Jaguars, Lambos, and H2's back in the late 2000's around campus.

I could barely afford gas for my beat up old Nova after buying things like textbooks and things the GI Bill didn't cover when I was in college.

When football players have more college stops than Madonna has husbands, you may have an issue. The Material girl has nothing on these youngsters today.

Imagine getting two million dollars to sit and get a free education. Now imagine thinking that's not enough .

7 hours ago, Charles Fischer said:

Right.

And in the B1G...we get PAID more!

That just chaps away at many SEC fans. It's a signal that the B1G doesn't have to bow down to kiss the ring. Pettiti isn't feeling pressure to settle because he's afraid of the ACC or Big 12 getting mad at him. He isn't afraid of losing millions, he serves the interest of the B1G. If the conference members are telling him to not back off this line, he isn't going to back off the line.

9 hours ago, 30Duck said:

Ah, that's the rub. How many of the bunch on the You Tube show, or the ones that call PAWL do a lot of deductive reasoning?

I'm not sure, but Pawl feeds into the delusion because it's his core fanbase. He knows television isn't about reporting facts. It's about views. Love him or hate him, people have a feeling about him.

Jo Bob and Delilah down at the Piggly Wiggly just buy into whatever they hear. I'm pretty sure they still think professional wrestling is a real sport.

RIP to Hulk Hogan btw.

2 hours ago, GeotechDuck said:

Thanks for sharing. Hilarious. The data is all skewed by the subjective rankings.

Somebody should tell this guy the BIG went 5-1 against the SEC in the post season last year (2-0 in the playoffs, and 3-1 in bowls).

Props to Florida for playing Miami and FSU out of conference. They don’t need to change anything. The rest of the SEC though?

I'm tired of the narrative that adding one extra conference game would get SEC coaches fired. What? You expect me to believe Lane Kiffin, Shane Beamer, Sam Pittman, Eli Drinkowitz, or Billy Napier would be fired because of one extra loss a year? Especially if more teams get playoff spots? That's a bull crap excuse and anybody with a brain capable of any deductive reasoning would see that.

Beating LSU and Ole Miss saved Napier(that and DJ Lagway).

The nerve of this guy saying Pettiti is a pariah and not good at math or common sense because he is holding Sankey accountable for an agreement they had for the B1G to go with the SEC preferred playoff format as long as the SEC goes to 9 conference games, before backing out because SEC coaches said it was impossible. It's bull, and Alabama, Miss State, Ole Miss, and most SEC teams need the money more than the bigger and more prestigious B1G institutions.

"The SEC..It just means more!!" More whining and complaining? The best coaches and players on the best programs are scared of one extra game? If it was my coach saying that while making millions,I would fire him for that alone.

Texas, Florida, Georgia, Texas A&M, and I think Tennessee are the only SEC institutions with the academic prestige and donor list to keep up. The SEC relies on football to pay its bills. The B1G is a much better run and well financed league. I'm kind of embarrassed how uneducated some of these guys are. The guy in the video isn't dumb, he's just brainwashed.

Please hold the line. I want my fellow SEC fans to wake up from the propaganda. It will give us more great games.

This is what I hear all the time guys. Just so you know what those in the SEC bubble think, what Pawl FineBoom serves everyday.

Demand your leadership to stay strong. Don't give in.

10 hours ago, Charles Fischer said:

Well…that fit right in!

I dug into your mascot history and found something terrifying......

Oregon is like that kid in the library that keeps getting shushed and told to be quiet, respect the rules. "There are guidelines here young man. Show respect to these hallowed halls"

Oregon " WAAAZZZUUUUPPPPP"

SEC apologists will look at strength of schedule and say 9 of the top 10 hardest schedules are SEC teams. Ohio State is the first B1G member at number 8.

My problem with this is the numbers are skewed because if you have the 9 best rated teams than of course the SOS is going to be higher when they play each other. Many SEC programs get overrated because of the myth of the league. Truth is the those sos numbers are a joke when 3 loss teams are viewed as top 15 teams.

Ole Miss, Missouri, Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee,Texas, Georgia, and Alabama were top 15 most of the year. But teams lost to the likes of Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Florida, and Vanderbilt.

Oregon went undefeated. Ohio State lost at Oregon, and in a rivalry game to Michigan. Penn State lost to Oregon and Ohio State. Indiana lost at Ohio State. If Ole Miss, South Carolina, Alabama, or LSU belonged in the playoff they wouldn't have lost three times. Each having a far worse loss than anything the four B1G members had.

People in Dixieland are so used to Sankey getting his way that it's almost incomprehensible that Petiti won't just give in. There's no way the SEC will lose in this battle of the wills. There's too much money to be lost, so Petiti needs to fold completely for the good of everyone. You know why?

Because all the SEC coaches told Greg that going to a nine game schedule would cost them their jobs. It's just too hard to drop SunBelt November and play an extra conference game. I mean it's just the way it is🥸

Please. I hope Petiti stands his ground, more SEC programs need the expanded revenue than the B1G. Florida has to play FSU every year while Georgia gets Georgia Tech and everybody outside South Carolina doesn't have to worry about a big time OOC rivalry game.

Who does Ole Miss play? Alabama at least usually schedules one tough game in September, but nobody else does. Everybody else has their rivalries included in those 8 conference games. I'd welcome the ninth game, I mean Florida already plays Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee every year. Ditching Miami for Arkansas or Missouri wouldn't be too terrible.

