In Hoosiers, the Ducks See Their Former Selves

An up-and-coming program, little to no historical success, riding high on the strength of a high-powered offense. Just put some flashy (sometimes ugly) uniforms on the Indiana Hoosiers, and the Oregon Ducks are looking at the late 2000s version of themselves.

2007 was Chip Kelly’s first year as the Oregon offensive coordinator, and he took the Ducks’ offensive from very good to changing the way both college and pro football are played. Mr. FishDuck knows a little about that era at Oregon, and was comparing then to now after he had his gaming fun at non GamStop bookmakers.

Of course, in that era of Oregon football (2007-2015 or so), while the Ducks were electric, entertaining, out-schemed most, and won lots of games, they were still deficient in talent compared to the best in the sport. Particularly in the trenches (see 2014 National Championship Game).

But, under Dan Lanning, and Mario Cristobal before him, the Ducks have evolved into having among the best offensive and defensive lines in all of college football.

Indiana’s recruiting ranking over the past few years has been lower than 50, while On3/Rivals currently has them at No. 30 for 2026. They have done decently in the transfer portal in the past couple of years, finishing in the Top 15. Things are improving in talent acquisition for Indiana, but they still have a ways to go before matching the Ducks.

My point here is this: While Indiana is a very dangerous team, are the Ducks simply going to “out-talent” them along the lines as other top programs used to do to the Ducks?

We will see on Saturday…

One More For Lee Corso

Can ESPN’s College GameDay bring back Corso for one more prediction?

Corso, a former Hoosiers head coach, would be in a tough predicament in choosing between the favored Ducks, who have his favorite mascot, and his coaching alma mater. GameDay host Rece Davis called the Oregon Duck Corso’s “best friend,” while analyst Kirk Herbstreit once described Eugene as Corso’s favorite place to visit with the show.

In 11 trips to Eugene, Corso picked the Ducks 11 times.

Mexas

“Don’t mess with Texas” is a common mantra from the Lone Star State. So, living on the edge as I always do, I have word combined “mess” with “Texas” and came up with “Mexas.” Because, quite simply, the Longhorns are a mess.

Damn, am I clever! (mockingly patting myself on the back.)

It has become apparent that the knighting of Arch Manning as the greatest quarterback of all time was just a tad bit premature. He is clearly not ready for primetime. Yet, I still read mock 2026 NFL drafts having him going in the first round.

(Eye-roll)

Now if I combined the word “suck” with “Manning,” what would I come up with? Hmmm…

Cue the Brittany Spears everybody, because “Oops…I Did It Again!”

From Penn State to State Penn

The Nittany Lions are in the doghouse, alright. I was thinking how in past seasons, Oregon fans would be so upset at Penn State for destroying the Ducks’ strength of schedule with their inexcusable loss at 0-4 UCLA. But, with the new college football playoff, it does not really matter.  I was able to root against the Nittany Lions with absolutely no reservations.

Uh oh, Will Stein to PSU in 2026?

But, Is Penn State Really That Bad?

Do not snicker, but Penn State can still make the playoff if they run the table. They have dropped out of the Top 25, but I fail to believe they are that bad. I believe they are still a Top-12 team, but yes, they deserve the temporary exile from the rankings. It looks like the hangover from the close loss to Oregon caused the Nittany Lions to lose twice.

Could this be the 2025 version of Ohio State losing to Michigan and then winning it at all? Probably not, as PSU still has to play Indiana and at Ohio State. But, this does create a “backs against the wall” scenario in which something monumental could happen.

This is James Franklin’s time to do or die.

Redemption. That is one of the things this new world order of college football has brought us.

Just ask Ryan Day.

Darren Perkins
Spokane, WA
Top photo credit: FishDuck Football Pictures

Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in financial technology in SLC, Utah.

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