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 …
The Ohio State-Oregon game will be the B1G version of Georgia-Alabama. It is a battle of conference heavyweights that should set the tone for the rest of the season. If the Ducks play like they did against Michigan State, with a strong defensive performance, good ground game, and flashes of passing brilliance, they can win if Dillon Gabriel can make …
In a way, it is sad to see how far UCLA football has fallen in the 2000s. The old Pac-8 and Pac-10 used to be comprised of USC, UCLA, sometimes Washington (I begrudgingly confess), and everyone else. UCLA is the poster child of the old school, classic stadium, traditionally solid program that utterly failed to adapt to the new order …
The Beavers might have gotten blown out by Our Beloved Ducks on Saturday, but they did gain a conference over the weekend, as it is all but assured that the Pac-12 will live on. The conference poached Colorado State, Boise State, Fresno State and San Diego State from the Mountain West Conference. Mr. FishDuck took a minute from his fun …
Off the top of my head, recalling Civil War games I attended from my youth, I remember that the 1983, 0-0 “Toilet Bowl” had a torrential downpour. The 1985 game was frigidly cold. The 1993 game had fog. With this year’s game in September, and most years moving forward, the third competitor in the Civil War — weather — has …
The season is not over. The end is not near. The sky is not falling. While Oregon’s lackluster play against the Idaho Vandals raises concerns, let history be our guide as we clear our heads and realize that one poor performance does not make a season. For, let us not forget a couple of other bad first games in recent …
The season is here! Every year I am emotionally torn between the joy of football season starting and the harsh reality that summer is ending and cold weather — which really means something here in frigid Spokane — is on the horizon. It is my own personal “Sunday scaries” for the year. With the Ducks playing a tomato (or is …
Love. It can evoke happiness, excitement, euphoria and satisfaction. But, it can often be frustrating, painful, elusive and fleeting. I recently took a road trip to visit friends, family, and most importantly, a love interest with whom I had been texting and video chatting for more than 2 months. We met up several times over the week and had a …
In commemorating the end of the Pac-12, West Coast college football insider Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News shared his football Mount Rushmore for each Pac-12 school plus a head coach. Mr. FishDuck goes way back with this theme, and took some time from his study of game boosting services to agree with much of what Wilner arrived …
I have been looking over various media outlets’ predictions for who will make the upcoming 12-team College Football Playoff. Naturally, the first thing I do is check to see where the Ducks are placed; nothing new there. Then, my instincts are to check on how many Pac-12 teams have made the field. Oops. Of course, that’s where the new reality of …