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I'm not so sure about that, Solar. If we continue losing, which at this point looks likely, we are going to turn into (unfortunately) an incredibly fascinating story and tremendous cautionary tale. There are so many interesting angles with the team, beginning with the many 'experts' predicting that we would win the national championship this year, all the flash, marketing, tremendous amounts of money, NIL impact, ego, Nike, etc, etc. I'm a bit afraid we may have the makings of a new, upcoming, Michael Lewis best seller.

I feel like I needed to get this out sooner than later as with the news breaking that Mehringer is out at Oregon. I had it mostly written but thankfully the children today were being cooperative and letting me wrap this up. The Duck's Loss to Illinois is on MehringerOn Sunday morning Dan Lanning made the announcement that the Ducks were parting ways with Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer. At this point it was pretty obvious that Mehringer was not up to the tas

For grins, I utilized Google Gemini AI to see what it thought.

Whoever the OC will be should be given wide latitude to remake the offensive staff. If it were me the only ones I’d retain would be Douglas and Samples.

Spot on post. I don't think Dan is unaware of the very valid points you made. In today's world of CFB you cannot lose the off-season. Texas A&M's Mike Elko is in the same boat as Dan. And Elko doesn't have his 1st string QB out for a significant part of the season. But under a new OC, A&M QB Marcel Reese's play has regressed. Like Oregon, A&M is getting a terrible ROI from one of the most expensive rosters in CFB. There is nowhere to hide in the Power 2. The B1G of course, has a few bottom feeders, but it is very difficult to win games, especially on the road. Yesterday, USC and Iowa were upset by Wisconsin and, in Iowa's case, by a Minnesota defense that was carved up at Purdue. In today's world of CFB, you cannot stock a roster, and you better have a top-drawer strength and conditioning program to minimize injuries. In terms of underperforming offenses, Oregon has B1G company. Michigan, UW, Penn State, Indiana, and even Ohio State cannot run the ball. O-line recruiting, development, and portal picking are at a premium. The marketing of the Oregon program has been extraordinary. But I think it's time for the Japan stuff and the other fluff to take a back seat to returning to the basics: blocking, tackling, and hitting the other guy in the face. Make Kelly Smelly!

I think the tight end guy I mean coach needs to go too. No prior coaching experience and the fact that none of the four star back ups have shown an ounce of growth this year puts him in the same category as the others that need to be cleaned out.

Hampton is doing well enough to retain him. All the big issues are on the offensive side…Mehringer is already out. I think the QB and OL coaches need to go too.

He was good enough to be the OC at Alabama. He has to be half way decent, right? If I was Lanning, I would be blowing his phone up all day today.

There are some good folks on this forum that could easily surpass what the former OC was doing!! Guaranteed!!

