Leap of Faith

On a team of more obvious stars, it's LaMarcus Aldridge who will decide just how far the Blazers will go.

That Was Satisfying

Random Links Before My Flight

• Despite Oregon and OSUs fancy for bright colors, this Oklahoma site says Ducks will be wearing all black (diamond plating, not wings) and green helmets.
• Ducks met with Todd Doxey's family in San Diego and his presence will be seen on the field as Talmadge Jackson III will be wearing number 29.
• Johnson returned to practice after being sidelined with an hamstring injury and an illness.

A Few Predictions:

• GoPokes predicts an OSU win from some special team touchdowns. OSU 48-34.
• Jason at the Portland Tribune believes that Oregon will be too much for OSU to handle. Oregon 55-37.
• Moseley predicts that OSU will not be able to stop Oregon's offense. Oregon 75-45.
• Athlon Sports predicts the Cowboys by 5.
• Feldman at ESPN will believe Oregon's defense will be the difference maker. Oregon 52-35.
• I predict the defense will step up in this game after being ridiculed all season while Oregon's offense will roll. Oregon 56-21.

Vote for Rudy

ESPN.com will have fans pick the fourth player for the slam dunk contest. Blazer's Rudy Fernandez is one of three rookies up for the fourth spot. Vote for him here.

The Gift That Keeps Giving

Sun Bowl Association officials are looking to break the Guinness World Record for the largest YMCA dance when the Village People perform at halftime of the Brut Sun Bowl this year. The Civil War victory is just the gift that keeps giving.

Thank You

I have often commented about the negativity that has saturated today's media. It is the number one reason I would rather skim through the paper or peek at cnn.com than tune into a news broadcast on tv. When it comes to reading, I'm able to filter what I read and what I don't. Even then, there is a lot of shit out there... See 95% of John Canzano's articles (Yes, I hate to admit, %5 of the time he actually has something decent to say). But when watching the news on tv, a person must watch each and every crap story they put on there. When did bad news become good news and visa-versa?!?

Anyway, in today's world it is great to see articles about some of our favorite sports celebrities visiting a child with cancer, mentoring younger kids, or honoring a fallen teammate. It makes creates an even deeper respect when you find that these kids didn't even seek publicity for their actions. Reporters like this should be commended for putting a smile on fan's faces rather than scowls.

Still Smiling

I'm still smiling from the Civil War and it's little things like this that will keep that perma-grin on my face all year long.

Nick Reed

Nick Reed was named Walter Camp first team all America team. Reed is only the second Oregon football player to be named on a first team all America team.

How I Would Have Done: Part 3

Here were my national Over/Under picks...

• 2.5 - Syracuse - tough one... OVER {Finished 3-9} [1-0]
• 3 - Vanderbilt - OVER {Finished 6-6} [2-0]
• 5.5 - Colorado - OVER {Finished 5-7} [2-1]
• 6 - Arkansas - UNDER {Finished 5-7} [3-1]
• 6.5 - Kentucky - OVER {Finished 6-6} [3-2]
• 6.5 - Purdue - OVER {Finished 4-8} [3-3]
• 7 - Texas A&M - OVER {Finished 4-8} [3-4]
• 7 - Notre Dame - UNDER {YAY!!! Finished 6-6} [4-4]
• 7 - Nebraska - hmmm... OVER {Finished 8-4} [5-4]
• 8 - South Carolina - OVER {Finished 7-5} [5-5]
• 8 - Michigan - UNDER {Finished 3-9} [6-5]
• 8.5 - Fresno State - OVER {Finished 7-5} [6-6]
• 9.5 - Boise State - OVER {Finished 12-0} [7-6]
• 10 - Ohio State - OVER... unfortunately... {Finished 10-2} [WASH 7-6]
• 10 - Oklahoma - UNDER... but barely... {Finished 12-1} [7-7]

Well I guess picking 50/50 on all over/under bets isn't bad. I still would have lost a little money unfortuately because there is no such thing as an even bet. Likely would have broken even considering I one more on the Pac-10 over/under bets. Approx. even money for the season ain't bad.

How I Would Have Done: Part 2

Here were my Pac-10 Over/Under predictions in July.

