This topic is one that can go either way with you depending upon how you view it. And before I get started on that--please....everyone who is a member....DO post your opinions, and do start some topics. As I can attest, not all threads take off, but we need more posts begun by more than the half-dozen who do. And for those who began posting and/or reading since the season began....WELCOME BACK!

I have not read or watched all the negative written or spoken about Oregon since the Cowboy loss, because what I saw made me wince and cringe enough. Our 2026 rep has taken a MAJOR hit, and now the objective is to not only correct it for this year, but regain the strong respect this program had prior to the loss. But doesn't it feel like it is nearly impossible to recover the prior good feelings, and respect for the 2026 Ducks?

In fact it feels to me like--even if we win this weekend...in the backs of the minds of millions of CFB fans....Oregon is on the Clemson path--even if that is an unjustified take. In fact I would venture that for nearly EVERY game we play here on out--we will not be thought much of going in, and if we win? We don't get much out of it...

But that can REALLY help us, don't you think? We are now the permanent UNDERDOG, the team continuously OVERLOOKED by every opponent and CFB fan. We could finish up 11-1 and still not be highly respected, or ranked going into the Playoffs. And do you think ANYONE would back us in the Playoffs in ANY game?

You know...this COULD be a perfect scenario in the eyes of some; we have an experienced team with elite talent that was embarrassed, and is now playing at their best to "show" everyone, (and the NFL Scouts) of how that one game was a mess-up, but not a true indicator of this team. Seems like the ideal mental set-up for the team, as they are no longer full-of-themselves, but now working hard to prove their superiority?

As you know, I am so amused with all the ancillary aspects of the football game, as concepts like this are highly entertaining to ponder and watch materialize. Could our current position be the perfect mental launching point to still make our run at a 'Natty?

P.S. You will notice a big new space at the top of the front page, as I am making room for ads up there that will begin in the near future. Gotta get some revenue for all the expenses!

P.S.S. One of the big changes is making most of the front page transparent, so you can see the background picture when you view the forum in desktop, laptop or pad. We are using a whole new color formatting system that gives you a base color, but allows you to see the picture underneath when you could not before. Now we do not have that in the threads because we tested it, and realized we needed to keep the white post boxes from being transparent to allow for easy reading. A lot of tech work!

I think much of the perceived animus about Oregon results from two places:

1. Oregon is still the "new kid on the block". Most analysts graduated elsewhere and Oregon is all flash and uniforms, lite on substance. I.E. not tough like other true "blue bloods".

2. So many analyst still want to believe the SEC is the true power in football. But the B1G has won the last several Natty's and so they are worried. They are jumping at the chance to use any excuse to put down a B1G program. Oregon gave them that opportunity against OSU.

3. And lastly, the Ducks were over hyped in the preseason. We have lots of experience returning but the new coordinators along with a younger O-line make for growing pains early on.

I hope that Mr. Fishduck is correct in our being the perceived underdog and overlooked. That could help us play harder. But if we keep winning, by the time we play tOSU in November, we will be known for who we truly are, the amazing DUCKS!

Annihilate the Trojans!! 🦆

Well,

3 out of the last 4 games looked exactly the same. Listless execution...you know the drill.

I believe putting a whuppin on USC and Ohio State (going through the same reputational assault) are the only remedies in the regular season.

Then we have to win a Natty. It's time to tone down the marketing and kick some serious a$$. The hype worked for two decades. People are beginning to smell a rat 🐁 🐀 🐁 🐀.

1 hour ago, Charles Fischer said:

This topic is one that can go either way with you depending upon how you view it. And before I get started on that--please....everyone who is a member....DO post your opinions, and do start some topics. As I can attest, not all threads take off, but we need more posts begun by more than the half-dozen who do. And for those who began posting and/or reading since the season began....WELCOME BACK!

I have not read or watched all the negative written or spoken about Oregon since the Cowboy loss, because what I saw made me wince and cringe enough. Our 2026 rep has taken a MAJOR hit, and now the objective is to not only correct it for this year, but regain the strong respect this program had prior to the loss. But doesn't it feel like it is nearly impossible to recover the prior good feelings, and respect for the 2026 Ducks?

In fact it feels to me like--even if we win this weekend...in the backs of the minds of millions of CFB fans....Oregon is on the Clemson path--even if that is an unjustified take. In fact I would venture that for nearly EVERY game we play here on out--we will not be thought much of going in, and if we win? We don't get much out of it...

But that can REALLY help us, don't you think? We are now the permanent UNDERDOG, the team continuously OVERLOOKED by every opponent and CFB fan. We could finish up 11-1 and still not be highly respected, or ranked going into the Playoffs. And do you think ANYONE would back us in the Playoffs in ANY game?

You know...this COULD be a perfect scenario in the eyes of some; we have an experienced team with elite talent that was embarrassed, and is now playing at their best to "show" everyone, (and the NFL Scouts) of how that one game was a mess-up, but not a true indicator of this team. Seems like the ideal mental set-up for the team, as they are no longer full-of-themselves, but now working hard to prove their superiority?

As you know, I am so amused with all the ancillary aspects of the football game, as concepts like this are highly entertaining to ponder and watch materialize. Could our current position be the perfect mental launching point to still make our run at a 'Natty?

P.S. You will notice a big new space at the top of the front page, as I am making room for ads up there that will begin in the near future. Gotta get some revenue for all the expenses!

P.S.S. One of the big changes is making most of the front page transparent, so you can see the background picture when you view the forum in desktop, laptop or pad. We are using a whole new color formatting system that gives you a base color, but allows you to see the picture underneath when you could not before. Now we do not have that in the threads because we tested it, and realized we needed to keep the white post boxes from being transparent to allow for easy reading. A lot of tech work!

Thanks Charles!

I think the negatives have been deserved, now they need to show they can dominate at USC

I like the new format changes, makes it easier to read text

The way everyone including the media is talking I did not know the Ducks were 0-3.

As an ex Bruin fan, grew up in LA 100 years ago I hope we beat the hell out of SCum on Saturday.

My sense is Ducks 38 Condoms 24. Oh yea Toejams suck!

Charles, as noted above in excellent comments, Oregon is still the new kid on the block.

The kid with a rich Uncle trying to buy him the nicest of things. NIKE U.

Nike, the goddess of victory in war and peaceful competition.

Oregon is the program that defined modern sports marketing: brash, up front, and in your face. This week's uniform reveal... A program that created turmoil in a 'small stadium.'

Oregon is the program that took college football into warp speed. This also irritated folks, including Saint Nick.

Whether the noise is negative or positive, when folks pay attention, O how U matter.

Is Oregon this season's Penn State? Saturday will be a good tell.

I hope OBD leaves LA on the wings of a Nike victory. Regardless, I'm a guy who stayed loyal to Bogus Bruins, Pathetic Pats, and Wicked Bad Red Sox.

Advertising? Bring it on! Where would U of O be without advertising? 😁

2 hours ago, DanLduck said:

Oregon is still the "new kid on the block". Most analysts graduated elsewhere and Oregon is all flash and uniforms, lite on substance. I.E. not tough like other true "blue bloods".

Have often thought that the song cycling through the minds of all those Duck haters when they’re forced to think about us must be Hall & Oates’ ‘Rich Girl’.

Our road is no longer an easy one, and our days of sneaking up on anyone seem pretty much over. We’ve just got to make up our minds that there’s no way to get there but the hard way, and then do it. That’s the only way they’re ever going to respect us.

Wrong sport, but these lines from, ‘A League of Their Own’ kind of capture what’s behind that attitude:

“ — Jimmy Dugan: Baseball is what gets inside you. It’s what lights you up, you can’t deny that.

“ — Dottie Hinson: It just got too hard.

“ — Jimmy Dugan: It’s suppose to be hard!! If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard . . . Is

what makes it great.”

Sports/team psychology is one of the great wonders of the world. Truth is, no one knows.

No one knows how good Oklahoma St. will be this year. No one knows how Oregon players and coaches will fully respond or how capable they are of making the needed adjustments.

There are no recent comparisons to Oregon's situation. 2014 Ohio St. could be a good example with their early loss to unranked Virginia Tech at home, but Ohio St. was ranked #8 at the time and didn't have nearly the expectations placed on OBD this year.

We are not Clemson. We are not 2025 Penn St. The 2026 Ducks will write their own story and a pivotal chapter will occur on Saturday vs. USC.

The consequences of the Oklahoma St. loss are immense. Our players and coaches have no one to blame for the pessimism but themselves. It comes with the most wins in college football over the past 3 years. - any and every loss is memorable.

