My Dear Duck friends, I have watched enough film this week that I am resting very well these days.  Film doesn’t lie. So much so, that I had to watch some games twice to make sure I wasn’t biased in my opinion about Texas Tech. I don’t believe the Red Raiders have the horses to make this a close game. ...

Oregon Will Romp Because Texas Tech is a Fraud

Thanks, Mike. I trust your insight, and I hope (can't let Hugh Bris in the door) you are spot on. Pac-12 and West Coast college sports guru Jon Wilner agrees with you.

I'd feel better if the B12 wasn't 3-0 in its bowl games to date. Good wins by BYU and Houston. TCU took advantage of SC not finishing. Shocking, right?

Wreck Tech!

Mike, you spoke the silent part out loud! This game has the makings of a rout.

The rout will happen if 2 critical components are executed by OBD's:

First, the Duck offensive line must keep Dante upright and give him time to flow thru his reads. Mike you recognized the glaring speed advantage the Ducks skill position players have over the TT secondary.

Dante needs protection and he will deliver!

Second, the Duck defense must hold the edges. MU and TT must force the Red Raiders run game into the strength of the defense.

Play clean and disciplined, win the battle on first and second down. TT is not strong or efficient in 3rd down and long. Force TT to be one dimensional on offense and OBD's win!

GO DUCKS......

Phil Steele is just another cog in a media machine that spits out the same narrative every year. This year he put the blue bloods in the pre-season top 10 and called it a day. Of his top 5 teams he only got Ohio State correct. I think most of us in this forum could match that. Of the remaining eight teams he only got Bama, UGA and Ohio State correct.

That’s a bold prediction and I hope you’re right.

It will be interesting to see if Oregon is able to run on the Texas Tech defense early or needs to pass to open up the running game. Can the O-line protect Dante long enough to set up big plays down the field and, if not, does Coach Stein move the pocket, which I haven’t seen him do much, or rely on short to intermediate passes?

I like big coconut predictions that are based on data and research.

So, obviously Mike, we all hope you are right. I appreciate your analysis breakdown and it certainly gives me hope. If our offense comes out of the gate like it did in the first half against JMU, TT is going to be on their heels very-very fast.

And, there's no chance that there would be any sort of let up by OBD in the second half.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Desert Duck

Thanks Mike West for your always expert analysis. I made my prediction that the DUCKS put up 42 on Texas Tech. Now of course, we have to play the game. GO DUCKS!

For those who have not read the article, know that the title is NOT clickbait, as Mike West gives reasonable opinions from his own analysis as to how he thinks the Orange Bowl game will play out.

I appreciate Mike giving us this guest article, and I hope you will all read it, ponder, and offer your thoughts as to how you agree or disagree.

Great analysis, Mike. I watched the B12 CG and the TT loss to ASU in detail. In the former, BYU by virtue of sloppy play and TOs handed the game to Tech on a silver platter. In the latter a good QB was able to find gaps in that secondary to exploit. Moore is one notch better than Leavitt, and with Stein's game plan will find the same weaknesses.

The 'forced fumbles' that they hang their hat on will not be easy to come by against OBD. You can bet the last 10 days of practice at HDC have involved the RBs and WRs running a gauntlet of hands, elbows, knees, baseball bats and battering rams trying to dislodge the ball.

As long as Oregon avoids TOs and gives Dante that extra second of protection to find his receivers, the offense will click just fine and key the win.