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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
The names of the top Oregon offensive players since 2010 are easy for even casual Ducks fans to rattle off: James, Barner, Mariota, De’Anthony, Darron Thomas, Maehl, Tuinei, Paulson, Lyerla. Others can certainly be put on that list, but those nine are probably the most recognizable. Receiver Josh Huff doesn’t get quite as much hype as those guys, and while …
We as football fans like to have things laid out neatly in front of us. In order to predict what will occur in the coming season, we like to be able to know what we are going to see before we see it. We want to conceptualize what will happen on the field and who will do it. We like …
Three days of good weather in a row has brought the smell of barbecue into my yard. And that’s a good thing. Eating is more than something that I do to fuel the body and stay alive. It’s an art form and a never-ending quest. In 1998 I made a discovery on a drive to San Diego. On the way …
Football Recruiting Commitments Oregon’s newest coaching hire, defensive line front man Ron Aiken, is wasting no time in assembling a venerable commit list. This past Monday saw the addition of defensive end Jalen Jelks (3-Star/Phoenix, Ariz.) to the Duck fold and further reinforced Oregon’s commitment to winning the trench war. “I didn’t think I would commit before my (senior) season, …
Their presence on television may be dissipating, but you still see them every once in a while. No, I’m not referring to Huskies football games in primetime, I’m talking about the memorable series of DirecTV ads that have run over the last year trashing on cable companies. (“Don’t have a grandson with a dog collar…“) While the ads are memorable, …
After this past week of media days, the SEC and Coach Spurrier have given us plenty to talk about. We still have yet to see the Big Ten, Pac-12 or Big 12 media days but I can’t imagine them being as “chaotic” and quote filled as the SEC’s were. While we wait for those other media days, we can tune …
Featured image courtesy of the Fiesta Bowl. The NCAA recruiting class of 2011 has provided some spectacular quarterbacks. In fact, as BleacherReport.com writer Jeff Bell indicates, this class may “ultimately be remembered for producing the best group of quarterbacks the college football world has seen in quite some time.” Bell then notes a number of players he believes have the …