Stand your ground B1G. Make the SEC give up something to get the format it wants. Sooner or later the pressure will build.

They tried to SMU their way in. Maybe if they forgo five years of any payout from television revenue it might work. I guess that PAC Who invite isn't as prestigious, as Memphis is willing to go paying 200 million plus to get in the "truck stop conference".

On 7/18/2025 at 3:15 PM, 30Duck said:

The QB is not the concern I have for tOSU. Kelly was the most important coach last season, he's gone; the 2nd most important was Knowles, he's gone. The two most important coaches at tOSU now are Hartline and Matt Patricia, the new DC. Day's still there.

Valid concerns, but Day is a great play caller and QB developer when he gets out of his own way. The 2023 Peach Bowl vs Georgia showed me that.

Pardon me if I don't shed a year for their QB room filled with two five stars, and a high upside four star. There were concerns heading into 2021 surrounding CJ Stroud replacing Justin Fields.

It's similar to people asking if Oregon in a slump two weeks ago because they lost a couple recruiting battles to BYU and Georgia. Hyperbolic statements like "Is Lanning losing his touch?" have about as much credibility as those old tabloid magazines in grocery store checkout lanes that said a sitting President was in love with a space alien.

My question or inquiry is what are the operating costs/revenue if you just have football on the ledger. I know travel expenses are huge. But USC runs just about every Olympic sport.

I read an article saying programs may end conference affiliation outside of the big three sports to cut costs. Hockey is run completely different as B1G isn't really a thing. Michigan, Minnesota, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State , and Wisconsin are in a league with Notre Dame for hockey. Florida plays in a subdivision non scholarship league.

2 hours ago, Jon Joseph said:

Invite Bevo and UGA for Round 2, clear the pool, and pray for the canine. 😁

Bevo almost ran over UGA back in the 2018 Sugar Bowl. How do we know he wouldn't try it again? 😂

*This message is in no way wishing harm to that bulldog. Bull on Bulldog violence is not promoted or implied here. Reader discretion advised. We now return you to regular scheduled posting.

The only demand I would have as a fan if a new stadium was ever built, would have to be a huge pool/pond for fans. You'd have to have a huge Puddles rubber duckie in the middle. Best mascot in the game imo.

Speaking of.

Top 5 most iconic mascots would likely be..

1.) Puddles

2.) Brutus

3.) Sparty

4.) Albert

5.) UGA or Bevo

Creepiest would have ..

1.)Stanford Tree

2.) Nebraska Smiler

3.) Purdue Big Head

With more and more cold weather cities shifting to huge indoor football facilities built on a land development like Patriot Place, or the soon to be Brook Park Browns(a suburb of Cleveland) and maybe the Bears leaving Soldier Field if their owner is willing to foot the majority of the bill like Jimmy Haslam in Cleveland. Would you support Phil Knight building a castle for the Ducks?

 

I can't see it happening at a place like Eugene, Gainesville, Athens, or most college towns. But nothing would shock me with the growing NFL Lite CFB. An indoor stadium could attract the title game or other huge events. If any school has the backer to do this, it would be Oregon with Phil Knight.

 

Autzen is such a great environment already, so the odds are low. 

On 7/4/2025 at 7:24 PM, Charles Fischer said:

True, as he looks like a lean guy who has a B1G stomach.

 

 

Before him the contest was dominated by the pretty small guy from Japan. The women's title has been dominated by a really small lady. She's set the female record at 47, twice as much as Cookie Jarvis or Big Rig Tim.

On 7/4/2025 at 11:59 AM, Steven A said:

DUH . . .Mr. FishDuck

Some names are above the mount Rushmore lists. It's like trying to explain Shakespeare or Socrates.

On 7/4/2025 at 1:22 PM, 30Duck said:

Absolutely. Those other champs, Gat listed, as I went through them, I was thinking, "I wish I could have done that" With Chestnut? YUCK!

I find it oddly entertaining. Much like curling, tiddly winks, or the Super Bowl halftime show mixing Guns and Roses with Michael Buble. Also, why do the super heavyweights never win? They always tap out around the 18 mark.

Happy 4th of July my feathered friends!!

 

Today we witness the return of the greatest big game player in his field. That of course is Joey Chestnut. He is going for his 16th title in 18 attempts. 

 

Is he up there with the greats like Earnhardt, Tiger, Jack, Graf, Serena, Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, Mayweather, Russell, Michael , Magic, Bird, Brady, Gretzky, Orr, Belichick, Wooden, and Saban? Am I missing any?

 

 

Female models out earn their male counterparts 10 to 1. Why? More demand. It's a fairly easy concept to understand. I've said this about NIL and I'll say it about this. Look at the ledger, take out the emotion. Ask every athlete to look at what sport A or athlete A generates in actual monetary values compared to the B, C, D, or E. Ask them who should make more. If they say it should all be equal you throw in a category where the female earns more. Reveal the results and see the reaction.

 

WNBA players are angry because Caitlin Clark has more endorsement deals than them. There isn't a single NBA player upset that Michael, Kobe, Magic, Larry or LeBron were focused on. Bigger pizza pies mean bigger slices for everyone. Let's take emotion out and focus on facts. There isn't a single female sport that generates enough to subsidize the growing budget needed to support that sport itself. Take away football and men's basketball to a smaller degree and the whole house of cards falls down.

 

Again, this isn't to disparage the great athletes in those sports. But it takes money to run these programs. Your scholarship is being funded off the revenue of another sport, college is expensive.