• Stanford (4)- OVER {Finished 5-7} [1-0]
• WSU (4) - EVEN (No Bet) {Finished 2-11} [1-0]
• Washington (4.5) - OVER - But just by 5... Still means... Bye Ty {Finished 0-12} [1-1]
• Arizona (6.5) - UNDER - Think Erickson would move to Arizona if the price was right? [1-2]
• OSU (6.5) - OVER - Beavers always seem to do better than expected, even without their front 7 on D {Finished 8-4} [2-2]
• Oregon (8) - OVER - Better to be slightly optimistic than overly unrealistic. {Finished 9-3} [3-2]
• Cal (8) - UNDER - I'll believe it when I see it. {Finished 8-4} [PUSH 3-2]
• ASU (8.5) - UNDER - They are no longer under the radar... They have the players but I don't think they will win more than 8 (Even with the 3 game gimme to start the season). {Finished 5-7} [4-2]
• USC (10.5) - UNDER - Regardless, I think the Trojans will stumble at least twice this season. {Finished 11-1} [4-3]

Can't complain about winning one more than losing. Though, the fact that I gave Washington 5 wins was just a tad generous.

How I Would Have Done: Part 1

Looking back to July when the original future odds were released for the 2008 football season I made some predictions.

Here are what the odds were in back in July

• 3/1 - USC
• 35/1 - ASU
• 40/1 - Cal
• 60/1 - Oregon & UCLA
• 100/1 - Washington
• 125/1 - OSU, WSU & Arizona
• NONE - Stanford (Field 40/1)

Here is what is should have looked like...

• 3/1 - USC - As long as Carroll is around I don't think USC will move from this spot.
• 35/1 - Oregon - Not bad considering the Ducks played 4 quarterbacks this year and eventually stuck with the 3rd string QB.
• 40/1 - Oregon State - A lot better than anyone could have predicted.
• 60/1 - Cal - I still don't get this team year in-year out.
• 80/1 - Arizona - Yay! Arizona will be mediocre another year!
• 100/1 - ASU & Stanford - Almost... but not quite.
• 125/1 - UCLA - UCLA might have been able to stay competitive if Kevin Craft wasn't the worst QB in college football.
• 1,000,000/1 - Washington... So you're saying there's a chance!
• NONE - WSU (Field 40/1) - QB tryouts at least gave them some joy this year.

BCS Declares Germany Winner of World War II

A random forward going around the internet...

After determining the Big-12 championship game participants the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II.

"Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of work--including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule--our computers deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking."
Questioned about the #4 ranking of the United States the BCS commissioner stated "The US only had two major victories--Japan and Germany. The computer models, unlike humans, aren't influenced by head-to-head contests--they consider each contest to be only a single, equally-weighted event."

German Chancellor Adolph Hiter said "Yes, we lost to the US; but we defeated #2 ranked France in only 6 weeks." Herr Hitler has been criticized for seeking dramatic victories to earn 'style points' to enhance Germany's rankings. Hitler protested "Our contest with Poland was in doubt until the final day and the conditions in Norway were incredibly challenging and demanded the application of additional forces."

The French ranking has also come under scrutiny. The BCS commented " France had a single loss against Germany and following a preseason #1 ranking they only fell to #2."

Japan was ranked #3 with victories including Manchuria, Borneo and the Philippines.

United States head coach Harry S Truman was criticized by many as having poor taste for scheduling a "politicking" interview during halftime of the German bombing raids over Great Britain.

In that interview, Truman stated, "Any way you look at it, there is going to be a really good military force that gets left out. But when you come right down to it, our head-to-head victory over the Germans has to be the deciding factor."

A US fan also made the point that "Germany is getting all the style points right now because of their sexy offense, which continues to obliterate weaker opponents and show off their might after the battle is already won. But what about defense?"

Santa Coming Through In The Clutch

It will never get old...

A Christmas Story

"You'll shoot your THIGH out kid"

Senior Bowl Bound

Max Unger and Jeremiah Johnson were invited to play in the Senior Bowl on January 24. They are the first since Whitehead and Demetrius following the '05 season.

Quick Blazer Update

The Blazer's play this season has far exceeded many people's expectations since the lackluster opener against the Lakers. After tonight's win (the streak is now at 6 wins) the Blazers sit at 14 and 6 with a huge game against last year's National Champs the Boston Celtics. Blazer's were even ranked 4th in ESPNs Power Rankings that was released before their last two wins on the road and 8th in SIs Power Rankings before their current 6 game winning streak. There are very few teams that have the depth that Portland has and that isn't even considering that Martell Webster will be back in the line up soon coming off a broken foot.

Bellotti / Kelly Change

A press conference will be held at 3:30 today to anounce that Chip Kelly will be Oregon's next head coach and that Mike Bellotti will succeed Kilkenny as the Head of the Athletic Department. Timetable for this is not yet known.

SI Tour Guy @ OSU

SI College Football Tour guy visited Oregon State for the Civil War. If you didn't know the tour guy is a Duck grad.

"Dirtier Beavers last year"

Which Team Would You Like Oregon To Play?

Baring a huge upset, USC will win this weekend at UCLA and send the Ducks to the Holiday Bowl. There have been several bowl predictions on Oregon's opponent and it is likely to be either Missouri or Oklahoma State. Which team would you rather see the Ducks match up with on December 30th? Vote in the sidebar.

