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Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 11th, the Big Ten Network (BTN) will be in Eugene for Oregon's Fall Camp visit. BTN - 11 AM Pacific.

Thanks, Mike, for terrific insights on OBD's biggest threat to West Coast dominance, USC. In addition to the SEC, I'd add the NCAA to the group that took down SC, plus the lack of respect for the Pac-12 that kept sending Oklahoma teams with records similar to SC's to lose title games to SEC teams. AD Jen Cohen and GM Chad Bowen have aligned the football program from the top down, and the boosters finally realize that SC cannot get by on reputation alone. The recruiting effort and NIL are both well funded, and Riley was told to get off his posterior and reach out to SoCal high school coaches and to focus recruiting on California. He has done this while maintaining a national recruiting reach. You have to have more than reputation today. You have to have and spend money. They 'get this' in Columbus and Austin; Ohio State and Texas, after floundering in Texas's case, are among the largest spenders on football every season. And it's not just the recruiting effort that's better aligned in South Central; the new practice facilities are state of the art. And Los Angeles is still a draw, especially for college-age recruits. After three warm-up games, the Week 4 game in LA is a program-defining moment for a team that was undefeated at home last season, including impressive wins over Iowa and Michigan. This season, Oregon, Washington, and Ohio State visit LA. Two tough road games at Penn State and Indiana. With this schedule,10-2 SC is a PO lock. I respect SC for ignoring the Trojans being reamed for interrupting the Notre Dame series and winning the argument that the series would not resume unless ND was willing to play earlier in the season. There are two programs in the Mountain and Pacific time zones with Blue Chip rosters, OBD and USC. Oregon will have a talent advantage vs UW every season, but not SC.

Don’t disagree, in fact I posted I consider them a rival in this thread…but it’s been 16 years since PC escaped, and they haven’t made any version of the playoff since. That’s the joke imo, the OG Blueblood of west coast football hasn’t made the playoffs in a full generation. USC is fairly unique, they could get back fast in a big way, like few others could. Until they breakthrough with the right coach, they’re kind of giving off Nebraska vibes until proven otherwise 😆

Happy Monday! Here is this week's Marsh Duck Article. Enjoy. https://open.substack.com/pub/marshduck/p/five-ducks-im-exited-for-in-2026?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=8foswi

Bellotti had a ready answer when Phil Knight asked him what he needs to succeed. An indoor practice facility appeared and Knight became Uncle Phil.

An always interesting fan question about the rise of Duck football, was Oregon poised to begin the jump back in the early 1970s, but missteped and mishandled its chance through a series of bad decisions? Starting in 1972, Oregon had gone 242-216-28 over the prior 50 years (with only one losing decade). Oregon head coach Jerry Frei, a 17 year member of Oregon's staff and 5th year HC, had gone 22-29-2, but 11-10-1 the previous two years behind the likes of Fouts and Rashad (including beating USC in 1970 and 1971 and being generally competitive outside a couple of paycheck games). The story goes the boosters club pressured the new AD (Norv Ritchey) to fire all but one member of what they considered Frei's 1971 "incompetent staff", after losing to the Beavers for a 5th straight time. Included in those they wished to dump from Frei's young staff were DC George Seifert (two Super Bowl rings as head coach, retired with the second greatest win % among NFL coaches with 100 wins at the time), John Robinson (two National Championships at USC and member of the College Football-of-Fame), John Marshall (who went on to coach for 30 years in the NFL including two Super Bowl wins), Gunther Cunningham (who went on to coach 34 years in the NFL), and Bruce Snyder (15 years as a Pac-10 HC at Cal and ASU). Frei refused and resigned. At the time, due to changes in how San Diego State was handling JC players, then head coach and future NFL Hall-of-Famer Don Coryell (who had gone 104-19-2 there) was looking for a way out of San Diego State (as he had relied very heavily on JCs and was unhappy with the changes). There was a push at the time to hire Coryell away but influencial boosters and Ritchey wanted young Oregon OL coach Dick Enright to have the job. Coryell sticks out one more year at SDS (before moving on to revolutionize NFL offenses) and Enright goes 6-16 and is fired in two seasons. Oregon passes over keeping Frei (who went on to coach a decade in the NFL), or maybe Don Coryell, George Seifert, John Robinson, John Marshall, Gunther Cunningham, or Bruce Snyder to hire a 36 year old OL coach with only two years of major college position coaching experience. Having another swing at it, Ritchey quickly internally promotes Don Read, who goes 9-24 over three seasons. Now stepping up for a third swing, Oregon in 1977 (under a new AD) pushes very hard for Bill Walsh (who was returning to college after feeling being "black balled" by then legendary but famously ill-temper Cincinnati HC Paul Brown). Walsh decides on Stanford over Oregon so Oregon targets UW DC Jim Mora (who eventually goes on to be an NFL HC for 15 seasons); but, he declines the job to stay for another season at UW (before becoming the DL coach of the second season of the Seattle Seahawks). Brooks goes 24-49-4 his first 7 seasons at Oregon trying to dig out of the Ritchey, Enright, and Read hole (not helped by the scandal plagued early 1980s), yielding a 12 year run of 38-89-4. Brooks finally goes 28-28 in the five year run up to the 1989 Independence Bowl (finishes 91-109-4 in 18 years at Oregon). John Robinson, George Siefert, Gunther Cuningham, John Marshall, Don Coryell, Bruce Snyder, Bill Walsh, and Jim Mora coulda been. A sort of point of controversy (or at least against the common narrative) when Oregon AD John Caine hired Brooks, he also significantly increased the program resources at the time. In Brooks first couple seasons, he had one of the highest paid staffs in the Pac, and a greatly expanded recruiting budget (not to mention a still pretty new Autzen to recruit to). Caine perhaps is most well known for angrily resigning rather than accepting a demotion to fund raiser after running up a then controversial $375,000 in athletic department debt (losing money 5 of his 6 years in the position).

