As the dust has settled over the past week on how flawed the first-year, expanded college football playoff process is, Jon Wilner, of the San Jose Mercury’s “Wilner Hotline,” (sorry, paywall) came up with three major points on improving the CFP format and selection process. 1) Eliminate the Weekly Rankings Wilner feels the five Tuesday night broadcasts on ESPN to …
In the movie Rocky IV, after the death of his friend, former champion, and mentor Apollo Creed, Rocky had to carry the weight of the world on his back as he faced a seemingly invincible opponent in a six-foot-seven, evil, Apollo-killing, cold war era Russian named Ivan Drago. The Oregon Ducks, after the death of their dear friend, the conference …
It is time for the B1G conference to embrace the future, and that future is making Las Vegas the host of its championship game. It would go a long way in relegating the B1G’s squarish, midwestern image to the rearview mirror as it rings in the era of being a true coast-to-coast conference that embraces Hollywood, Broadway, and all points …
Poseur: a person who pretends to be what he or she is not : an affected or insincere person (per Merriam-Webster dictionary). As of Monday, despite his team’s loss to Kansas, Travis Hunter is still the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. But, I believe he should be disqualified for arrogance and stupidity. Hunter has done it multiple times this year …
Track City USA, with its history and state-of-the-art track and field facilities, is well versed in the term “home stretch.” The Ducks are 11-0 and have not yet peaked, as they can play much better football. Which, begs the question, “Will they peak?” Our own Mr. FishDuck took a break from his fun at CasinoGuys, to ponder this question with …
Growing up in Eugene in the 1980s-90s, I never got into hockey. There were no youth hockey leagues to play in, and if there had been, I would not have played, as football, basketball, baseball, volleyball and soccer occupied my youth. Mr. FishDuck took time from his fun at Memo casino to agree that he was never into hockey as …
During the offseason of 2024, a repeated theme among college football pundits was wondering how the four new teams from the Pac-12 would respond to the more “physical” nature of B1G football. Mr. FishDuck took some time from his fun at Nomaspin casino to ponder this very interesting midwestern assertion with me. The Pac-12 had always been known as a …
In any sort of competitive gaming, whether it is sports, cards, board games or even video games, there is something that is created by their respective participants: the metagame, or “meta” for short. This is the game within the game that, over time, determines the best way of playing. The reality is that there isn’t just one definitive answer to …
With the retirement of Nick Saban, I got to thinking about which program, if any, will replace Alabama as the school that rehabilitates formerly disgraced head coaches and resurrects their careers. Saban’s two biggest “clients,” Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin, have become successful at their latest stops. A big-time potential patient for career rehabilitation would be Lincoln Riley. I foresee …
On June 30, 2022, the USC Trojans, along with the UCLA Bruins, announced they were leaving for the B1G Conference beginning in Summer 2024. The Trojans had long grumbled to the powers in the Pac-12 that they deserved a larger slice of the pie instead of the conference’s equal distribution policy. As the lone historical blue-blood in the Pac-12, the …
We are at the halfway point of the 2024 season and this new era of college football. The B1G added four West Coast teams to the league this season, and there are some clear winners in this conference expansion. The Oregon Ducks are flying high after their win over Ohio State, and the media executives at Fox and NBC couldn’t …
The Ducks peaked at just the right time in putting together their first (not perfect) complete game of the season against Ohio State. The scheduling gods were on Oregon’s side, as Duck fans were able to see improvement from week to week. Had this game been played a couple of weeks earlier, the outcome might have been much different. One …