• Missouri is currently 1st in the Big 12 North. Their 3 losses came to No. 14 Oklahoma State, No. 3 Texas and Kansas. They will be playing No. 2 Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game this weekend. Missouri averages 509.4 yards a game but 344.3 of those are in the passing game (leaving 165.2 in the rushing game). Currently the Tiger's offensive coordinator has taken the head job at Wyoming. Many of you have heard about their quarterback, Chase Daniel, who has thrown for 3880 yards and 34 touchdowns. Missouri's leading running back is Derrick Washington with 963 yards on 152 attempts and 17 touchdowns. The Tigers have 4 receivers/tight ends with over 500 yards receiving but the one you've probably heard of is Jeremy Maclin with 1175 yards & 11 touchdowns receiving and another 248 yards & 2 touchdowns rushing.

• Oklahoma State is currently 4th in the Big 12 South. They beat Missouri 28-23 when the Tigers were ranked 3rd in the AP (Now ranked 20th in the BCS). However, their 3 losses came to No. 3 Texas, No. 7 Texas Tech & No. 2 Oklahoma. The Coyboys are currently ranked 14th in the BCS. They lead a balance attack averaging 256 rushing yards, 233.3 passing yards and a total 489.3 yards a game. Their quarterback, Zac Robinson, has thrown for 2,735 yards and 24 touchdowns. Kendall Hunter is their primary running back with 1,518 yards on 228 attempts and 14 touchdowns (plus 1 receiving touchdown) on the season. Their other running back, Keith Toston, has 658 yards on 94 carries and 9 touchdowns. Dez Bryant is their leading receiver with 1,313 yards on 74 receptions and 18 touchdowns.

Carroll At It Again...

The fact that the Trojans are willing to give up one time out per half so they can wear their home jerseys at the Rose Bowl vs. UCLA this weekend just reiterates how pompous Pete Carroll can be. As Moseley points out, while Oregon may get a lot of attention for their uniforms, they've never let it affect the game itself.

I'd love to see Carroll get taken out like Charlie Weis... Maybe then he'd learn a lesson for being a prick.

Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week

Jeremiah Johnson was named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week with his career-high 219 yards in the Civil War.

Here is his 87 yard touchdown run...

Highlight Video

Oh so sweet...

Civil War Pictures

Here are some pictures that were posted on Chat4Quacks "A picture is worth a thousand words" thread. Simply Awesome...

Oregon State Jokes

How do you make Beaver cookies?
Beat them up and take them out of the bowl.

How do you keep a Beaver out of your garden?
Plant a bed of roses.

Here are some older ones from the Wine's Family Blog & Lightning Strikes Blog.

Goooooo Ducks!

Bellotti says that Kelly doesn't have an interview scheduled on Wednesday as previously reported.

Oregon's cheerleaders are getting some more attention.

Reed was named MVP and Jeremiah Johnson most inspirational player during Oregon's postseason awards banquet.

Here are some absolutely wonderful quotes from Oregon State fans.

Interesting tid bits from the Civil War...

• The Ducks were 9 yards shy of beating Oregon State's most yards allowed in a game (Penn State - 454)... IN THE FIRST HALF.
• 65 points were the most ever allowed by OSU

OSU... That was payback for 2000! For those of you who know Dolemite (I got this text from him)... "U should just walk around town and bitch slap Beaver fans because that's what the Ducks did last night"

White Stag

University of Oregon has proposed to change the "Made in Oregon" sign to read "University of Oregon." While there may be several opposed to the sign changing due to it being an "iconic symbol" in the Portland, let me remind people that this would be the sign's 3rd name change from the original "White Satin" that rose above Portland's waterfront.

• In 1940 the sign was built for White Satin Sugar Co.
  
• In 1959 the sign was changed from "White Satin" to "White Stag" for White Stag Sportswear.
  
• In 1997 the sign was changed from "White Stag" to "Made in Oregon"

Beaver Humor

What Do You Wager On The Civil War?

Being Civil War week there are bets being made all around the state between Duck and Beaver fans. Most you will find are not monetary but wagers that humiliate, embarrass and generally belittle the losers. I'm interested to hear about these bets (either this year or in the past) and will post some of the top ones for the amusement of everyone.

GameDay Hates Corvallis

• Stakes in 112th Civil War are greater than ever. There is so much on the line.


• GameDay is headed to Stillwater instead of Oregon State. Too bad GameDay still hasn't heard of Corvallis.


• Bellotti doesn't buy all the motivation gimmicks to get the Ducks pumped up to play the Beavers.


