David Marsh

Lenoir may grow if he returns for another year.... But there is also the risk that with the amount of talent growing up behind him that he might have a diminished role. Manning has been sidelined this year but next year he won't be and can Lenoir keep him from taking his starting spot? Probably for the start of a season but for the entire season?

MC has learned the lesson from Saban that former head coaches can make good assistant coaches. MC was one of the beneficiaries of Saban's hiring of former headcoaches. The Moorhead hire was a good hire but MC needs to let Moorhead run his offense. We have seen what good things happen when MC let his coordinators work in that Avalos has good an over all good job with the defense. However, this is not always true, just look at the Helfrich Hoke hire. Now Hoke is a head coach at the group of five level and doing fairly well for himself but he was a terrible DC. The next evolution for Cristobal will come in taking his hands of the reigns of the offense and letting his coaches work on that side of the ball. We have already seen that start to happen this year... But keep in mind it is only a start.

From watching the Alamo Bowl... Or as much of it that was interesting... I don't think USC would have faired terribly well against Texas. USC would have kept the game closer but I don't think USC would have walked away with a win.

As I have read above... Yes the offense needs some significant improvements as defense alone cannot consistently win games... Though a good defense can save games. I would argue the Leavitt era was a stop gap. It took the overall decent to good talent on the Oregon roster and gave it a scheme that allowed that talent to succeed. Whether Oregon holds onto Avalos or not the defensive machine that has been built will continue to roll. I am confident in Cristobal's hires... Especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Nevermind... it has gotten quite ugly in the second half.

"...by the article standards many here fret about Oregon being a tier 2, or (gulp) even tier 1 program. That is simply over valuation on our part due to irrational rival stuff and the facts of our recent history which I stated above. In reality they are a tier 3 program with an asterisk. The asterisk is they lack the some of the advantages that keep them from dropping from national relevance." (From the comments of the linked article) This sums up a lot of Husky fears of Oregon. They have the better history and recruiting ground and yet Oregon is the program on the rise. They are also very bitter about not playing in the Pac-12 Championship game. I think if the Oregon-Washington game happened this year they would feel the same.. as Oregon would have beat them. Simply put, Oregon's defense bottomed out against OSU and was rebounding against Cal (the offense failed against Cal) and the defense met some of our base level expectations against USC. I think If Oregon played Washington this year Washington would have been on the receiving end of an angry Oregon defense out to prove something. Especially since Washington's offense looked bad. Thanks for the link 30... reading the comments has been entertaining and I have wanted to dump a bucket of cold water on their fan base as that Husky fan base really believe they are in the tier 1 or at least tier 2 camp... never mind the fact that Oregon has won more New Years Six games this past decade (4: 2012 Rose, 2012-12 Fiesta, 2015 Rose, 2020 Rose) than Washington has in the past two decades (1: 2000 Rose). Under the Peterson years Washington failed to win any major bowl games and now I think Washington fans are looking into the abyss as Oregon prepares for their second NY6 game in as many years and they know that Oregon is building a juggernaut and Husky fans are in denial.

My wife went to UW... and a major reason why our relationship works is that she doesn't care at all about Football and supports the Ducks because that makes me a much happier human to be around. Now... it is really nice that Oregon has beaten UW the past few years and have won the Pac-12 Championship twice as well. My inlaws are casual Husky fans as they have more links to the University than to the sports program. They also feel the UW-WSU rivalry is the bigger rivalry rather than Oregon v Washington. So when hate week rolls around there isn't much hate... but I still love seeing the Huskies lose and lose often.

SPOILERS! At the half Colorado is putting up on hell of a fight. They could win this game if they can keep it going.

Colorado plays Texas today. Though I think texas will probably win out, we as Oregon and by extension pac-12 fans should be rooting for the ONLY other Pac-12 team playing in a bowl game. Oddly enough this year the Pac-12 is only playing big-12 teams for bowl season. Now if.. if Colorado and Oregon win their games they can both make a statement, even a minor one, that the pac-12 still draws breath. So... Go Buffs... I guess.

I'm inclined to side with Oregon on this one... but then again I'm always living in my own green and yellow bubble over here. Looking at how Oregon managed to get pressure on USC by rushing only three and sometimes four was a major component to that win. If they can keep that going against Iowa State I can't see Iowa State gaining enough momentum on offense to win. Yes, Shough has some major problems... but if Moorhead can get him comfortable with some easy passes to the edges I think we see the Shough we saw earlier in the year.

Kiko Alonzo was so much fun to watch. Just a game wrecker on the field.

Just to complicate matters. It sounds like boise state is a bit stretched for cash right now which doesn't bode well for resources. The mountain west has come a long way since the Peterson days where BSU ran the conference.

