Mike West

These are the EXACT GAMES I WANT SCHEDULED. We are looking at what ourteam is all about-right now. I love it.

One other thing-I prefer 11 P4 teams. Ten for the lower tier P4 schools. It is time to vet the P4 beginning to end. Not after they get their feet wet with "preseason" games (unless they simply don't count those P4/G6 games in the record books-let's just call them pre-season games like we already know they are). Padding records in the Playoff era leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

If we want to preserve the old system it would look like this: 1) SEC gets to pay under the table. They attack anyone that does the same. UGA and Bama smoke everybody-especially their conference brethren. Every once in awhile, an LSU or Florida will arrive and steal the show. In the B1G, Ohio State keeps pace, but more sneaky. They pay players too, and blame Michigan for cheating when they lose. Since Chip blurred the lines and got caught, Phil and the Oregon Athletic Department have found every legal method to field a $75 Million team. USC is on their way to that very blueprint. Since NIL has arrived, players want to play so the corn fed Southern boys have sprinkled the nation with the depth they used to provide to Bama and Georgia (Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon). Kurt Cignetti one-upped everyone with outstanding scouting, and player development. Everybody is looking for proven experience now. The smart lower tier 4 star players are going to find the best G6 coaches and display their talents. Alas, Trinidad Chambliss-though going to a sister of the poor level school, balled out and proved Cignetti was on to something and NFL level scouting is now a priority at the P4 and G6 level. Parity is destroying the SEC's narrative. Within 2 seasons we will not see 7 SEC teams in the preseason Top 15. Furthermore, I believe fans are already getting used to the fact teams will have a much more difficult time winning 11 or 12 games-including bowl and playoff season. The argument for keeping the playoff at 12 is best for keeping any semblance of the old days. Choosing the field of 12 preserves the "my team is better than your team, so my school got robbed and your team is garbage" sentiment that has been a part of college football since us old geezers were in grade school. The argument for expanding to 24 teams and grabbing hundreds of millions of dollars makes much more sense for two reasons: 1) coaches will keep their jobs longer (great for continuity) as long as they reach the playoffs every 2-3 years and 2) it will completely confirm or destroy the SEC mantra they are the best conference in college football. They will usually field 6 teams, and those teams will have to produce results. What a 24 team playoff will do is bury the past. I believe NIL pretty much started digging the grave sites. Players were always preparing like pros without the money they get now. About half take school seriously enough to get a degree that will help them when they leave school. The elite players are mostly semi pro NFL prospects anyway. We all wanted to ignore this because it maintained an integrity we wanted to pretend was there. Believe me, I started college in 1980. I knew several players from UW and Oregon. They trained, practiced, lifted, studied the game, and spent 30 hours a week on FOOTBALL. Some complained loudly about scholarships being insufficient compensation for their time. Not to mention the stars never receiving money for jersey sales (and Ohio State's controversy over the same issue). Do I like NIL? No. Not the way it is structured. The schools are acting as silly as NFL owners and paying unproven kids gobs of money they should earn once they prove themselves. I hope NIL contracts are structured year to year now. But what I really despise is how kids are being exploited worse than when they weren't getting paid. Thousands of kids hit the portal every year and at least half are finding out they are about as valuable as a 7-11 clerk. And there goes their careers. Simply because they thought the grass was greener. And don't get me started on paying some QBs more than a million dollars. I'd say there are about 30 QBs close to or worth more-but I'm a hack wanna be coach. So who am I to judge. The playoffs should expand if they don't find a way to force the committee to be consistent, and at least appear to not cave to the networks for ratings sake. Miami and Notre Dame should have both been playing Tulane, Bama, Texas and JMU instead of having to hear from ND fans they got robbed-especially after Notre Dame gave up 41 points to no offense A&M. The Playoff Committee is a bane to society as far as I'm concerned. A 24 team playoff would rid us of their services. Justifiably. I prefer 12 with Play In Games. I doubt we get that.

