There is the Pac-12 which is THE Conference of Champions and then there is what is happening in college football around the country! Here is the latest… SOUTHEAST / ACC We are all familiar with the phrase, thanks in part to the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, “It is best not to mix politics and religion” — or something similar. …
There is the Pac-12 which is THE Conference of Champions and then there is what is happening in college football around the country! Here is the latest… SOUTHEAST / ACC Virginia Cavaliers head coach, Mike London, has arguably one of the most unique non-coaching employment histories of any Power 5 Conference coach. In a story which continues to be shared …
We have all heard it from coaches and players at some point: “If everyone just does his assignment, the team will succeed.” Despite the understanding that football is a team game, fans still have their favorite or preferred individual players. In a sense the coaches pick favorites as well, because at some point they have to name the starters. Essentially, …
I read a column recently which made me wonder if the writer has ever heard of Oregon football. Upon further research, I discovered the author is a University of Arizona graduate, which explains a great deal. Still, if you are going to write about college football, specifically on a topic that everyone in the country is aware of, how can you not …
Bret Bielema is a very good football coach. At the University of Wisconsin, he won 17 of his first 18 games, among many other accomplishments. Now, he appears to have Arkansas headed on a similar path to success. Bielema is not very good, however, at arguing against hurry-up offenses. He advocates a 10-second “waiting period” rule on each play before the ball …
In one of his more ridiculous commentaries, one of many delivered over the years, ESPN First Take host Stephen A. Smith seemed to suggest current Philadelphia Eagles head coach and former University of Oregon head coach Chip Kelly is a racist, or has racist motives in how he structures the team. Nor did Smith keep this offensive suggestion simple and short: …
In which sport has the University of Oregon won four consecutive national championships, and is favored to win its fifth this year? If you answered Acrobatics and Tumbling, you are correct! Competing under the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association, or NCATA, which is the national governing body for the sport on NCAA campuses, the Ducks have dominated the relatively …
Now that National Signing Day is over, the voices will gradually increase in both volume and number throughout every college football program with one of the most overused phrases: “He might be the next (insert name of former great player at the respective school).” Ugh! One of my favorite quotes, which has been attributed to Oscar Wilde, is: ”Be yourself; everyone …
It has become a statement acknowledged as fact: Recruiting is paramount to an effective team. As such, you might not like what I have to say. But when I look at the college level of the sport as a whole, I see the hype of recruiting, National Signing Day and related hoopla overblown in terms of significance. We are talking …
This season has been amazing on so many levels for the Oregon Ducks, but one of the most overlooked aspects of it might be their response to injuries. Yes, it’s a common phrase that “injuries are part of the game of football.” However, if we take a step back and look at the key impairments over the entire season, I bet …
Everyone understands Marcus Mariota is, to borrow baseball great Reggie Jackson’s famous quote, “the straw which stirs the drink” in terms of whether the Oregon Ducks will beat Florida State and advance to the championship round. Yet we all realize too, that other players on both sides of the ball will need to elevate their level of play. These are …
While final scores do not always indicate as much, most people agree that heading into a bowl game — as in the case of Oregon vs Florida State in the first ever College Football Playoff Semifinal — the initial advantage is to the defense. Why? Because it will be nearly a month since either team will have played a game, …