• For the first time in the last 3 years it will be the Ducks entering the Civil war out of a bye instead of Oregon State. Bellotti has fared well after a bye with the last loss being to Arizona when Dixon went down.


• So many predictions out this time of the season. Most predict the Ducks to play in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego despite losing to Oregon State. Cal's victory over Stanford last weekend assured the Ducks cannot make the Rose Bowl.


• Setting up the stage for Civil War with some stat comparisons and a few links.
• The Beaver's play like family and their coach has incredible confidence in his team. Really? Don't most teams play like family and have a coach with confidence in their players?
  
• Do the Ducks have a prayer? Sure they do... and here is why.
  
• Don't know much about the Civil War? Here is a COMPLETE game-by-game reprise.


• What running game will the Ducks see on Saturday? Will Quizz Rodgers be ready to play? If so, how much pain can Quizz take? Here is an injury update for the Civil War.
• 112 Things you need to know about the Civil War.

Random Links of the Day

• Another Civil war piece that recaps the 2005 season to setup a huge UO/OSU game (at least for the Ducks).
• The arena recently started construction and has a dedicated website.
• LaMichael James highlighted the rookie scrimmage. The 5'9" James has been helping Oregon prepare for the 5'7" Quizz Rodgers.
• Obviously Bellotti and the Ducks want the Beavers to beat Arizona this weekend to setup an even bigger Civil War next week. All eyes in Oregon will be looking for an OSU win this weekend.

Brown Favoring Oregon!

According to Inside the U, Bryce Brown, the number 1 running back recruit in the nation (according to both Scout and Rivals), is favoring Oregon over Miami (the school he committed to last February). A bit surprising, especially since heavy rain poured down on Autzen during his visit for the Stanford game. Go Ducks!

ESPN Uniform Coverage

I'm sure many of you heard that the black helmet was on it's way to ESPN for some television coverage. I didn't get a chance to check it out until I found (thanks to Michael Wines for posting) this clip from ESPN college gameday live. I love how there really isn't a bad thing said about Oregon's uniforms during this clip. Uniforms are one of many things that have obviously helped Oregon football become a national presence in the media.

Here to Stay

I randomly found this video and had to post it. I remember being at this game and not being impressed.

"Both are here to stay" Ohh... really?!?

Black Helmet Look

Here are some pictures of the new black helmet that will most likely be used for the Arizona game this weekend. As a few people have posted the helmets may be just as much green as they are black. One commenter said that since we have the "grellow" helmets are these to be considered "grack" or "bleen"?

You do have to love Jeremiah Johnson's quote (from Moseley's post above) regarding the new black jerseys and helmets looking like Oregon State's.

“I think I speak for the whole town of Eugene when I say, black goes better with green and yellow,” Johnson said. “That’s my whole take on it. Black and orange don’t even look right to me. If that’s their color, we take it and make it look better.”

Eat it OSU... Which team is 7-3 and which team is 6-3? Start talking Roses once you've taken care of Cal and Arizona.

Arrested Development Movie Green Lit?

So is this just another teaser or can it be the real deal? I guess anything to keep it in the press...

A Little Scuffle

Byrd was kicked out of an intense practice today and may face disciplinary action.

Really? Black Helmets?

According to Moseley, after much speculation, black helmets will be tested out tomorrow (Wednesday). The new jerseys that are being spread around the Internet will likely not be worn, perhaps saving them for a more publicised game.

Another Huge Recruiting Weekend

According to Scout.com, Oregon has another huge recruiting weekend ahead. So far there are five 4 star players that will be in attendance. And apparently, regardless of the home-crowd boos, last weekend's recruits had a great time.

New Uniforms?!?!

Will the Ducks be wearing new unforms this weekend? Nike has released some new Blackout Duck gear that is very similar to the jersey shown in the previous link. I know we've been hearing about a black helmet also so I wonder if they will be introducing all new helmets also.

Recruit Visits this Weekend

According to Scout here are the recruits that are visiting this weekend. Did you happen to notice that the #1 safety and #1 running back will be in Eugene this weekend? What I love even more about even these 3 guys is their locations... Kansas, Texas and Louisiana.

Rickert wrote an extensive piece on the recruits those and 3 more that will be visiting this weekend.

Here is a quick recap:

• Bryce Brown - #1 running back (5 star) from Wichita, Kansas. 6' and 200lbs. Currently a soft verbal to Miami where his brother is a freshman
• Craig Loston - #1 safety (5 star) from Houston, Texas. 6'1", 190lbs wtiha 4.57 40 time. Originally committed to Clemson (and planned on enrolling in January) but decommitted after Bowden was fired.
• Montrell Conner - #31 running back (4 star) from Monroe, Louisiana. Currently committed to Mississippi State.
• Charles Siddoway - #20 offensive tackle (4 star) from Eugene, Oregon. 6'6", 305lbs and 5.3 40 time. I'm guessing this isn't his first Duck game.
• Jaz Reynolds - #84 wide receiver (3 star) from Houston, Texas. 6'3", 180lbs and 4.82 40 time. He's from the same school as Loston.
• Curtis White - defensive end from Eugene, Oregon. 6'5" and 240 lbs. White committed to the Ducks last winter for the 2010 season.

