Let’s be honest. If Mario Cristobal were returning to Eugene for a fifth season, this time of year would be pretty drab. After four years, Oregon football fans finally knew what to expect from the Miami native and they weren’t necessarily SUPER STOKED about what they were seeing. Looking back, the hopeful justifications in the run-up to a new season …
College football is more complicated than ever, especially when it comes to recruiting and the transfer portal. The transfer portal has been a boon for players looking to better their chances of seeing the field and, in some cases, finding a school that is simply a better fit for them and their education. With each passing year, more players are …
Over the past several years, Washington State’s run-and-shoot offense has created nightmares for opponents late in the season. But after losing former head coach Nick Rolovich and four assistant coaches last month, the Cougs (5-5) have been playing with an especially large chip on their shoulder. For some reason, the Ducks (9-1) have struggled in recent years to bottle up …
Mario Cristobal and the Oregon staff have been preaching a 1-0 mentality all season long, and so far it has worked. Oregon is 4-0 and one of the few undefeated teams nationally. However, Oregon has time and time again played to the level of their competition. In some cases, Oregon rises and plays up to the level of their competition, …
We are only three weeks into the 2021 college football season, and already it is proving to be a chaotic year. The perennial top teams have all been challenged to date. Alabama escaped Florida with a narrow victory, Georgia Tech gave Clemson a scare, and Oklahoma barely survived a game against Nebraska — and this was only last weekend. In …
Here’s a hot take: There are WAY too many Oregon “fans” kvetching on social media. Change my mind. Granted, expectations were high for the No. 4 Oregon Ducks’ (3-0) return to Autzen Stadium after winning arguably the biggest game in program history by defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes (2-1) at the Horseshoe, 35-28. After all, the Ducks had an FCS …
Don’t underestimate Mario Cristobal or his Oregon Ducks. For the past week, everyone from Ducks fans to mainstream talking heads did not know what to make of No. 12 Oregon Ducks‘ season opener against the Fresno State Bulldogs. While the defense was impressive, Oregon’s offense seemed kind of stale and uninspired in a game that was way too close for …
The 2021 football season starts tomorrow! Yes, some teams have already played, but that is a sideshow to the main event. The early season is when most teams play their out-of-conference schedules and this is the time that these games become vital to a conference’s image. In the past five years or so, the Pac-12 has not fared well. It’s …
When the SEC poached Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12, it sent a shock wave through the college football world and challenged the status quo of the Power-Five Conferences. Speculation and conference realignment talk became the hot topic among college football fans, and rightfully so. Overnight, the Power-Five became the Power-Four. The Big 12, without Texas and Oklahoma, is …
The USC Trojans are (maybe) the fourth-best team in the Pac-12 since Pete Carroll left for the NFL following the 2009 season. They have won a single conference championship, they have fired two head coaches (with a third firing likely on the way), and they have underachieved massively when it comes to turning recruiting rankings in to wins. Despite mediocre on-the-field …
The Pac-12 in 2021 is remarkably difficult to rank. It is probably the most competitive conference in all the Power Five — that is “competitive,” not “best.” Trying to accurately rank the Pac-12, especially in the off-season, is an absolute nightmare, as any team can beat anyone in any given week. There is a reason why Pac-12 After Dark is …
By the looks of it, a 12 Team Playoff is the preferred format for expanding the College Football Playoff. Currently it appears that the top twelve teams ranked by the playoff committee would make it into the playoff. This sounds good in theory but also raises further questions. What if the Champion of a Power-Five Conference isn’t ranked in the …