Jon Joseph

Super article that perfectly asks the questions asked over and over again since Mario's been at the wheel? I have zero idea what kind of effort and outcome to expect tonight?

30, here is a question I am getting sick and tired of asking before every game no matter how good or bad the opponent: Will the team show, or no? Frankly, if another team hired Mario away it would not break my heart. The man has won one exhibition game Rose Bowl over a 3L team by one point with the NFL Rookie of the Year playing QB and folks want to pay the man $9M! He is a heck of a salesman, look at the recruiting rankings, but IMO, his ceiling is the Rose Bowl when the RB is not a playoff semi-final site. He has taken the air out of the ball and the heart (at least as represented by lack of consistent effort) out of the team.

To keep then from playing for other teams? They haven't played much for the Ducks.

I would add that Mike Leach is doing just fine at MS ST. However, the turnover at OC/DC does not help the cause. Look at how long the coordinators have been with Dabo at Clemson?

GREAT INFO! Thanks Charles. BTW - Bronco Mendenhall is voluntarily out at UVA. He is resigning after the bowl game.

Great post. But why keep divisions in a 12 team conference that decided not to expand? In this conference as is the case this year, 1 definitely needs to play 2 in the champ game. I have a feeling that this means a lot of future champ games with OR playing USC? You cannot leave room for a division champion that perhaps with OOC Ls, is playing for a title with 4 Ls.. Even this year? Oregon defeated Ohio State in Columbus and Utah lost to BYU and San Diego State. Utah also lost at OR ST and comes into the champ game with 3 Ls. OK State wins Saturday and IMO with the 35th SOS vs Cincy's 98th SOS, the Cowboys are in the Final 4? OK ST has the opportunity to defeat No. 9 Baylor at a neutral site. Cincy has the chance to defeat No. 21 Houston on its home field. BTW, OK ST reached out to the Pac-12 and was rejected. And No. 21 Houston would have loved to be in the Pac-12. TCU is not bowling but Texas Tech is.

Could not agree more my friend. But will it happen? Never know which Oregon team will step on the field? The Ohio State Ducks team or the team that was blown out in SLC?

Neutral? Athens to Atlanta is a less than an hour drive. And UGA has played in this stadium many times before and will be playing Bama there on Saturday. UGA has lots of this D coming back and many 4* and 5* waiting to step up.

It's going to take commitment and leadership. Including a solution to the woeful Pac-12 network. Also including administrations giving a whip about football.

Great take. And every game at Ole Miss is played in a sold out, on campus stadium with one of the best tailgating venues in the nation.

Great take. But is it parity or parody? 6 bowl eligible teams argues for the latter.

In 2022 you can go 7 players over the 85 limit. USC just opened the wallet the way a blue blood should. My guess is that there will be many NIL opportunities for SC recruits? It's the SC boosters who made this hire possible. As to recruiting in general, as Bama has shown in the SEC, a rising Tide lifts all boats. To be relevant nationally the conference needs a competitive SC. A competitive SC is also important for media money. Oregon is not simply competing in the Pac-12 it is also competing against the B1G and the SEC. The conference simply has to draw better players. It has to win far more of the OOC games. And it certainly has to produce more than 6 bowl eligible schools. 1 team bowl eligible from CA is a terrible look. The conference will not fill all of its bowl agreements this season.

Great question? My guess? ABC does not want to give up the 'NEWS hour?' And ABC likely wants folks working out west to get home from work and tune in? At least an earlier broadcast will not cut into the start of the game. I think it would be better if the game was played on a Thursday night? Folks want to go out on Friday. The playoff semis are on New Year's Eve this season. Watch the viewer numbers take a big dip.

So many rumors about him leaving. But he did not get an offer from Florida and Notre Dame and likely will not receive an offer from Oklahoma?

Ole Miss will match whatever Miami agrees to pay Kiffin. Ole Miss in Kiffin's 2nd season is going to a NY6 bowl. Ole Miss defeated A+M and who knows how Kelly will fare at LSU? He will no longer be playing 5 ACC teams and Navy every season. Auburn? Ole Miss is trending up. The Tigers is trending down. And at some point, Saban will leave Bama.

The Alliance sticks together and the 5 P5 champs are in. The SEC and G5 are not going to walk away from the extra playoff money over this issue. OT: To my surprise, Notre Dame has named DC Marcus Freeman its new HC. No prior experience as a HC.

Thanks Charles. Hope this prediction is as wrong as the author's take on the KO time? The game kicks off at 8 and not 6, ET. Friday. 5PM Pacific time? Not the log jam you see in LA at 5 but Vegas does have lots of commuter traffic. I am very interested to see how many fans show up in Vegas for this game? If the numbers do not significantly exceed the number of fans who attended the champ games in Santa Clara, the Pac-12, IMO, should return to playing the game on the field of the higher ranked team.

ASU is projected as one of Spencer Rattler's landing spots?

No. 1 Georgia is -6.5 vs No. 3 Alabama in Atlanta on Saturday. That's the largest point spread against Bama since Saban turned the program around. Georgia's 45-0 rout of Georgia Tech was the Dawgs 3rd shutout of the season. Georgia has held its opponents to single digits in 8 of 12 games. Nationally, Georgia ranks 1st in Total Defense and 1st in Scoring Defense. But its not just about the D. Georgia is in the top 10 in points scored. BTW, Georgia is more than likely to sign 2022's best recruiting class. The Ducks open the 2022 season in Atlanta vs Georgia. From what we have seen to date, this game will likely be the 1st start for the 2022 Oregon QB? I do not expect to see anyone but Brown starting in the Rose Bowl. (I am projecting Oregon, with a big roster advantage, to win Friday night and play in the Rose Bowl.) The 2nd game in 2022 is versus an FCS team in Autzen. But the FCS team is E. Washington. EWU is far, far from being a cupcake opponent. Why not give the check to Portland State? The 3rd game in 2022? In Autzen versus currently ranked No. 12, BYU. A team that went 5-0 versus the Pac-12 in 2021. In 2022, BYU will be a member of the B12. Thus, the Ducks will play 2 preseason top 25, P5 opponents OOC. And in 2022, it's Oregon's turn to play 5 conference road games. If Mario heads to Miami, I'm not sure that I could blame him?

When Pete Carroll had SC at elite level? The Coli was packed for every game and ESPN could not run enough features on the Trojans. LA fans are fickle because of a myriad of entertainment options, options you do not have in Tuscaloosa, AL. and Clemson, SC. But Riley gets it rolling and the fans will show up. Except for this season, Riley won the B12 title every year he was the HC at OK. And vs OK ST, OK did not get a call to go its way.

Great take. Let's see? More $, in the middle of prime recruiting territory, a blue blood program that finally is spending the money to get back to blue blood status and you play AZ, ASU, UCLA and UTAH instead of A+M, BAMA, OLE MISS and LSU? Sign me up!

I agree. That PSU team played a great shoot out RB game vs the Trojans. Ohio State was embarrassed by Clemson in the semi-final.

PSU had 2Ls. 1 a bad loss at Michigan. But Bama takes a close L vs UGA and I bet we see the first 2L team in the playoff?

If so. I am surprised that 1st he didn't follow Kelly to LSU and 2nd, Notre Dame would not be patient enough to wait for Fickell? Freeman was Cincinnati's DC under Fickell. Although, Coach O tried to get Freeman to come to LSU + he refused.

You already have my thumbs up on this excellent take. Quality coaching means having the team ready to play in every game to the level of its ability and not the level of the opponents ability. IMO, playing down to the level of the competition and being embarrassed like the game at Utah, is Mario's biggest failure as a HC.