Definately could use JTT. KT really only had one year left... Unless convinced to stay for his senior year which would be incredible and incredibly unlikely. But need some defensive linemen. We have a couple youngsters that are putting it all together but the defensive line is always a tough place to ensure there is enough depth.

Shough's arm strength is definitely a factor. When looking Shough's interceptions this year a good few of them needed more air under them to go over the top of the defender and allow the receiver to make a play on the ball. Obviously this was not the case for all of his interceptions but going back and watching the film his interceptions are under throws. Maybe it isn't arm strength at all but still...

Great points... I do think Oregon fans have become very spoiled when it comes to quarterbacks. In reverse order (most recent to past). Herbert, Adams, Mariota, Thomas, Masoli, Dixon, Clemons, Fife, and Harrington. All save Adams and Fife were MULTI-YEAR starters. That list takes us back to to 2000 and there are some incredible gems on it. Shough may progress to their level but he may not.

Not talking the best Oregon player... Just your favorite player. Mine will sound boring and uninspired but... Marcus Mariota. I really started following Oregon football intensely in 2012 when MM started his Oregon career. This last summer I took a tour of past games as we sat in a football drought and it was a complete joy watching him work the Oregon offensive system. Second favorite... DAT... Because DAT. Enough said. Do who is your favorite player of all time?

And... Oregon is carrying the PAC on both of these fronts. Remember the last NCAA men's basketball tournament... The 2019 one... Lowly Oregon won the the Pac-12 tournament when they "had no right to" according to Husky fans. Then Oregon was placed as a 16 seed as they had an automatic bid and made it much much further in the tournament than any of the other pac-12 teams and only to lose to the eventual national champions. Yeah... Oregon is carrying this conference right now in the two money making sports. Women's basketball is pretty healthy in the pac-12 though... Granted it Oregon is dominating that as well.

I wouldn't say Oregon got in through the backdoor... They didn't get the chance to play for the rightful PAC-12 North. Though it is a major embarrassment for usc to lose to lowly two loss Oregon. That is a greater embarrassment to usc than Oregon. Is it a blemish on the pac-12... In any other year probably ... This year the Pac-12 is forgotten more than usual. Mostly due to the late starting season. Yes... The PAC will have to earn it's respect back and Oregon is going to be the team to do it. Oregon grabbed a micron of respectibilty back last year by winning the Rose Bowl last year and this year a Fiesta Bowl win would be just another brick in rebuilding the conference.

The defensive line did a great job by putting pressure all along the line and that gave KT more one-on-one matchups... Which is freqnelty won. It is a great representation of how a whole unit needs to function in tandum in order to spring a star player free... Who in turn redirects attention from the rest of the unit and everyone feasts. It also sounds like KT has really stepped up as a leader over the past month. Something that Scott wasn't providing it would seem.

Then let's hope Oregon can force some turnovers. Iowa State has been good but they haven't been dominant. Oregon needs KT to get lose and force some errant throws. It is what happened against USC where Slovis began chucking the ball downfield and the results were three interceptions. We saw what happens in the pac-12.championship game when the whole defense is working together. If that continues and the offense steps up... This is an Oregon win.

Oregon knows what it takes to rise to the challenge. Last year Oregon held Wisconsin's all world rusher to below 100 yards. Oregon has enough players who have now risen into leadership roles who know what it takes and if they lead the rest will follow.

That brief little video explains everything about MC. It is also exactly why he has brought the best recruiting classes in history to Oregon.

Beyond even just the west coast where we do have our own problems... But no B1G or Big-12 representation is the more concerning aspect. The PAC started so late we basically eliminated ourselves front the discussion. I suppose the argument could be made for the B1G as well... But what about the big-12? Or even just someone from a g5 school to be present. This isn't about winning the Heisman right now it's about who even gets invited.

Tractor Lawrence, Mac Jones, Kyle Trask, and DeVonta Smith. Two Alabama players, Clemson and Florida... This slate of players comes from two conferences and only three teams. The playoff has become a farce of an invitational and the Heisman is going the same way. For a while the Heisman has gone to only the best players on the best teams rather than the actual best player. Hopefully this is just a result of a chaotic season that has been dominated by media coverage of the SEC and ACC. Though I don't see that changing in future years.

1) Best Oregon duck memory is probably Oregon's win over florida state in the 2015 Rose Bowl. Mariota had just won the Heisman and it was against Jamis Winston who I really disliked. So when Oregon destroyed FSU it was very satisfying. 2) I will be honest... I struggle in large crowds of people so I have not attended a game in person. Maybe someday I'll get over my dislike of crowds and go to a game.