mikethehiker

Another element of this path that may not get talked about enough is that if Oregon makes it to the final, they will have essentially three road games after hosting in the first round. With the nation's longest road winning streak by far (12), Lanning has proven to have his team ready in hostile environments. I actually think OBD are more focused on the road than at home and this could end up being positive vs home or mixed stadiums (Rose Bowl or Fiesta Bowl) with family and friends in tow. I wonder if there is a scenario where the team stays on the east coast in between bowl games should they advance vs. returning home for 3-4 days? Travel and jet lag wears on you and obliterates two of your prep days.

With regards to the talent level of the competition, I think we have the gradual path towards the championship. I see this tournament as an opportunity for our coaching staff to prove they have the ability to have our players prepared with a game plan to execute against two savvy and well coached teams in Texas Tech and Indiana. If we can't get past at least one of those big tests, I'll remain concerned about DL's decision to promote coordinators from within. First things first. I expect a frisky JMU to show up and be ready to play. We need to bring our A game.

Someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but if Duke beats Virginia in the ACC title game, the ACC will be left out of the playoff!!!! James Madison and the American conference champion will both be ranked higher as the 4th and 5th highest ranked conference champions to get it. This is the ACC Doomsday scenario. Both Texas and Miami needed more chaos to get in and it didn’t happen. Their best hope is that Alabama gets punished for losing the SEC title game. The fortunate thing for the loser of the B1G title game is that Oregon is setting the floor for their drop in the rankings. As long as the game is competitive, they will remain ranked higher than Oregon which could be anywhere from 3-5.

What ultimately matters is the opponent you’re matched up with. As we learned last year, even if you’re perfect, you have no control and could land in a bad matchup with a hot team. I don’t think a home playoff game at Autzen in late December weather conditions is going to be nearly as sexy as everyone thinks. However, pummeling the ACC or American conference champion is a great use of energy. Without understanding the full extent of the injury situation, it’s purely speculation on what the doctor is asking for. On facing Ohio St, I’d rather take them on in a semi-final. If you’re going to catch them with their guard down, that’s the time to do it.

Alabama will beat Georgia again in the SEC title game and we are still alive for 1-2-3 B1G in the final playoff rankings. It’s a beauty contest right now between Oregon and Texas Tech for #3.

This game has me worried a bit. This is Washington's super bowl this year and their players and fans will be ready. It's a rivalry game and if Oregon is not mentally prepared for this environment after the USC game, we may see some stunned looks on the sidelines. I'm excited, because this may be our best apples to apples to comparison with Ohio State so far this year. I want us to look impressive and stay ahead of Ole Miss in the CFP rankings and maybe leap frog Texas Tech. There's an outside shot BIG still finishes 1-2-3 in the final rankings heading into the CFP. This happens when Texas beats Texas A&M, Alabama beats Georgia again in the SEC title game, B1G Championship is very close, and Texas Tech trips up.

USC receivers timed their leaps with their push offs perfectly allowing them to create space at the perfect time and prevent the defenders from jumping. Why do you think our guys were on the ground half the time? If refs can’t call offensive pass interference, there’s nothing our DB’s or any team’s DB’s could do to stop that.

If we win out, I think we land in the #5 or #4 spot. There is still an interesting scenario where Ohio St., Indiana, and Oregon all finish 1-2-3. I believe Texas A&M will lose to Texas which will open the door for Alabama to beat Georgia again in the SEC title game. Then it becomes a beauty contest between Ole Miss and Oregon for the #4 spot unless.... Texas Tech trips up. Then Oregon and Ole Miss are fighting for the #3 spot. I don't see how a 2-loss Alabama climbs to #3 even with an SEC title.

The bottom line is if we lose to USC, they are getting a playoff spot before OBD. We may both still get in, but they would go first. This should be considered a must win.

It was really encouraging to see the Beast with 8 catches tonight. We need that level of production from our playmakers. Great night for Dante!

Oregon 24-3 2 turnovers 2 sacks 183 passing yards

I think this year's Ohio St. team is running a similar path to Georgia's repeat title in 2022. The offense may not be quite as explosive, but they haven't even broken a sweat this year. For that reason, I'd like to avoid their side of the bracket if at all possible. The problem I see is that if we win out, it's very likely that we climb to the #5 or #4 position behind OSU, Indiana, and the SEC champ. If we lose another game, we likely lose a home playoff game. However, the highest priority should be getting into the right rhythm at the right time and let the chips fall where they may. Someone else noted that this could be a 3rd consecutive weather hampered game for OBD. This is good practice, because this is a very likely scenario for a mid-December home playoff game.

My condolences to you and your family. Coming up on one year without our Rottie, Roxy. Still feels like she should be greeting us when we come in. 🥲

I do not put much stock into this due to the inclement weather the past two games, but interesting nonetheless. This was the Ducks lowest 2-game point total (39) in consecutive games since a 32-47 bowl loss to Oklahoma on 12/29/21 followed by the 3-49 loss to Georgia in the season opener on 9/3/22. We also combined for only 17 points in two non-consecutive Utah blowouts in ‘21. In the same season, you have to go back to 2019 in consecutive wins against Stanford (21-6 on 9/21/19) and Cal (17-7 on 10/5/19). I don’t miss Mario-ball one bit.

As much as I want to see us pound the football, we have got to get the ball into our best players’ hands. If DAK and Sadiq don’t have 15 catches between them, we’re letting defenses off too easy. We have to learn how to get the ball to our playmakers. The key to all of it is Dante’s ability to read the defense, audible out of bad plays, know where he wants to go with the ball, and adjust protections as needed. We will go as far as Dante can take us.