Arizona Start Time

They are still trying to figure out a way to get the Arizona game on television next weekend. For some reason Fox Sports picked UCLA / Washington (my definition of a dumpster diver) for their 7:15 broadcast and overlooked an Oregon / Arizona game that pits two likely bowl teams. The weasel did it again...

Masoli to Start?

Kelly has defended his choice that Masoli is the better quarterback. While we may see both quarterbacks play but Masoli, despite his ups and downs in the throwing game, still gives the Ducks the best chance to win because of his dual threat. Give him a chance, remember how Dixon fared his Junior year? Masoli hasn't even been at Oregon 6 months and still has a long way to go. But it can only get better... Right?!? Plus after this year Masoli still has 3 years left to play 2. There is a reason the guy won the JC National Championship his first year. We can't expect so much in as a first year in Division 1A but Ducks are still sitting pretty at 6-3 with a potential for a 10 win season if they can win out. Not bad for a "transition year."

B Roy's Buzzer Beater

For those who didn't watch the finish to an amazing Blazer game last night. There was 8 points scored in the final 2 seconds of the game. 5 of those were Brandon Roy. Here are some highlights.

Brady's Brother in Trouble

Ryan Leaf was placed on leaf (I mean leave) of absence after requesting for a "stronger" pain killer.

#1 RB to Visit!

Bryce Brown, the nation's #1 running back recruit (both Scout and Rivals) from Kansas is said to be visiting Eugene this weekend for the Oregon / Stanford game. Let's hope for some good weather and a big win.

Misc. Updates

Some interesting notes from Moseley...

Roper playing with the first string.
Drew Davis replacing Jaison Williams.
Arizona game to be either at 3:30 or 7:15.

Fire All Pac-10 Refs

You can't blame any one game on the refs but you have to admit the officiating in the Pac-10 has been absolutely horrible this year. Yesterday's game vs. Cal there were so many poor calls on both sides of the ball and I've never been one to believe in "make up" calls. I'm sick of this crap. Once the new commissioner starts he should re-tool the whole damn officiating crew.

Another Wager?!?!?

Considering the results of the last bet Addicted to Quack made with another blog, my feelings about this new bet are a little skewed. Then again, even though Addicted to Quack lost the last bet, the results were still very entertaining. Looking forward to an Oregon win so Duck fans can reap the benefits.

Leave Nothing

A few weeks ago I read a blog regarding the LaDainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu Nike "Fate" Leave Nothing commercial. The writer mentioned that at 33 second mark the film makers must have subliminally inserted an Oregon promotion. It is highly unlikely the filming of the commercial was not at Autzen Stadium, but probably somewhere in LA. See for yourself below...

Bear With Me... Predictions & Misc. Links

This weeks predictions from around the web...

• Moseley believes this will be another close match between the two teams and will be dependent on Cal's linebackers (strength) and offensive line (weakness). Rob believes Cal will win it by 3.
• Tristan at Bleacher Report believes his knowledge and faith in his team will lead the Ducks to victory, but it won't be easy.
• Miller knows the Ducks can win on the road and knows that Masoli can beat Cal with his arm, not his legs.
• Vondersmith at the Portland Tribune believe the game could go either way but Ducks will pull out the win.
• The Sports Network believes to go with Cal as they have the home field advantage and the better defense.
  

My predictions:

• Riley will be pressured. We will see mistakes and at least 1 interception.
• Longshore will play part of the game.
• Cal will have more yards throwing than running.
  
• Oregon's offense will have over 400 all purpose yards but will fail to gain over 500.
  
• Masoli will pass for over 200 yards.
• Blount will have a 100+ rushing day.
• Chung will have another sack.
• Chung will get his first interception of the season (I will keep writing this until it happens).
  
• Oregon will have 4 or more sacks.
• Harper will have at least 3 receptions for 50+ yards.
• For the first time since his switch to WR, Harper won't be the Ducks leading receiver against Cal.
  
• Cal will score a touchdown after an Oregon turnover.
• So will Oregon (off a Cal turnover).
  
• The game to be within 7 points.
• More points will go to Oregon.
  

In other news...

• The Ducks will be wearing the white lids on Saturday.
• Oregon is preparing for the wet weather this Saturday by a method they've never had use before.
• Centers will play a huge role in this weekend's game.
• The quarterbacks of Cal and Oregon have many similarities and will take center stage on Saturday.
• Team players of the week from the ASU game.
  
