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 …
Jon Wilner of the Pac-12 Hotline posted his under/over predictions for all Pac-12 teams. The under/over for the Ducks is nine wins, of which Wilner goes for the under while citing Oregon’s lack of a proven quarterback. The only team that Wilner predicts to win more than nine games is Arizona State. Given Oregon’s talent advantage, in addition to a …
On Monday the Pac-12 voted unanimously to approve immediate eligibility for intraconference transfers. In other words, players transferring from one Pac-12 school to another no longer have to sit out a year, but instead will be immediately eligible to play. The ACC recently decided to do away with the rule within their own conference, and the NCAA is considering doing …
My impressions of the Ducks’ 2021 schedule are being made through the visual lens that the Ducks will play up to their talent and potential in 2021. I had written this past fall that with all the Covid-19 craziness tearing apart the 2020 season, that I considered last year to be a practice-season. Now it’s time for the Ducks to …
Oregon and USC seem primed to be the top two schools in the Pac-12. Both have top ten recruiting classes for the 2021 recruiting cycle according to Rivals and both teams are already projected to win their respective divisions. In terms of raw talent, Oregon and USC are miles ahead of the rest of the conference. It wouldn’t come as …
Come this June, the Pac-12 will purchase one final plane ticket for current Commissioner Larry Scott, and it will be a one-way ticket to anywhere but here. Thank goodness. While Scott did bring the Pac-12 up to date and into the 2000s (His predecessor Tom Hansen had fallen woefully behind the times) with marketing and branding, it became …
In my very first article for FishDuck, I wrote about why Oregon would be the team to save the Pac-12 Conference. I wrote that this would require Oregon getting to the playoff and making it to the National Championship Game. But this year, with all of the unexpected setbacks from COVID-19, we have to settle for a non-playoff New Years …
2020 has not been a good year for Pac-12 football, and has become a major disappointment for Oregon fans. COVID-19 has taken its toll on all of NCAA Football, but the Pac-12’s decision to start late has left the conference truly undecided heading into championship week. To complicate matters, only one team has actually played all its scheduled games this …
Honestly Ducks fans, I was planning on writing a much different article today. Don’t worry, there will always be time for spitballing nicknames for Oregon’s offensive line (Mario’s Manhandlers?) Right now, it’s gut-check time. Following the Ducks’ (3-1) heartbreaking 41-38 loss to the Oregon State Beavers (2-2) on Friday night at Reser Stadium, I came to a realization: The Beavers …
This is not the year we envisioned for Oregon’s offensive line. We all expected to have Penei Sewell anchor the left side this fall. However, the pandemic robbed us of the opportunity to watch Sewell dominate the line of scrimmage for one final season as a Duck, as he instead prepares for the 2021 NFL Draft. Sewell’s opt-out dramatically changed …