While tradition, pageantry and gameday atmosphere are all part of what makes college football, it’s the superstar players that sell tickets. For the fans who tune in on Saturdays to see the headliners, the 2022 season certainly won’t disappoint. The country is full of premier players this season. Bryce Young will begin his Heisman defense tour, but CJ Stroud and …
Nothing beats the energy and excitement of college football’s opening weekend. But for all of us football-deprived fanatics, the start of spring ball comes pretty close. Optimism is in season; every team has a blank slate. Newcomers make their collegiate debuts, position battles dominate the headlines, and we even get a scrimmage to top it off. This spring is a …
The Transfer Portal is one of the most polarizing developments in college football history. While most fans are glad that college athletes are finally gaining some autonomy, many are also disturbed at the thinning of the line between college athletics and professional sports. The Transfer Portal might as well be a fancy way of saying “Free Agency,“ as players are …
Under Mario Cristobal, Oregon began to lose the identity that put it on the map not too long ago. Speed, innovation, and most importantly, exciting offensive football, are the elements that nearly brought the Ducks to a title in the early 2010s. Cristobal, conversely, championed toughness and physicality — traits that sounded good in theory, but resulted in a bland, …
Fresh off of an incredible showing by his defense in the National Championship Game, Dan Lanning’s newest challenge is building a similarly dominant unit at Oregon. Elite defenses aren’t built overnight, and it will take months — or maybe even years — of expert-level coaching and top-tier recruiting for the Ducks to have a defense of Georgia’s caliber. But now …
“How do we fix college football?” That’s the prevailing question just a couple of days removed from yet another all-SEC title game. The 2021 season provided more parity than usual; Michigan and Cincinnati both made their College Football Playoff debuts. But if three particular teams continue to outpace the rest of the country in recruiting, this season will be an …
College football’s postseason is in a state of crisis. Bowl games have become almost entirely irrelevant due to opt outs, transfers and coaching changes. Even the most intriguing matchups on paper lose their luster, as the roster teams field in bowl games hardly resemble the ones they’ve fielded the rest of the season. In the past, today’s matchup between Oregon …
Kirby Smart is one of the best coaches in college football. He not only understands that championship programs are built by acquiring elite talent, but he also recruits better than just about anybody in the country, even rivaling Nick Saban. As a defensive mind, he’s second to none. His defenses are improving by the year, while just about every other …
The good news is the Oregon Ducks are three wins away from making their first trip to the College Football Playoff since 2014. The bad news is they’ll likely have to beat their biggest challenger for the conference crown — Utah — two times in three weeks. The Utes are one of the hottest teams in college football, winning six …
The College Football Playoff Committee loves stirring the pot, don’t they? Tuesday’s initial rankings once again raised more than a few eyebrows across the country. Some of the biggest surprises included Alabama debuting at No. 2, Oregon landing in the top four, and undefeated Cincinnati ranking at No. 6. The Committee made plenty of good calls this time around, but …
Oregon’s trip to Los Angeles was the perfect opportunity for all of the Mario Cristobal skeptics to say “I told you so.” Chip Kelly and his Bruins run one of the more creative offenses in the country, with wild run-blocking schemes, plenty of tempo and a wide variety of formations. Cristobal — on the other hand — has become infamous …
Mario Cristobal has led the Oregon Ducks to back-to-back Pac-12 Championships. He has accumulated more talent than any coach before him in Eugene. And this year, his Ducks are still very much alive in the College Football Playoff race. All of these statements are undeniable. So is this one: The Oregon Ducks are a massively disappointing football team right now. …