College Sports Bill being bloated with amendments. . . 1) a cap on ticket prices. 2) exempt Miami & FSU from the 5-year must be independent if switch power conferences. 3) tying passage to the voting rights bill. The NCAA begged Congress to fix its problems. Now it's paying the price as Washington politics take over. - Yahoo Sports

College football's biggest fall camp risers: Ohio State, Alabama players surge after first weekWith the 2026 season fast approaching, these players are off to fast starts at camp Nasir Wyatt, LB, Oregon From failing to bulk up early in his career to now tipping the scales at a muscular 245 pounds, Wyatt finally looks the part as one of the Ducks' outside linebackers. Defensive coordinator Chris Hampton said after Oregon's second day of fall camp that Wyatt has a chance to be an "every-down player" this fall, which speaks to his offseason body makeover and what he's shown on the field early. That level of consistency must continue, Hampton says, to warrant extended reps at an uber-talented position group for one of the Big Ten's frontrunners. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-fall-camp-risers-ohio-state-alabama/

Young Oregon Running Back Emerging as a Name to Watch This FallOregon Ducks running back Da'Jaun "Dink" Riggs is making a strong impression in fall camp as he looks to earn a bigger role in Oregon's loaded 2026 running back room. Oregon Ducks On SIYoung Oregon Running Back Emerging as a Name to Watch Thi...The Oregon Ducks' running back room is loaded with talent. Although when discussing Oregon's running backs, the team's sophomore "thunder and lightning" duo in

What Dante Moore could learn from Darron ThomasToughness. Darron Thomas had it in spades, and he was a big-game quarterback, a guy who would stand in there to complete a throw, more athlete than quarterback, not anywhere near as gifted as the Motor City Magician in spinning the football. Thomas led the Ducks to two conference titles in two seasons. At 6-3, 215 he posted a 23-3 record as a starter, second in school history behind Marcus Mariota at 25-3, tied with Joey Harrington. He lost one conference game in his career, to Matt Barkley and USC in 2011, a night the offense went cold. Autzen ZooWhat Dante Moore could learn from Darron ThomasToughness. Darron Thomas had it in spades, and he was a big-game quarterback, a guy who would stand in there to complete a throw, more athlete than quarterback.