At midseason, the Oregon Ducks are vastly underachieving relative to their championship expectations, leaving a frustrated fan base in an uproar over a team that lacks identity, explosiveness, and grit. Athletic Director Rob Mullins holds heavy culpability for this trajectory, having originally hired Lanning and twice updated his contract—most recently locking in a massive extension featuring a staggering $56.7 million buyout on a head coach whose program appears to be imploding. As the steward of the Ducks' football brand and the multi-billion-dollar enterprise surrounding it, Mullins has a fundamental duty to the fan base and boosters to ensure the product on the field meets elite standards. With the heat turned all the way up in Eugene, Mullins must step out of the shadows, make the hard choices, and intervene to restore Oregon football to the trajectory he was hired to protect. An Intervention in AutzenMullens must step in and sit down with Lanning and Chief of Staff for Oregon Football Marshall Malchow to address the trajectory of the program, holding Lanning accountable for his offensive philosophy. Lanning favored Will Stein's horizontal spread zone blocking RPO system for its risk-averse conflict defender reads, low-interception design and focus on ball security. However, while this horizontal spread RPO system puts up high statistics, elite playoff teams easily scheme against and expose it. The last two years of playoffs showed growing doubts that the horizontal RPO could win a national championship against elite competition, which further undermines the credibility of Dan Lanning's decision to promote an offensive coordinator from within and continue running the same tenets of that system after Will Stein left. The immediate task is restoring the core Oregon brand: Mullens must force Lanning to pivot to an aggressive, high-potency offensive scheme capable of beating elite postseason competition, even if Lanning must accept higher risk to achieve it. Conservative play-calling and stagnant game management are unacceptable at this price point. In the multi-billion-dollar enterprise that is now college football, there is no room for playing it safe. Mullins must convey to Lanning that waiting around for passive internal improvement next season is a non-starter. Long-Term Offensive IdentityLooking ahead, the long-term discussion surrounding Oregon's offense must center on identifying an offensive system that maximizes the program's elite blue-chip recruiting talent. Notably, the last five national championships were won without a horizontal spread zone blocking RPO reliance—highlighting Georgia's pro-style gap blocking system under Todd Monken with a dominant run game and heavy tight end usage, alongside the pro-style spread systems used by Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana's pro-style spread blending RPO's with gap schemes. Because Oregon is recruiting these exact types of blue-chip skill and offensive line talent—including five-star offensive linemen, star tight ends, dynamic wide receivers, and premier blue-chip quarterbacks—the forward-looking strategy must align with a physical, pro-style or high-powered pro-style spread system. Furthermore, transitioning to a pro-style or pro-style spread offense significantly enhances recruiting by providing top prospects with the same developmental foundation, playbook terminology, pre-snap checks, and post-snap reads they will utilize in the NFL. Unlike horizontal spread zone blocking RPO schemes that fail to adequately prepare players for the professional level, a pro-oriented system serves as a powerful recruiting tool by positioning Oregon as a premier springboard to Sunday success. Mandated Changes to the Coaching StaffThe mandate starts with the offensive staff. Lanning must bring in a new, battle-tested offensive coordinator to run the offensive scheme that is chosen to move forward with. They should be given full authority and total freedom to clear house on that side of the ball. This coordinator must have complete autonomy to rebuild the offensive staff with his own hand-picked hires if he so chooses, ensuring alignment across the board. Transfer Portal Strategy and Roster PlanBeyond the coaching staff, the leadership group must outline a concrete plan to rebuild the depth chart for next season, starting with a personnel assessment to invite players who do not fit the culture, scheme, or talent threshold to enter the portal. With significant roster turnover looming—including the loss all the starting defensive linemen, star receiver Evan Stewart, and quarterback Dante Moore—Oregon must aggressively deploy its freed-up NIL resources in the transfer market. To solidify the Ducks as a playoff contender for 2027, all key positions needing upgrade must be identified. The program must target two starting tackles with game experience and a starting center along the offensive line, while aggressively pursuing any elite quarterback who enters the portal as a proven upgrade. The buyout and contract extensions leave no escape hatch for the administration. If Rob Mullens and Dan Lanning want to protect the investment in Eugene, the realignment of Oregon's offensive philosophy, coaching staff, and portal strategy must begin immediately.

Maybe it's both.

Ok, stay strong coach

I don't have any idea if this guy can actually coach, but after reading the following, I'm already half in love with this guy: Locksley speaking: "I said, 'Jim (the AD), I understand, and if you have to do what you need to do, I care more about Maryland and these kids than my ego,'" Locksley said. "But what I won't do is resign. But we can talk and figure out how to let the pressure off of everybody because I care more about Maryland."

"The Three Stoges" Lol, exactly what I saw as receivers were tripping over themselves while the defenders just stood and watched. What a nightmare.

I would imagine it would be like any open job, some can get hired and start immediately.

Chip Kelly is coming to town this weekend. Oh wait, that's for a game and not an interview!

Moneyball Scott Hatteberg: [Responding to being asked to play first base] I've only ever played catcher. Billy Beane: It's not that hard, Scott. Tell him, Wash. Ron Washington: It's incredibly hard. "It's incredibly hard." When 'someone' came up with the idea of hiring a TE coach to be our QB coach (with no prior specialized QB coaching experience), I feel like there should have been a conversation at Oregon that ended with: "It's incredibly hard... and Coach, this idea sucks." And I don't care that he played QB in college. Coaching the game, and playing the game, are often worlds apart, requiring different talents and gifts.

Does anybody know the rules for bringing in anybody short term in mid season? Seems like a Helfrich type guy could come in and at least steady the ship till the end of the season.

Yeah, that one will go down as a historically bad decision. Kudos to DL for having the cajones to pull the trigger now rather than later.

So.....who is assuming the OC role?

DL really didn’t have any choice. I understand the loyalty and promoting from within but Mehringer seriously didn’t have any kind of resume to deserve being OC. Not for a top 5 fbs program anyway.

Yep. And here it is from Go Ducks: https://goducks.com/news/2026/10/25/football-oregon-relieves-offensive-coordinator-mehringer-of-duties

Locksley was already fired. https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/50250293/mike-locksley-says-peace-firing-maryland

Here ya go: You can read it right here.

If Akili Smith Sr steps in to mentor the QB room and guides his son to victory at Ohio St, that would be a story to follow!