• Masoli will face a hometown crowd at Cal this weekend.
  
• Oregon's offensive line has been instrumental to the Duck's success.
• Jeffrey Maehl was selected as Athlete of the Week by the Daily Emerald.
• Interested in knowing which state will get the Oregon / Cal broadcast?
• A little info regarding the Bears from a Cal blog.
  

Diante Jackson

Here's an interesting article on Diante Jackson, Oregon's recent 4 star wide receiver recruit.

JJ Re-injures Shoulder?

According to Moseley, Jeremiah Johnson may have aggravated his shoulder injury yesterday in practice. Regardless I still think JJ will play this weekend considering he didn't miss a game last time because of the injury. It's not like we've really seen the stiff arm much (if ever) since.

Oden's "Midfoot Sprain"

Blazer's edge posted a very thorough blog post on the midfoot sprain. 95.5 "the fan" said they will announce more information about Oden's injury and his MRI results as soon as it's available.

Bellotti's Press Conference

Moseley thoroughly reprised Bellotti's press conference today that discusses the offensive lines of Oregon & Cal, Centers of Oregon & Cal, Cal's 3-4 defense, practices, Casey Matthews, recruiting, Ducks tight ends, injuries & most importantly Masoli & more Masoli...

Bowl Predictions

Looks like people are liking the Ducks a little more this week... Most are saying a likely Holiday Bowl matchup between Texas Tech or Oklahoma State.

Though it's apparent that Bruce Feldman doesn't believe the hype and has Oregon playing Utah the Las Vegas Bowl.

Can someone please tell me why Utah and BYU (both from Mormon filled Utah) always end up in the Las Vegas Bowl? Just doesn't seem fair. Isn't that like sending BYU/Utah to play Florida State in the "Honesty and Integrity Bowl", BYU/Utah to play Penn State in the "Abiding Citizen Bowl" or BYU/Utah to play Notre Dame in the "Polygamy Bowl?"

Willingham to Resign

Washington's Tyrone Willingham announced that he will be resigning at the end of the season. The Huskies are 0-7 for only the second time in history. I guess it was only a matter of time...

Pac-10 Players of the Week

Jeremiah Masoli and Matt Evensen were named Offensive and Special Teams (respectively) Pac-10 players of the week. It was Evensen's second of the season and the Ducks first Offensive Player of the Week Award since last season.

• 9/13 - Matt Evensen - Special Teams Pac-10 Player of the Week vs. Purdue
• 10/11- Jairus Byrd - Defensive Pac-10 Player of the Week vs. UCLA
• 10/25 - Jeremiah Masoli - Offensive Pac-10 Player of the Week vs. Arizona State
• 10/25 - Matt Evensen - Special Teams Pac-10 Player of the Week vs. Arizona State

For Those Who Missed the Game

Does this bring up memories of Maurice Morris in the Fiesta Bowl?

Here are some other highlights...

How'd I Do?

• We will see 2 quarterbacks play and Darron Thomas won't see action. - Loss. 0-1. If it wasn't for such a blowout I probably would have got this one but Thomas saw action in the last 50 something seconds
• Masoli will get the majority of the snaps. - Win. 1-1. Masoli played until the 4th quarter and basically solidified himself as the starter.
• JJ will have a 100 plus yards rushing. - Loss. 1-2. Even though the Ducks had over 300 yards rushing, not one player had over 100 yards. Masoli had the rushing high with 85.
• Blount will score his 11th touchdown of the season. Win. 2-2. Actually Blount scored number 11 and 12. I don't think anyone could have predicted that Mo Morris run for a touchdown.
• Chung will get his first interception of the year. Loss. 2-3. Nope, the other 2 D-Boyz each had one though. One of Chung's hits did make Carpenter's nose bleed though.
• Carpenter won't make it past halftime. Loss. 2-4. Somehow he played almost the whole game. I did love the "Rudy, Rudy, Rudy" chants from the Oregon section.
• Carpenter will get sacked at least 4 times (even if he doesn't stay in the game past halftime). Loss. 2-5. Oregon only recorded 2 sacks on the game (at least according to cfstats). I remembered 3 before half but apparently I was wrong.
• Reed will account for at least 2.5 sacks. Loss. 2-6. Reed did not record a sack vs. Arizona State even though Carpenter was constantly pressured.
• Ducks will win the turnover battle. Loss. 2-7. This was tied at 3-3.
• Jaison Williams will have over 70 yards receiving. Loss. 2-8. Only 1 reception for 12 yards.
• Ducks will throw for over 200 yards. Win. 3-8. Masoli completed 17 of 26 for 147 and Roper completed 4 of 4 for 86. Total of 233.
• Ducks won't hold ASU to under 100 yards rushing. Win. 4-8. ASU had 107 yards on the ground.
• ASU won't pickup more than 350 total yards. Win. 5-8. Whew... ASU got close but came up short at 333.
• Both teams will score double digits. Win. 6-8. Final score 54-20.
• Ducks win by double digits. Win. 7-8. Make that 34 points.