Opening Ohio State-Oregon betting line sends concerning message to DucksOregon opens as staggering underdogs against Ohio StateAccording to the early lines set by DraftKings Sportsbook, Ohio State opens as 6-point favorites (-110) over the Ducks. The oddsmakers also see the matchup being a high-scoring affair, with the total set at 52.5 points (-110). All lines and odds are subject to change It feels like the last time these teams faced off certainly is in the minds of the oddsmakers, from when the Buckeyes dismantled the Ducks in the Rose Bowl. While that result may factor into the decision, the teams are far different, and the Ducks also won the regular season matchup. Both of these teams will enter the season as front runners to win the National Championship, and making Oregon 6 point underdogs feels incredibly disrespectful. When you look at these teams on paper, they're both loaded with talent, and you may even favor the talent of the Ducks when you go up and down the roster. Autzen ZooOpening Ohio State-Oregon betting line sends concerning m...Heading into the 2026 college football season, the Oregon Ducks are looking to be the 4th different team in a row from the Big Ten to win the National Champions

Oregon's ultimate X-Factor earns place on Bruce Feldman's Freaks list for blazing speedDevon Jackson earns place on Bruce Feldman’s Freak List with key traitOn Monday, Bruce Feldman released his 2026 edition of his Freaks List where linebacker Devon Jackson ranked 11th of 101 players mentioned. Autzen ZooOregon's ultimate X-Factor earns place on Bruce Feldman's...Every year as athletes continue to get stronger, faster, and more explosive than we’ve seemingly seen before, it’s easy to call a player an athletic freak. Whil

That's not aimed at you LogHaulin. I am referring to the fact too many Oregon fans have buried just how dominant USC was till the SEC made sure the Reggie Bush issue was something only they could get away with. Pete Carrol's teams were out of reach for us-and we were assembling a great deal of talent. And quite frankly, we have never fielded a team with that kind of talent. Ever. USC is still the standard for what a West Coast Power should truly look like. The Fuskies couldn't have defeated Carroll's team with ANY of their elite teams. Not a single one. So in this guy's eyes, all the talk about USC being a joke is hotty totty New Money acting like the Rockefellers never graced the earth. Until we put teams like that 2003 to 2005 group on the field, we are just snowflakes in a blizzard. In my opinion, USC deserves some of that arrogance. Especially since nobody on the West Coast has etched themselves in history like that very era has.

I don't want anyone to take what I am about to say as "shade" or criticism of their respective position on their opinions. So here it goes. I feel we are downplaying just how much of a rival we actually are to USC and vice versa. I can definitely say the next time we lose to USC, massive dread will follow that loss because we ALL foresee what the may mean long term. The last time USC was "relevant" they not only dominated us, it took the SEC taking them down for us to truly gain a foothold on becoming the West Coast's powerhouse. I see a lot of "taking USC for granted" in the Oregon fanbase that I consider misguided. We all want Lincoln Riley to remain the HC in LA. What does that tell you? We don't want real threats to our claim to pre-eminence is what it tells me. That smells like rivalry to me because we definitely know we will be fighting not only Ohio State and Indiana, but we will have a dogfight on our hands for talent should USC even sniff a 10-2 record on a regular basis. We will have sleepless nights because we absolutely know USC is far more a threat to us than the Fuskies would be (as recent history has shown). I also recall a great amount of nervousness last fall during the game because USC wasn't folding like a good "non rival" should. We wanted to attribute it to lack of execution, and sure, the refs sure helped USC's WRs out too much. But USC forced OBD to take the game from them. And while we have dominated both the Fuskies and USC as of late-that means nothing whatsoever this year. USC is re-emerging. They are an imminent threat we pretend to brush off. That is exactly how a program loses its edge, and I am glad is only the fan base that doesn't take the Trojans seriously. In my opinion, whether we acknowledge it or not-USC is a rival. They are regularly taking recruits from us in California now. That is not a fluke. That will continue. And if one hasn't been paying attention, UCLA is also encroaching on our "backyard". Yes, USC is a rival. We just don't want the thought of what that actually means. We will need to win a title sometime in the next 3-5 years. If not, that so called "has been" is going to use that very handily to convince recruits we are a pretender. And we won't be laughing much about that.