As usual Jon, you add depth and prompt interest by giving background to these games. Are we not entertained? The juices are flowing, only ten days before we open the season (there's a snarky BSU fan that tries to troll me after Ashton Gentry kept that 24' thriller too close for comfort. I told him BSU might have the winning record now, but since BYU went to the Big 12, BSU has been an afterthought. And now, we are finally looking at the first blowout in this series for our beloved Ducks. I can't wait to drool over that blowout win and troll this guy all the way to Antarctica). Ducks 45-24

Thanks Jon for completing so much research for us. The teams we face are quite manageable at face value. What will be difficult is the travel. OBD face the last six teams on the schedule alternating between Eugene and at least 2,000 miles east. So facing Ohio State begins with travel to Champagne, IL and coming back to Eugene to face Northwestern. Then we go to Columbus (we-ha ha ha) before coming home to face Michigan in Eugene the following week. Next "we" go to East Lansing to face Michigan State before coming home to vanquish the Fuskies. That is a Lot of travel. We do get the benefit of facing Portland State after traveling to North Texas' new home in Stillwater, Oklahoma, then traveling to LA to vanquish the Condoms (boy it is fun nicknaming our West Coast "rivals"!). So the schedule is tougher due to the amount of travel "we" face. This is where in Dan We Trust is essential...

Beating the best in this era means beating your best as well. Kirby has struggled now that the field is equal. Saban left before he had to taste it multiple years. That doesn't mean they wouldn't ever raise a trophy. Both those coaches are masters of the game. There are only 4 active coaches that have won a title and have a shot at getting another this year. Let's just take the Power 4 teams. That's 4 out of 68? Let's dig deeper and include only those programs that really test the best. What? Maybe 15? That's roughly 25 percent of the field. You know, the usual statistics (20% of the field produces 80% of the performance). I personally believe the OL that was good enough to win a title was Lanning's first. He had a mediocre defense and nowhere near the WRs he has now. That OL unit put some serious rush yards on one of the best college football's defenses of all time. They pass protected even better. They didn't have guys that could burn teams like Ohio State (circa 2024) and Georgia (circa 2023 and 2022). They had em last year (not a good enough OL) and they have em this year (we'll have to wait and see). So what Lanning has done with the limitations he has had relative to his fellow elite coaches is tremendous. I still believe Ohio State and Georgia have the most talent THIS YEAR. So it will be Dante Moore playing like elite NFL QBs this year in my opinion. He is going to have to throw in some of the tightest windows-on time-before receivers even know they are open. And some of that will be coaching on a level above the NFL's best. My opinion of course. But that is what I see. And believe me-what Dan Lanning has done the past two years with talent I did not believe was capable of accomplishing what they did (to the degree I really thought they had a chance in the Peach Bowl despite the situation) is beyond incredible. They guy is on the trail to winning a title. And I am not fantasizing when I say that.

I also do not believe blame is the correct word (great click bait though-no shade against you-it naturally piques our curiosity). I will always support Dan Lanning. Despite my "distaste" for some of the strategy moves I have seen. I have done quite a bit of study about OBD and other elite teams. There are some very justifiable reasons for what Lanning has schemed. There also are legitimate reasons for staying the course. It is VERY, VERY difficult to adjust to conditions on the ground in a game. Some may even accuse coaches of panicking if they do so- a coach "can't win" no matter what he does-fans are fickle. Which is why I loved it when Lanning put on the FEBU shirt after taking down Ohio State in Eugene. We all want to see OBD win the big ones. I am very spoiled, because I want to see obliteration. Most especially against Ohio State's fan base. We got to USC and the Fuskies-Ohio State in particular is on my radar. Simply because that fan base is horrible. They excoriated Ryan Day despite the guy's effort (and results) to improve the program damn near every year. Not to mention their outright arrogance (we have it to, as well as way too many fan bases in college football). What does that have to do with where OBD are and who is to blame? There simply are too many variables for a coach to control. Indiana really put the pedal to the metal last year and they STILL almost lost their title. It would have been heartbreaking to see them lose had Carson Beck threw his pass 4 to 5 yards deeper. After all the dominance they displayed, and their uncanny ability to execute so well under pressure all year. An illegal procedure penalty and a defensive penalty almost cost Indiana a title. Two simple mistakes almost tanked one of the most unbelievable stories ever. So what Lanning got blown out twice. Do you think he is contemplating his own blowouts? Do you think he is thinking outside the box to get his title(2)? And guess what-if we were in his shoes-oh boy guess how much nonsense we would have to put up with. I knew Casey Brooks-Rich Brooks' daughter. She used to tell me many a horror story of what fans put her and her father through. Brooks kept on chuggin and pluggin. Which is exactly what Lanning will do. I BELIEVE LANNING BRINGS US A TITLE. He is too smart, too determined and too dedicated to furthering the goals of everyone in his program. Those are ingredients that lend to the ultimate success. Sometimes you gotta lose to learn how to win.