Quick Predictions

Thought I would throw up a few quick predictions before I took off for Phoenix.

• We will see 2 quarterbacks play and Darron Thomas won't see action.
• Masoli will get the majority of the snaps.
  
• JJ will have a 100 plus yards rushing.
• Blount will score his 11th touchdown of the season.
• Chung will get his first interception of the year.
• Carpenter won't make it past halftime.
• Carpenter will get sacked at least 4 times (even if he doesn't stay in the game past halftime).
• Reed will account for at least 2.5 sacks.
• Ducks will win the turnover battle.
• Jaison Williams will have over 70 yards receiving.
  
• Ducks will throw for over 200 yards.
• Ducks won't hold ASU to under 100 yards rushing.
• ASU won't pickup more than 350 total yards.
  
• Both teams will score double digits.
• Ducks win by double digits.

GO DUCKS!

Misc. Links

Here are a few links in relation to this weekends game at ASU:

• A hobbled Carpenter is likely to be running for his life on Saturday.
• Offensive balance? Give Bellotti a break... and more OSU Rose Bowl comments... Ugh...
• Some new wrinkles, injury status, Blount's scoring and the uniforms get some more props.
• The Ducks running game will give them the advantage against the Sun Devils.
• Pritchett will miss the ASU game due to a suspension for breaking team rules.

ASU TV Situation

For those not actually going to the game, here is the TV situation for Saturday's game against ASU. There are usually a few bars around the Portland area that are able to tap into the satellite feed. Call ahead of time and be sure to talk to someone who knows if they have satellites. Many bartenders will think they can get the game because the bar has a sports package. The bar actually needs to have someone that knows how to snag that feed. It's not just some special channel.

Alston is Out

According to Moseley, Remene Alston broke his foot in practice yesterday and will miss the remainder of the season.

2 Headed Monster?

According to Moseley's summary of Bellotti's Pac-10 teleconference, Oregon will likely be using more than one quarterback for the game vs. Arizona State. Bellotti said they would 'like to have one' but that Roper and Masoli's different skill sets could lead to both of them seeing playing time. Here we go again...

Darius Miles Dismissed

Darius Miles was dismissed from the Celtics yesterday. Good thing for the Blazers... If Miles had played 10 games this season for another team, the Blazers would be required to pay his $9 million dollar a year salary (with 2 years remaining). If he doesn't play 10 games, the Blazers get to keep that $9 million for Portland's 2009-2010 salary cap. It probably didn't help Miles' case when he failed a drug test in late September, stating he wasn't sure how he failed. Many people still believe that a team may pick up Miles and play him 10 games just to keep the Blazers away from that cap money.

BCS & Predictions

The first BCS poll came out yesterday and they obviously think very highly of the Pac-10 (or shall I say Pac-1). USC came in at #5 with not another Pac-10 team in sight. If you want to see some interesting rankings, take a look at collegefootballnews.com's 1 to 119. The most interesting rankings were Washington State at 105 (somehow above 14 other teams) and Washington hasn't won a game but is 82nd (before a 6-2 Western Michigan team). The Pac-10 looks like this:

5. USC
34. Arizona
35. California
38. Oregon
40. Oregon State
52. Arizona State
68. UCLA
69. Stanford
82. Washington
105. Washington State

Moseley posted some bowl predictions. Holiday, Sun and Las Vegas... As a Duck fan, where would you want to go most? Of course Beaver's are still talking roses (and, of course, some trash). Hey Beavers, you are still only 4-3.

WTF?

So isn't it usually the ref that gets knocked down? And I thought Pac-10 Refs were bad.

Time for Some Warm Weather

The weather is looking warm in Arizona this weekend (highs of 90 and lows of 60). Should be perfect weather to watch a football game.

GoDucks.com posted week nine's football release for Oregon @ Arizona State.

Here are some interesting tidbits from the release if you don't plan on reading the whole thing...

• The Ducks had 12 consecutive wins after a bye week before dropping last years game at Arizona (when Dixon went down). Bellotti is 12-2.


• Nick Reed was named midseason All-America Team by CBSSports.com and was the ONLY Pac-10 player to make the list. He is also 5 tackles-for-a-loss from Devan Long's school record of 48 and 4.5 sacks behind leader Ernest Jones' record of 29. 5 of those TFLs and 3.5 sacks are against ASU.


