I haven’t seen George Wrighster’s “midseason” verdict posted. He has a long but good take.

Oregon fans, including myself, have gotten a bit spoiled. We have a young and talented team. It’s therefore understandable why the have been inconsistent at times this season but they have positioned themselves for a playoff spot and they should continue to get better as we head into the stretch run and post season. As good as we are this year (top 10 in offense and defense), next year we should be even more dominant with a QB who has a whole year of starting experience under his belt.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by OregonDucks

I disagree about the notion that "we are young." When you look at the starters on ChileDuck's Depth Chart at the top of this page...you see mostly upper-classmen, of which most will be gone in the NFL Draft, IMHO.

Next year we will have an entirely new offensive line for example, and I don't think that promises to be better than this year.

You've got to love George Wrighster. He'd be a great guy to have a beer and watch a game with.

Great analysis, and a fun watch. I like his big picture viewpoint and appreciate his sense of humor.

55 minutes ago, Charles Fischer said:

I disagree about the notion that "we are young." When you look at the starters on ChileDuck's Depth Chart at the top of this page...you see mostly upper-classmen, of which most will be gone in the NFL Draft, IMHO.

Next year we will have an entirely new offensive line for example, and I don't think that promises to be better than this year.

Our offensive and defensive lines are full of veteran starters but we have youth spread all across the starting depth chart. Six of the 22 starters are sophomores or younger, including our QB, #1 WR and both corners. That’s not even including the true freshman (Davison) who should be starting and getting the majority of carries at running back. Jeremiah McClellen and other young players are also playing more and contributing.

George’s point is that we should expect those young players to be inconsistent (note: he was referring primarily to our passing game). It’s part of their growth and development.

And, with the transfer portal, who knows what the composition of our offensive and defensive lines will be next year.

Oregon's right at where I thought it would be before the season started. I was expecting a 2 loss season and a spot in the CFP so they're on schedule.

Most of the inconsistency comes from new starters (young or old) that either hadn't started before or are starting for the first time in Oregon's systems. Consistency comes from experience in one place....that's why the OL is good but not great, 4 out of 5 guys are new and haven't really had that much time as a collective. Most of them will be gone after this season so the next will likely also be inconsistent. Multiple years in the same positions on the same team is the biggest factor for consistent performance.

1 hour ago, OregonDucks said:

And, with the transfer portal, who knows what the composition of our offensive and defensive lines will be next year.

Right, and we would not need them if the young talent was playing now. For example, I do not believe Oregon will go for anyone in the portal in the defensive backfield for the first time since Lanning has been here. That is due to superb recruiting and development at those positions. In fact I expect more portal transfer casualties out in the secondary.

In my view, the majority of the starters will not be here next year, and that is the definition of an older team. But we can disagree--no sweat.

A'Mauri Washington Batting Down a Pass...

If there is an all-american DB available who fits all DL criteria then Ducks will probably pursue him. DL wants the best players and he likes to stack key positions to create high competition within the group.

It may not happen, but do not be surprised if it does.

Edited 24 minutes ago24 min by Notalot

2 hours ago, Charles Fischer said:

I don't think that promises to be better than this year.

Yikes & Ouch. C'mon Duckies... get it all together for a kick butt home stretch.

I bit hard on the hype after the PSU win. In hindsight, and a week or two later, as someone said, "I can't believe it took you guys two OTs to beat them." Ouch, but yeah.

At the beginning of the season, I would have been very happy with a 2 loss regular season... and I need to remember that.

But when I look at the combined record of the FCS teams that we have played so far, with the exception of Indiana, they're 20-34. Apparently, our best win is against a rather average 5-3 Northwestern team. And in our last game, we struggled against a sub-par 2-6 Wisconsin at home.

I'm beginning to argue that our best game might actually have been the loss to a seriously good Indiana. We played quite poorly and yet only lost by 10 to a #2 team that totally looks legit.

So, all that to say that I think this team has the pieces that can make a run, but they have yet to put them together. If they don't put them together, I could see us easily going .500 in our last four regular season games.

On the other hand, if they actually put the pieces together and play together as a unit, I think this team could make a decent run in the playoffs.