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.

It always helps Jon to read and assess the comments here. Glad you added filler to his experience. Though we got limited coverage in this year's Spring Game, I saw some things that concerned me. I highly doubt we are going to see the same elements of last year's defense. If so I do have some concerns as in my opinion there are natural flaws with the way we execute the Bear defense. I have done some research and discovered there are "rules" in place that govern how the defense is run, and why the elite teams are able to exploit those governing weaknesses. The rules also explain how OBD were able to stomp on lessor capable opponents that did have firepower (see Texas Tech for instance). Of course, I am not going to criticize Lanning for running what he wants to run-not only has he been successful, he deserves that right because he runs the ship. If he is going to go down, he deserves the blessings of running it the way he wants to. It will not stop me from expressing concerns about possible flaws or weaknesses. Which of course DOES NOT MEAN I AM CORRECT. For me, Koi is going to need very good closing speed to cover the amount of area the defense and defensive strategy requires. Thieneman had trouble with that at times, but he was an absolute ball hawk. His instincts were spot on. Koi will need those same instincts.

I am not sold on him. He has huge shoes to replace as a transfer at safety and I'm not sure he is a clutch a player. So I'm not taking it easy on him unless he is a level above Thieneman. I don't think he has the same kind of closing speed or ball hawk skills. We will see what happens.

Scott, you're the go to since FishDuck's ( now discussOBD Duck) site is the WWII bomb crater it currently is. Your site is excellent, and I haven't seen any Duck centric site come close to your editorial skills. I hope to see you early and OFTEN.

Good info Jon!!! SOS is going to be the narrative this year again. Once eSECpn helped th NCAA take out USC in 2008, they had no headknockers ruining their glass house image. That helped Auburn steal our Natty, along with two OBD blowout losses to SEC teams, since we pretty much carried the WAC12 since the playoffs expanded to 4. We need to win the Natty this year. Preferably taking out Georgia and Ohio State along the way. THAT will bolster OBD and the B1G.

Hats to argue that everyone but LSU is better than USC. They Michigan and Iowa need to do some stomping in the regular season. As in two TD margins of victory against all but the B1G's elite. If A&M, Ole Miss, Bama and Oklahoma hold serve against their lessor opponents, it's going to take an upset of OBD, Indiana and Ohio State to move up. Right now I'd say those 4 SEC teams have more taken than our 3. If all 7 go 10-2, unless there are some upsets, the SEC will get 5 nods again in the playoffs. Tough pill to swallow. Michigan must defeat Oklahoma. Ohio State should beat Texas. And Minnesota ABSOLUTELY has to beat Mississippi State. That gives the B1G a shot at 4 berths. Until we get the SEC in OOC matchups, we may not see more than 3. This is the guy that argued for Texas over Miami and Notre Dame last year because they had a MUCH TOUGHER schedule. Imagine the blowhards at eSECpn yelling about SOS all year.

IMHO the fact that we didn't want USC restoring their recruiting prowess indicated we consider the them a rival. They haven't defeated us in years, but we sure our time of hate on them.

If I EVER would root for OBD to go 12-0, this would be the year. They have a realistic shot at running the table like Indiana did last year. But again-Dante Moore will have to play like he's facing NFL defenses. He will have to throw open receivers, teach guys how to find open windows in Zone coverage, and be able to find open guys in under 2 seconds. Julien Sayin is in the same boat. Both of these QBs have to assume their respective offensive lines cannot handle Elite pass rushing defenses. That requires a mindset of teaching and finding open receivers in a snap of a finger. Guys will have to make it easy for both to find them without defenses preventing easy receptions. I am going to write an article about that very topic. I think Moore is close to being there. But I am assuming for now it is because he throws to who he is comfortable with. I'll let you know soon what I believe he will have to develop in order to be the Maestro of College Football. Stay tuned

And boy do I hope we sport those same colors for the USC game. I like the Darth Vader in Black theme (or even the Storm Trooper white seen in Ann Arbor and the Coliseum last decade), but it is time to show the college football world that green and yellow IS the color when we win the Natty. I hope that starts with every marquee regular season matchup this year. I want to see the colors Rich Brooks and Mike Bellotti inspired Phil Knight into supporting in the first place.