• Patrick Chung has 27 tackles over 3 games against ASU... 9 tackles a game! Chung is 7th in Oregon's career list for tackles with 338.


• Jaison Williams has 15 catches for 243 yards and 4 touchdowns against the Sun Devils. His next catch will be to tie for Oregon's 3rd place career reception list with Demetrius Williams and Cristin McLemore. He needs 16 more receptions and 369 yards to beat both reception and career yard records.

Also, Oregon's game vs. Cal on November 1st will be broadcast at 12:30pm on ABC.

Remember the Duck's last visit to Sun Devil Stadium (48-13)?

Worried About Chip Kelly Leaving?

Many of you knew Kelly signed a 4 year contract in January that will keep him at Oregon through the 2011 season. But that didn't seem to make people believe that wouldn't keep him rushing off at the first sight of something even remotely better. However, according to Bellamy's article today, Kelly's does not only include his base salary and guaranteed supplemental package but additional incentive bonuses, product endorsements and retention bonus. Kelly could earn over $550,000 this year if he played all his cards right (not including his 100,000 signing bonus in January).

Unfortunately for many, Aliotti has some of these same incentives and is also on a 4 year contract.


Side Note: I love how Kelly and Aliotti each have $2000 riding on the civil war!

Surprise Surprise

Adam "Pacman" Jones received a 4 game suspension from league for his drunken fight with his bodyguard last week. Take a look at the sidebar on the right side of that article. Kind of makes you wonder where he would be if he realized that strip clubs, night clubs and hotels weren't the best atmosphere for him. Sure, I believe in giving a guy another chance... maybe even a 3rd chance... But the fact he has been involved in 12 off field incidents since the time he was drafted in 2005 is just a TAD over the top.

Sure, Jerry Jones, owner of "America's Team" (the Dallas Coyboys) is a gambler. You don't make billions without taking risks. However, as a risk taker, there are always the times when you need to cut your losses. Regardless of contract term, Pacman Jones wasn't a wise investment.

"Make it Rain"

That's a No Go

All appeals were denied. Those who were planning on staying home to watch the Oregon/ASU game are out of luck. Usually Cheerful Sports Page or Kingston Bar and Grill (Among other "true" sports bars) are able to get satellite feeds but there is no guarantee and you usually need to show up nice and early.

Duck & Devil Problems

After reading Bob Clark's breakdown of Arizona State's problems you have to feel pretty good about Oregon's chances next weekend. While Duck fans and critics alike believe that Oregon has some major issues to resolve, it can't be as bad as ASUs problems... Only 3 trips to the red zone with nothing to show from it, a player restrained after going after an assistant coach and Carpenter with a broken bone in his lower leg (just to name a few)... yikes.

And even while there is another quarterback competition during the bye week, I have to admit that I was happy to see that Bellotti actually stick with Masoli for the whole game against UCLA. The qb swapping in the past has seemed to create nothing but inconsistency. Pick a guy and stick with him (at least for that game). When Clemens went down in 2005 it just seemed like every time one of the qbs was gaining some swagger they were pulled for the other.

Regardless of Masoli's passing stats from the UCLA game (5-19), I was fairly impressed with the way he played. Keep in mind that "the gameplan" was to run the quarterback. Sure, Kelly didn't want Masoli to run it THAT much but UCLA kept daring him to (Probably so the Weasel could hurt another quarterback this season). At least 5 of those passes were perfectly placed and dropped by a wide receiver or tight end and another handful were thrown out of bounds because Masoli didn't have anyone to throw to.

I like Roper's accuracy but I believe that the dual threat of Masoli gives the Ducks the better chance to win. Especially if the Duck receivers can actually catch the balls when they are thrown their way.

Ahh... College football at it's best... There is no way anyone could have predicted that in game 7 our leading rusher would be Jeremiah Masoli and our leading receiver would be Chris Harper. Cheer up Duck fans, Oregon still pulled out the "W" and they'll have their leading receiver back for ASU.

ASU Kickoff Time

Looks like the Ducks will be playing under the lights for the 3rd time this season (USC's 5pm game had a few hours of light) as they are schedule to kick off at 7pm. However, the game will not be broadcast on television, so lights out (yes, lame pun intended).

Oregon has appealed Arizona State to see if they game could be played earlier to accommodate a possible OSN broadcast and appealed to the Pac-10 for a waiver to produce a telecast in conflict with FSN if the time isn't changed. According to Moseley, a time change is unlikely so cross your fingers and hope that FSN allows the Pac-10 to grant the waiver (for those not attending the game).

Byrd - Pac10 Defensive Player of the Week

Jairus Byrd was named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against UCLA this weekend. