mikethehiker

Thank you for the great and well-researched article. I DO remember many, many, 3 and out's from the Chip Kelly days. We scored fast, but many times it took a few drives to get started. This year, we see long backbreaking drives from the offense. It would be really interesting to compare average plays per drive from year to year. Agreed on kickoff returns, especially with this year's offense. Only return situationally, when there's a clear advantage and the team needs a spark. It's not so much comparing 2014 Ohio St. vs 2022 Oregon as much as it is the other elite teams available (although it's a great point). There was only one unbeaten team in 2014 (a flawed Florida State team ranked #2, not #1). I'm also ok with Oregon missing the playoff to win a Rose Bowl. However, my dream scenario is an Oregon vs. Georgia rematch in the National Championship where Kirby Smart is played on loop saying "we've got better players" and Oregon wins the game on a last second, long-distance field goal.

I think it's absolutely selfish and has no place in a top tier program. Ever since Tony Washington got flagged for a midfield bow following a drive stalling sack in the 4th quarter against Arizona in '14 (not nearly as bad as what we see today), I cringe each time a player feels the incessant need to posture after every routine play. I'm always waiting for another flag to fall and frankly, the refs should throw more. It's a terrible example to set for young people watching college football. I understand the tremendous amount of hard work most of these athletes put into every practice and game - it's rewarding to see it pay off. However, it's plain selfishness to celebrate your own play by yourself. If it's worth celebrating, a teammate will come over and celebrate with you.

Thank you for sharing. Unfortunately, this still doesn’t explain why 3rd down was the correct down to come back to. If the goal was to give WSU one more play, why not just give them another 4th down? How can these officials say it was corrected if WSU never got their 2nd down situation and play call? Did they still get it wrong after a 24 hour review? If all they did was replay the exact two plays, then nothing changed and nothing was “corrected”. I really desire to fully understand the game and this just doesn’t compute.

Thank you, I still don’t get it. Why does running the ball on 2nd down after the mistake matter? They could have went back to 2nd, 3rd, or 4th down and they picked 3rd down which is one down past the mistake. It worked out in Oregon’s favor, but my OCD can’t get past this.

I knew they screwed up the moment it happened and couldn’t believe they were able to rewind an entire possession. What I don’t get and nobody has explained is why did they go back to 3rd and 17? The mistake was made going from 1st to 2nd down. Why didn’t they go back to the actual mistake and make it 2nd down? Can anyone explain this?

I will never forget how completely unprepared Oregon was (especially on offense) when we last played a real game there in 2018. First drive had a 7 yard loss, false start, and a delay of game. 3 and out on first three drives for -3 yards (and 1 def PI penalty). Total first half was 18 plays for 35 yards. Here's hoping for a much better start. Oregon vs. Washington State - Play-By-Play - October 20, 2018 - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM Get play-by-play updates on the Oregon Ducks vs. Washington State Cougars football game.

How about just plain confidence and experience? When our first team was trying to score a TD at the end of the game against Georgia's reserves, did any of you actually believe they were going to do it? Did the players themselves think it would happen? I'm not so sure after being rattled all day. Two quick points: 1) Our skill position players are much smaller. I made a mental note years ago watching Alabama vs Clemson in national title games, "we won't be competing for titles until we get much bigger at the receiver position." Size at receiver and the ability to get physical separation from elite corners is a huge difference maker or at least a great equalizer. We simply didn't have the scheme or the player to make a play down the field. 2) I'm not sure what coaches tell players vs media, but the "every position is an open competition" line is getting old. Your program isn't going anywhere until there is a clear talent/experience pecking order on both sides of the ball. I bet Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio St all have very clear 1 and 2 deeps starting fall camp with few exceptions. It adds clarity and confidence for the program and helps the team understand what to expect from the players around them. I didn't know what to expect from Oregon on Saturday. Did the players know what to expect from themselves? All this to say that Oregon has four head coaches (1 interim), a gazillion coordinators in the last 5 years, and a huge swath of players from the transfer portal. Georgia is a well-oiled machine at this point after years of building and consistency. It's disappointing that we played them at likely the worst possible time.

Agreed, something needs to change. It should be a blank canvas. I'd rather reduce the demands on players than compensate. How can you compensate a male sport and not female athletics in a Title IX world? And why not all sports? It's always been a slippery slope. Far more student athletes appreciate the opportunity to attend school for free that those who feel they need to be paid. The truth is that it is a privilege to play and showcase your talent on a college football stage. Athletes used to be thrilled just to show up on ESPN, Sportcenter, or FOX. The product being sold to TV viewers is not the athletes or the names. It's the schools, amateur athletics, and the college football stage. It's a BIG advantage for these elite athletes to be part of that. Try building your personal brand without the college football stage. My 2 cents 🙂

The answer to all this may be to let go of "the dream" and create a parallel NCAA. The "have nots" outnumber the "haves" by a mile. The "have-nots" should let go of the "haves" and create their ideal system around amateur student athletics. Create the best playoff possible where everything is settled on the field, reign in coaches pay, eliminate NIL, reign in the demands being put on student athletes. Create a competitive NCAA based on competing ideals and let's see who wins out. One rule - there can be no crossover play. If you want to compete in our "league" with amateur athletics, you have to abide by amateur athletic rules. The semi-pros need the "have nots" to beat up on. Maybe when the "have nots" stop complying, the "haves" will get tired of beating the snot out of each other and losing and will prefer a more pure form of amateur athletics where the best athletes are more spread out across the country.

To think we could have expanded with Texas and Oklahoma years ago.

These were my thoughts also. PAC-12, ACC, and Big12 are all extremely motivated to survive right now and the Oregon/Washington combo may be the biggest chess piece on the board. ANYTHING is possible right now and those 3 conferences are in the fight of their lives. What was impossible yesterday is possible today. If nothing will fix losing LA schools, the best I can hope for as a sports fan is possibly a merger and hopefully four power conferences remaining.