Jon Joseph

Wow! What a terrific halftime interview with U of O's 19th President, John Karl (Sergeant) Scholz. [Sorry to go Chris Berman.] The man is brimming with enthusiasm. Sports fan? You know it. After the football game, he told Yogi Roth that he was headed out to watch the women's soccer game and then the baseball game. This is about as far as you can get from UCLA President Bloch (head.) [Did it again. But one of Larry's biggest enablers has this coming.] A man who has never attended a regular-season Bruins football game. Plus, President Scholz has a daughter attending Oregon and pursuing her Doctorate degree. Help! 99.9% of the folks on this Forum are far more tech-savvy than I am. Would be great if a Forum person (Pa Duck, NJ Duck?) could post this interview. Writers? I think it would also be great if one of you was to author a deeper dive article on President Scholz. It appears that Ducks sports are in very good hands at the highest levels. Go Ducks!

Ty Thompson. The game was emblematic of the young man's 'career' at Oregon. Rather than take the easy way out Ty has stayed in Eugene and competed. What we used to see before the portal made its presence. Hats off to Ty and keep on TYing to get better.

CU at TCU will be fun to watch. CU? Get your program! Can't tell the players without a program!

That record would make history. Since adding CU and Utah no Pac-12 team has pulled off a 13-0 record. Big ask with 5 top 25 ranked opponents, including 3 of the 5 on the road.

Great day. Great crowd. Fun game. Had to impress the recruits in attendance.

Cool. He'll be playing against big brother twice a year. I see Noah as a situational player likely to not be on the field on passing downs.

I agree but therein lies the playoff rub. The in-conference competition has to be valued by the playoff committee to get more than 1 Pac team, the conference champion, in a 12 team playoff field and also for seeding purposes. Come 2024, a champion in the top 4 of 6 conference champions = a 1st round bye. Being ranked 5-8 = a first-round home game. 6 at large spots, four of which at least will most likely go to B1G and SEC schools. If the ACC and B12 schedules are more valued than the Pac schedules; well, that's a problem. And remember, Notre Dame is also out there jockeying for a 5 to 8 seed. Notre Dame brings lots of viewers along with it. Something that matters even though the playoff committee will never admit this. This is a problem that Oregon's case is exacerbated by not playing a Power 2 opponent in the next 6 seasons. And by a school like Oregon State not playing a Power 5 opponent out-of-conference. The Pac-10 has to step up its OOC scheduling and has to win its fair share versus the Power 2. This season brings us Florida at Utah, Arizona at Mississippi State, Wisconsin at Washington State (!), and Washington at Michigan State. The Pac Conference needs to win 2 of these 4 games at least. Utah is likely to be favored and UW has a good chance of being slightly favored on the road.

Res ipsa loquitor - The thing speaks for itself. Thanks Pa!

Looks like it's raining cats and dogs! Fired Up for the spring game.

I am psyched! Gonzo to "my" Pats and DJ to a team that is weekly broadcast in my area of the country. Go forth and prosper.

To date, the Pac-12 is number 5 out of the Power 5 conferences with 10 players drafted. Three of the players drafted so far are from USC with one, Charbonnet, being drafted out of UCLA. Thus, 6 Pac-10 players drafted to date. This is pathetic. Add the SC and UCLA players to the B1G and the B1G would be on the nipping at SEC heels. However, Oregon has produced two of the six drafted. Congrats to Gonzalez and DJ Johnson. Many players recruited by Dan Lanning and taken out of the portal will undoubtedly mature as players and be drafted down the road. Next season the Pac-12 should do better; especially, with a bevy of outstanding QBs playing in the conference in 2023. But if the conference as a whole does not pick up in adding new, quality players; well, this will not help come 12-team playoff time with the number of teams making the playoff and their seeding in the playoff. Playoff Committee members will note that the SEC has 31 players drafted to date and the B1G has 26 players drafted. With teams 5 through 8 hosting a 1st round playoff game, playoff seeding will be extremely important. The strength of the schedule may finally be taken into account when the field is seeded. This is the major reason I do not like Oregon playing B12 teams, and not SEC or B1G teams, out-of-conference for the next six seasons. I once again have to question Rob Mullens's judgment. Oregon will be the lead sled dog once USC goes B1G. Playing Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech does not move the media needle and does not help with the ongoing (SIGH) media negotiations. These games will not likely attract four million viewers which is an important viewer benchmark. Hoping more Ducks will be drafted today as well as more players from the Pac-10.

This helps the cause in an area of great need. Way to go DL.

Gonzo and Gibbs are examples of guys who late in their college experience hit the portal and made bank. And the beat will most certainly go on; including, many of the transfer portal guys brought in by DL.

I believe 2-time champ, Stetson Bennet at UGA was a 3-star recruit who had to 'drop down' to JC to get the reps that led to championships. In DL et al I trust. Mario got the first part, recruiting right but could not produce the 2nd part, getting highly rated kids to show the same on the field.

I want some of the ABOVE! Darn it, now I'm thirsty for an adult beverage. Why do they call it an adult beverage when imbibing often leads to acting like a juvenile?

In the Pac-12 except for valid disciplinary reasons behind a player no longer being on the team scholarships are honored. You can if you so decide to do so, remain where you are and receive a tuition-free education without breaking a sweat in practice.

Would it be better if the coach had strung the kid along? Seems like there is a lot of truth-telling going on in Boulder. This is a business. Businesses to be successful have to make tough employee decisions all of the time. Don't look now but plenty of Oregon players have entered the portal since DL arrived. I believe DL is telling many of the kids the truth that they won't be getting playing time in Eugene. Colorado has sold out its 2023 season allotment of season tickets. Last season CU averaged 17.400 in attendance. This alone makes the investment in Deion a smart business move. And $450,000 in revenue for the spring game also hits the bottom line.

Great comment. But if you are going to win it all the portal is the fastest way to a Blue Chip roster. The top-ranked players in the portal have already been coached up compared to players right out of HS.

You have a choice. A player right out of high school or a player who has game experience. Experience against more experienced players and for the most part better competition than in high school. I'd rather pay for the more experienced player. Gonzalez was a very good player who shined in a system with better players around him. I'll take the guy with experience.

Pats fan here who loves this pick. The young man has the chance to be one of the NFL's top CBs. As to not being physical enough. This was what we heard when Deion Sanders was drafted; worked out pretty well for the Falcons.

Thus the need to shorten the regular season. The recent 3 changes to the timing of a game, no clock stoppage after 1st downs, etc., is a good start but not good enough. Under this format, playoff teams will play in a MAC-like time frame.

It's certainly not the purge going on in Boulder but earlier in the week Oregon was ranked 5 in the number of players in the portal. Again, I think much of this has to do with the late hiring of DL in 2022 and the advice many of these young people are having whispered in their ears. For some, the grass will be greener. Many others are likely to find a dry spot. This is the shortcut to a Blue Chip (50% 4* and 5* star recruits on the roster) roster. I saw one of the final CBS draft prognostications has Gonzales going 3rd tonight. This could help the Ducks recruit from the portal. Has the sleeping giant been awakened in LA? (And filled with B1G resolve.) Riley previously signed the #1 ranked DL Bear Alexander from the portal and yesterday signed the currently portal ranked #2, OL Pregnoa from Wyoming. Both guys had Oregon on the list of possibilities. Add this crop of portal guys to the portal guys SC had already signed and SC's adjusted 2023 recruiting class is right up there with Bama and Georgia. Bama? Hard to believe that Nick had to go to the portal to bring in the potential Tide starting QB from Notre Dame where he joins the new Bama OC from ND, Tommy Rees.

The rule you mentioned plus the 25 scholarship limit on new players signed in a given year has been terminated. It's open season on any player you want off the roster. Deion reversed course regarding the film situation. But it baffles me that some of the guys leaving expect a free limo ride to the airport. CFB is Big Business. The players wanted more flexibility in the transfer rules. They have it and as is often the case for the average player there are unintended consequences. As you noted David all of the 'cut' CU players can stay and receive a free education at a school rising in academic reputation. No school won a BSC title or a playoff title to date without a Blue Chip roster. When a team goes 1-11 there are plenty of buffalo chips on the roster but few if any, blue chips.

How do you backfire from a 1-11 season and 20 years of being irrelevant? Sell out your spring game at $10 a pop and sell out your season tickets. Backfire?

Will be interesting to see how many other Ducks players will enter the portal after the spring game. The May 1 window is rapidly closing. Oregon as of today is #5 nationally in roster turnover with a lot of this having to do with the late date Dan L came on board last season.