I don't like the SEC. I hate their marketing narrative. But they DID get five playoff teams last year. I argued for a sixth-Texas. One thing the sESPNc has that the B1G does not is second tier programs good enough to win 10 every year. I'm calling out USC, Michigan and Washington for sure. Iowa needs to pull off an upset. Penn State, Wisconsin and Nebraska need to live up to their past glory. Michigan State and UCLA could return to past excellence as well. That's eight programs with reputations as good as Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, LSU in years past. Until those programs elevate to the degree Ohio State truly risks losing to them, we will have a problem like NASA has routinely in space. The B1G needs five programs winning 10 games a year and another 3 winning 9. That's how the B1G gets 5 teams in the playoffs. Despite what Josh Pate and SEC enthusiasts say-YOU ARE WHAT YOUR RECORD SAYS YOU ARE.

And I believe Genorris Wilson played better than both tackles last year as well. In fact, I am at a complete loss over that. I actually believe Wilson is better than transfer Michael Bennet. Did anyone know that both tackles were injured in the Peach Bowl? How about this fact, massive depth along the defensive line hit the portal before that game. That may have been a significant factor in OBD's inability to stop Indiana from running as well as they did in January. I like our backup DE's, but the amount of talent lost inside concerns me. Notre Dame, LSU and Ole Miss picked up some huge talent at our expense. As far as the Tier ratings-I only see Ohio State and Georgia in Tier 1. Until OBD implements a passing attack that defeated Ohio State TWICE this decade, we are Tier 2 in my book. In my outlandish opinion, we will have to actually outscore the elite teams-and I am talking dropping at least 35-in order to win the Natty. Lanning wants his defense to win the title. I don't see that happening. Even with the amount of experience coming back. OBD have to score more than 21 on elite defenses. That has been our ceiling since DL has been here-and it won't cut it. OBD have had some massive misfortune on our playoff runs. Injuries bit us hard. NIL has leveled the playing field, and OBD have massive talent this year. But execution has lagged behind in my opinion. And despite the fact Georgia and Ohio State disappointed last year (and in 24 for UGA), I watched their Spring Games thoroughly. The eye test looks better than OBD. Both of their defenses CAN win them a title. Outside the topic of this thread: Dante Moore absolutely must deliver NFL caliber performances this year. Right now I see OBD defense holding elite offenses to 28 points. Moore is going to have to throw like we have never seen him throw before. And yes, that is probably hyperbole (didn't take that as offensive-I am emphasizing the extreme on purpose. It is very, very difficult to win a national title). I love every aspect of where this team is at. Dan Lanning is going to win a national title for us. I hope it will happen this year.

You hit the hammer on the head perfectly. So much good information coming out of this thread. I do believe Lupoi produced his best defense last year. All things considered. I was very impressed with Lupoi last year.

This defense has all the makings of being another elite one for the ages of college football. We know the standard. It shows up in the stat sheet and on the scoreboard. I am saying this as an elitist. I want to see ungodly stats and scores this year. Not just "we did good" I don't want a team to score more than 24 on us all year. My standard is high. But this team has the chops to make that happen. GO DUCKS.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha, Thanks Jon for providing ample evidence the SEC loves to toot their own horn. I knew the SEC was full of it way back in 2003 when Les Miles called out USC, but didn't challenge them to an instant classic opening game in 2004. That's because USC had pulled back the curtain on the narrative the SEC had at least 4 top ten teams every year (by obliterating 3 of them in successive years). We all know the SEC has the NCAA in the hip pocket because they went after USC, then completely ignored Auburn. Then made sure OBD would lose the Natty with egregious calls that kept them in the game frankly (the fumble-six would have sealed it, the called back interception gave them a highly undeserved TD). Then they had the nerve to pull for a LSU/Bama Natty. When everyone knew Bama was the better team. Thanks to NIL, they can't stack a team full of Cam Newtons like before. Now Kirby has to learn not to panic because his lustful DEs break pocket contain, and a mobile QB makes them pay. Yeah, when we take out the SEC in the playoffs again this year, they will come up with some excuse like the regular season beat them up. So prove it SEC. Schedule us in September. Like former Big12 powers OU and Texas do regularly. Like LSU and Bama do regularly. I bet you won't see Florida leaving the South in September for a loooooong while (Sorry GatFlorida-I really like your Gators, and want them to come back, but scheduling FSU and Miami isn't the same as going to Ann Arbor, Seattle or Eugene, not to mention Iowa City).