The consequence can ultimately be positive, however. Maybe Oklahoma St. will be the last time the 2026 Ducks show up to a game unprepared.

3 hours ago, Mike West said:

Well,

3 out of the last 4 games looked exactly the same. Listless execution...you know the drill.

I believe putting a whuppin on USC and Ohio State (going through the same reputational assault) are the only remedies in the regular season.

Then we have to win a Natty. It's time to tone down the marketing and kick some serious a$$. The hype worked for two decades. People are beginning to smell a rat 🐁 🐀 🐁 🐀.

100% spot on, nailed it.

We deserve, and frankly have earned, pretty much every ounce of crap that we've been given since our complete implosion against OSU.

Right now, to the college football world, we look a lot like a decent sized dog that does a lot of yappin', but simply cannot deliver the big bite. We are being laughed at... right now.

However, we also have a golden opportunity to shove it all down their throats. The recipe and solution is 100% in our control. IMHO, It's time to put up, or shut up. Winning is our only pathway to redemption. As the late great Al Davis said: "Just win, Baby!!"

Saturday will tell us much. OBD can choose to come together and kick some USC as, or roll over and prove our detractors correct.

I'm betting on OBD... 38-34.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Desert Duck

5 hours ago, Charles Fischer said:

This topic is one that can go either way with you depending upon how you view it. And before I get started on that--please....everyone who is a member....DO post your opinions, and do start some topics. As I can attest, not all threads take off, but we need more posts begun by more than the half-dozen who do. And for those who began posting and/or reading since the season began....WELCOME BACK!

I have not read or watched all the negative written or spoken about Oregon since the Cowboy loss, because what I saw made me wince and cringe enough. Our 2026 rep has taken a MAJOR hit, and now the objective is to not only correct it for this year, but regain the strong respect this program had prior to the loss. But doesn't it feel like it is nearly impossible to recover the prior good feelings, and respect for the 2026 Ducks?

In fact it feels to me like--even if we win this weekend...in the backs of the minds of millions of CFB fans....Oregon is on the Clemson path--even if that is an unjustified take. In fact I would venture that for nearly EVERY game we play here on out--we will not be thought much of going in, and if we win? We don't get much out of it...

But that can REALLY help us, don't you think? We are now the permanent UNDERDOG, the team continuously OVERLOOKED by every opponent and CFB fan. We could finish up 11-1 and still not be highly respected, or ranked going into the Playoffs. And do you think ANYONE would back us in the Playoffs in ANY game?

You know...this COULD be a perfect scenario in the eyes of some; we have an experienced team with elite talent that was embarrassed, and is now playing at their best to "show" everyone, (and the NFL Scouts) of how that one game was a mess-up, but not a true indicator of this team. Seems like the ideal mental set-up for the team, as they are no longer full-of-themselves, but now working hard to prove their superiority?

As you know, I am so amused with all the ancillary aspects of the football game, as concepts like this are highly entertaining to ponder and watch materialize. Could our current position be the perfect mental launching point to still make our run at a 'Natty?

P.S. You will notice a big new space at the top of the front page, as I am making room for ads up there that will begin in the near future. Gotta get some revenue for all the expenses!

P.S.S. One of the big changes is making most of the front page transparent, so you can see the background picture when you view the forum in desktop, laptop or pad. We are using a whole new color formatting system that gives you a base color, but allows you to see the picture underneath when you could not before. Now we do not have that in the threads because we tested it, and realized we needed to keep the white post boxes from being transparent to allow for easy reading. A lot of tech work!

Charles, you nailed something important. The Ducks are no longer regarded as highly as they once were. They face planted in front of the nation. And they are now considered underdogs. But that characterization is one of the things that can generate intensity and, for lack of a better word, fight. That was one of the things that was missing in the Oklahoma State game. Now the team has to prove itself, and the coaches too. They all have something to prove in LA this weekend. What's more, they all know it. I expect to see an intensity that's been missing from a team with so many talented players.

We are in danger of personifying the old Western expression "All hat and no cattle."

Endless hype and promotion. Highest payroll. Thinnest historical NCAA resume compared to Blue Bloods (i.e., New Kid on the Block). Have generated the most animosity amongst fanbases because we have been ascending for 20 years.

This team has talent and depth. If it shows up, our Ducks can beat anybody. Don't jump ship yet!