Last week, we looked at #12 through #9 of the Pac-12 Talent Rankings. This week, we profile four more squads. Below is an explanation of our tier-system used to compile the data: Tier-E: 5-star rating by at least one service Tier-1: 4-star rating by at least two services Tier-2: 4-star rating by one service Tier-3: 3-star rating by at least two services …
Oregon Will Beat Stanford This Season
The Oregon-Stanford game this upcoming season will surely be one of the best games of the year between two of the best teams in the country. An early prediction: the Ducks will win. Now, there are a million reasons why this result might happen. Maybe Stanford suffers a bunch of costly injuries leading up to the game. Maybe Oregon will …
An Alternate View of Fall Practice in Corvallis
Feature photo – commons.wikimedia.org Good morning, Ducks, or as they like to call us in Corvallis, “Cheaters that hold every dadgum play!” This is the second in our three part series about fall (Is August fall? Then I slept through summer.) practice for the schools in the Great Northwest. Last week we touched on Washington State. Today we visit Oregon …
The Absolute MUST-WATCH Games in 2013
Kevin Cline Photography With football season less than a month away, it is time to announce my top six games of the season. If you missed my bottom six, you can check them out here. I am excited for any game that involves the Ducks, but more excited for certain ones. Here are my top six and why I can’t wait to see them. 6. Nicholls State – August 31 …
Fall Story Lines You Won’t Hear About
Feature photo – Kevin Cline Fall camp is a time of opportunity. But starting positions are about as free as free shipping on purchases over $100. You still have to pay the initial price – or put in the work – to get the reward. With the 2013 football season officially underway, there are several big story lines that Duck …
Recruiting Update: Baker About to Quack
Football Recruiting 2013 Recruiting Class Update A mere 25 days separate us from the unveiling of the latest edition of Oregon football. This past Monday, the 2013 recruiting class took to the newly minted practice fields with an enthusiasm only fall camp can bring. Small, yet encouraging details are beginning to emerge not three days into this newest of campaigns. …
Another Amazing Oregon Feat: Avoiding Injuries
Kevin Cline The Ducks haven’t made four straight BCS bowl games by accident. When a team has elite talent and a transcendent offensive system, it’s gonna win games. Yet Oregon, like every good team, has benefited from some tremendous good fortune. Since 2009, Oregon experienced a major injury less times than their punters have stepped onto the field. Given the …
Pac-12 Talent Rankings: Enough to Move Up?
Kevin Cline Last week, we looked at the significance of talent and recruiting rankings. This week, we begin counting down to the most talented roster in the Pac-12. Below is an explanation of the tier-system used to compile the data: Tier-E: 5-star rating by at least one service Tier-1: 4-star rating by at least two services Tier-2: 4-star rating by …
Duck Football 6-Pack: Oregon’s BIG receivers
Photos courtesy of Kevin Cline In most of the close games and eventual losses during the Chip Kelly era, a common theme seemed to surface consistently. An opposing team that was able to slow the run game enough force the Ducks to throw would sometimes find that Oregon couldn’t. The 2012 game against Stanford aside, we saw opposing teams like …
What it Takes to Get Back to the “Natty”: 2013 Ducks vs. 2010
In 2010, it took 12 wins, 6,986 yards of total offense, 37 takeaways, 49.6 points per game and 2,790 pushups for the Oregon Ducks to make it to the national championship game against Auburn. With August now upon us, it is hard not to draw comparisons between the 2013 squad and its nearly undefeated 2010 counterpart in anticipation of what …
Why Do We Cheer?
feature photo courtesy of Amazing Moments What is it about sports? What is this drive humans have to want to cheer on a team? Few fans personally know any of the players on their favorite team, so it isn’t as if there is a personal connection to cheer for. So why? Why do fans invest so much time, money, effort …
The Inherent Unfairness of Sanctions
Sanctions. You either love them or hate them. We love them when the teams we hate get leveled by them, and hate them when teams we love get the same treatment. Ironic, isn’t it? But there is something inherently unfair about the way sanctions are carried out, no matter what team we are rooting for. I began thinking of this …