What a difference a year makes. At this time in 2018, Oregon football was in flux. The Ducks were introducing their third head coach in as many years, the program was still wiping egg off its face from the Willie Taggart debacle, and the team was coming off of a decidedly average 7-6 season. Just a year later, there are …
We all know Charles Fischer, aka The FishDuck, host and moderator of FishDuck.com, chieftain of chatboard chivalry, dean of Duckfan diplomacy. But from what humble beginnings arose this Charles Fischer, The FishDuck? And more importantly, who is Charles Fischer, the Man? Charles started FishDuck.com in 2011 out of pure fandom. He recognized the power of social media, the appeal of …
Calling the current college football landscape “unfair” would be the understatement of the year. Things weren’t always this way, as conferences used to be aligned according to the regions of the country, with sensible, and most importantly, balanced schedules. Conference champions weren’t determined in revenue-driven championship games. They were simply awarded to the team that had the best record at …
Just over two weeks remain until the Oregon Ducks open their season in a program-defining showdown against the Auburn Tigers. That game will be a strong indicator of what to expect from the Ducks in 2019. But it’s not the only tough matchup on their schedule. In advance of such a critical season opener, it feels like a good time …
At long last, the time is coming. All offseason, the Oregon-Auburn matchup has been analyzed, dissected and prodded like a lab experiment. We’ve had a full offseason to talk it over, hash it out, voice our thoughts, read all the articles, get others’ opinions and get the national consensus. Now it’s time to decide. Who do you think will win …
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in his shoes. Then, when you start criticizing him, you’re a mile away and he has to try and catch you in his socks.” – First uttered by either Will Rogers or Nick Saban. I can’t remember. We’re in the dog days of summer. It’s hot, I’m old, and I’m grumpy! …
Some of you may remember the days of the Sunday parlay, before the NCAA strong-armed the state into banning sports betting entirely. Well, the good ol’ days are back. The Oregon Lottery recently announced plans to launch an app called “Scoreboard” that will allow betting on NFL games. Hopefully, the app will allow betting on college football in the near …
[To the tune of “Limbo Rock” by Chubby Checker] Every Pac-12 player twirl All around Champagne Larry’s world Gonna do da limbo rock Hope da conference won’t be jocked. North be limbo, North be quick South go under limbo stick As the Pac-12’s playoff hopes drop Hey, let’s do the limbo rock! Limbo lower now Limbo lower now How low …
The off-season is a boring time for just about everyone. Saturdays, once full of tailgates and excitement, have turned into days to run errands. Every week is a bye week. Baseball is great and everything, but watching 162 games does come with its stints of boredom. These days, I find myself watching a lot of Netflix — re-watching Friends for …
The time for ifs, ands, or buts has long passed. Yes, the Ducks are still in transition mode as they adopt the new philosophies brought in by a second-year head coach. And yes, the Oregon wide receivers dropped too many passes last year and are still a question mark. And yes, the Ducks have a new, young defensive coordinator. And …
The NCAA is losing the publicity battle in its fight with the state of California over the subject of paying student athletes. Of course, this isn’t groundbreaking news. The NCAA hasn’t had good publicity in a while. But for all its faults, the NCAA does do some things right, hard as they are to find. The NCAA is at least …
“Evolve or perish,” goes the Darwinian maxim. In the college football world, evolution has taken the form of expansion. But it’s been a few years since the mass realignment and expansion led by Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Utah, Louisville, Syracuse, Maryland, Rutgers, Pitt and TCU. Are we in line for a second wave of expansion in the Power 5 …