I know Azz followed Chip into the NFL and to UCLA where Chip eventually fired him. As for Helf and Frost... those guys were fantastic as position coaches and coordinators. Together they coached up the ONLY Heisman in Oregon history. Helfrich found Mariota and brought him to Eugene and coached him his first two years, redshirt and first year starting) and then when Helf became HC it was Frost who helped polish Mariota into the Heisman winner. Both were great as position coaches and coordinators at Oregon. Were they good Head Coaches? Not really... Though Oregon only made the National Title game twice... and Helfrich and Frost were at both of them. One of which Helfrich was the head coach for.. so that's saying something to. They didn't get the job done but arguably 2014 was the best season in Oregon history with a Conference Championship, a Heisman Winner, a Rose Bowl Victory, and a Title Position. Here's hoping Lanning tops that this season. But yeah I think Bellotti would have hired those two guys. I think Bellotti did a better job building a cohesive staff.

I look at Oregon-Washington as natural rivals. You both are the only P4 members is the great Northwest. You both have a strong history in football, they have one claimed National Title, and a recent National Championship game appearance. Oregon has two National Title game appearances, a B1G Title, and won two playoff games last year. It remains to be seen what Fisch will do at Washington , but I think they deserved a top 25 ranking this preseason, after posting 8 wins last year. Williams is going to be a problem this year imo. Oregon vs Washington needs to be played on the same weekend as Michigan-Ohio State, Iowa-Nebraska, and UCLA-USC. There should be a tripleheader on Fox that weekend.

Who said "One game at a time" and "The only thing that matters is that you improve each week?" Brooks or Bellotti? I swear I'm not senile, but I'm not sure.

OBD picked to win the B1G. 😍🦆😎 Saturday Down SouthConference championship futures: Best bets, predictionsLet's go over conference championship betting odds and predictions for the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC before Week 1 kicks off.

Bellotti was Brook's O-coordinator during Brooks most successful years, 1989-94. In 1988 it was Bob Toledo. 2008 was Bellotti's last season as head coach. There were 9 coaches including Bellotti on staff. When Chip took over in 2009, he took the Bellotti slot and hired Helfrich to replace himself (Chip). The other 7 guys were the same in 2009 as they were in 2008. Chip had Bellotti's choices as assistants. I believe all 7 of those guys were still with Chip in 2012 - his last season. Chip did increase the staff from 9 to 11, but as I recall, 7 of the 10 assistants were the same. Over his four years, Chip hired Helfrich, Azzinaro, Frost. Interesting to contemplate whether Bellotti would have hired those guys?

Five bold predictions for OBD - https://athlonsports.com/college-football/oregon-football-5-bold-predictions-ducks-2026

Five keys to a successful Oregon football campaign in 20261. THE COORDINATORS FIND THEIR STRIDE AND ELEVATE THEIR OPERATIONS2. FIND HOW TO BE AT YOUR BEST IN JANUARY3. DANTE MOORE PLAYS HEISMAN-CALIBER FOOTBALL ALL SEASON4. A'LIQUE TERRY GETS THE O-LINE RIGHT5. THE SENIOR D-LINE QUARTET TAKES IT UP A LEVEL https://247sports.com/college/oregon/longformarticle/five-keys-to-a-successful-oregon-football-campaign-in-2026-288802476/

Two Ducks on ESPN's List of Diaper Dandies - https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/49538254/college-football-2026-top-freshmen#b1g

Thank you Coach Brooks!

Oregon Football Chat with Jerry Allen (Voice of the Ducks)A big thank you to Jerry for 40 years of service for the University of Oregon! Check him out here:

SUNDAY MORNING SIDEWALK: MADE FOR COOPERATIONThere is an old thought from Marcus Aurelius that kept coming to mind as I considered it: “We are made for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth.” The larger idea is that cooperation is part of our nature. Hands aren't particularly useful because each finger performs its own job brilliantly while ignoring the other four. Teeth don't accomplish much by operating independently. The parts have individual responsibilities, but their real value emerges from the way they function together. Football isn't much different, and perhaps that's why one of the most important things Oregon has been building this offseason hasn't always looked like football. Sunday Morning Sidewalk: Made for CooperationOregon Ducks football, Dan Lanning, Oregon recruiting, college football, NIL, Big Ten, Pac-12, Scott Reed, Duck Sports Central, recruiting news