One word: Performance. There is a standard for this much experience-Ohio State. Nobody but OBD scored close to 30 on them in 2024. That defense gave up less than 14 ppg. Contrast that with Penn State last year. Another team with equivalent experience. They lost to OBD, and disintegrated. They gave up well above 23 ppg last year. Now when you look at OBD on paper, they look superior to just about everyone. Let me give you a concerning stat I heard today. Dante Moore has thrown 19 INTs and had 6 fumbles in 29 games. He had more INTs in 2025 than in his freshman year. What does that have to do with the defense? Look at the Peach Bowl. Over before it started. Not only does this defense need to be BETTER THAN OHIO STATE circa 2024, Dante Moore needs to play better than half the NFL starters this year. That's when I'll breathe easy. Sorry to rain on the parade, but we have been here before. The players have been given more candy in the candy store the past 3 years. They need to execute. Plain and simple. I see all the hype on OBD, and it concerns me. I need to see obliteration on WWII level. Germany and England bombing the hell out of each other (either one can be our offense, then the other our defense). If we don't blow a crater in the entire state of Idaho game 1, and send the Broncos home wondering if they should even exist, I will be concerned. It is that serious to me. But don't let me spoil things. This team is loaded. They have the capacity to nuke the entire solar system. I hope that happens. I hope we 86 every nightmare this program has faced as a contender. I hope we shut up every blue blood program fans base across the nation. I want people to hate OBD this year. And teams to fear us. This team can do that.

I wholeheartedly agree with you that greed is killing this game. Not sure its just playoff expansion. Unfortunately, ever since the BCS, the bowl system has been on the clock. Frankly, 34 bowl games is a joke to me. Why not play 78? So every team gets an extra week? Not to mention, the schools lose money: they have to guarantee ticket sales. Talk about grift! I really like 12 teams with play in options. Texas and ND deserved a shot at playing in the playoffs. Miami got the benefit of looking good early despite playing to the level of their competition all year (not my idea of rewarding a team that is supposed to be elite-elite teams dominate teams like Louisville and SMU-they're simply not equipped to handle the kind of talent Miami has). I believe the 24 team format forces the SEC to counter with a legit field, that determines who qualifies by how they play on the field and who they play on the field. Otherwise "F" it. If you're going to arbitrarily pick teams like Miami in 25' and some say Indiana (unjustly) in 24', just let the mediocre be fodder for blowouts and give the second level P4 teams a look at what they could be if they had the ability to compete against the real power in CFB. I simply cannot stand a South Carolina crying about their "lost opportunity"-only to lose in a bowl game. Make that kind of bubble team a play in entry level play in game. Keep the field at 12, and force the bubble teams into a mini playoff. Also, no 45 hundred day layoffs either. From Week 0 at the end of August until January 1, every week is showing college football. Army and Navy get their wonderful "nation watches their game" window, and then its on to the true best group of teams playing for a title (and frankly I believe only 8 get automatic slots and the other 8 are playing for 4 spots against numbers 5,6,7 and 8). The game needs a commissioner. Because the conferences, player reps(also know as unlicensed agents) and the TV execs are killing the game. Players are not students in the real sense, so scholarships must go. Contracts can include school as part of the compensation package-so we can weed out the dudes looking for a "bag of money" instead of truly representing Universities and Colleges. Let's call it what it is-professional football for 18-22 year-olds.

Thanks for another top notch article Jon! This is great info for the upcoming season. Which I am soooo ready for. Other sports just don't do it for me. February to August is the worst time of year for me. I hate it so much I watch the UFL and CFL to "survive". You really make this site special Jon. And you're provide so much information and entertainment, you're hard to ignore.