I admit that I was wrong. I have been saying for a couple of years that after Chip Kelly leaves UCLA (after being fired or “asked” to resign) he would either become a head coach in a lower division like his former school New Hampshire, or, if he was able to put his ego aside, become an OC in the …
I Am Rooting for the Huskies
Scha·den·freu·de (noun): The emotional experience of pleasure in response to another’s misfortune. Now that you have wiped my title-induced vomit off your screen, let me say that I do understand that I am currently the most unliked guy at FishDuck. Call me what you will, but I will be a Pac-12 guy to the bitter end (i.e. this Monday). And, because …
Oregon’s Move to Big Ten Helps to Keep Lanning
Rumors are swirling about Kirby Smart becoming the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. This, of course, would almost certainly put Dan Lanning at the very top of the list of candidates to replace Smart. I would not be surprised if “Dan Lanning” is the only person on that list. Georgia would come fast and furious and hot and …
Bold Pac-12 Bowl Predictions
Bowl season is here and below are my straight up predictions for all the games except for one — that’s right, the Fiesta Bowl. I am so uninterested in this game that I literally just yawned as I typed “Fiesta Bowl.” Even Mr. FishDuck had some words about the bowl as he was having fun on a brand new independent …
To Hell With Hollywood, Northwest Schools B1G’s Real Prize
Though the Ducks came up short, the best Pac-12 Championship Game ever featured the two schools who were afterthoughts to the B1G in the realignment game. While USC — the only team the B1G wanted but had to take UCLA — was exposed as a total fraud in limping to a 7-5 record. The fact that USC was so vehemently …
Nix for Heisman, USC Stinks, and the Canning of Kelly
It is amazing what a change of scenery has done for Bo Nix—but more than that, what the superior coaching he has received at Oregon has done. The offensive scheme they ran at Auburn did not maximize his talent, and the train wreck that has become Auburn football continues to fly off the tracks. Before the 2022 season, I wrote …
The Deja Vu Ducks are Once Again Perched at 8-1
For the second consecutive season under second-year head coach Dan Lanning, the Ducks are 8-1 with their only loss coming against a Top-5 team. Last year, the Ducks sputtered to finish 1-2 with losses to bitter rivals Washington and Oregon State, while pulling out a gutsy win against Utah with an obviously injured Bo Nix. This begs the question, how …
When Oregon Almost Entered Program Purgatory
As the Ducks prepare for Cal this week, I cannot help but think back to Oregon’s coaching search two years ago. As most will recall, many in the Oregon community, including many former players and high-level Oregon supporters, were endorsing the idea of hiring Justin Wilcox as the Ducks’ head coach. After Mario Cristobal and Willie Taggart bolted for their “dream jobs” at Miami …
Chaos in Troy Brings Great Joy
After a couple weeks of narrow escapes against “lesser” opponents, USC was finally exposed for who they truly are in back-to-back losses to Notre Dame and Utah. Pretending time is over for the supposed “crown jewel” of B1G expansion. USC’s return to glory is still a ways away. Some observations… Caleb “The Quitter” Williams? I think it is more rumor …
SEC Destroys My Amazing B1G Scheduling Plan
I do not disagree with the new 2024 schedule set forth by the B1G. But, in my dream scenario (I am sure I am not the only one who thought of this), the B1G plays 10 conference games in which the Ducks play USC, UCLA and Washington every season, on top of seven other conference foes one year, and the remaining …
UW Has an Extra Week to Fix Weaknesses
With the upcoming bye, we have an extra week to ponder (ie. over-analyze) this year’s Oregon-Washington game. And, what a year to have that extra week. I think I can speak for most Duck fans when I say that we were pleasantly surprised that Washington’s defense and aerial attack were not up to snuff last Saturday against Arizona, which almost …
Brash and Bodacious Works
Coaches talk. Keyshawn Johnson, on the sports talk show “Undisputed,” essentially implied it to be subversive behavior when coaches gave Danning Lanning information on the Colorado Buffaloes. As if Neon Deion Sanders is the victim. I sarcastically say that God knows such a tactic would be below the standards of Sanders, a first-year coach and media darling who slashed his …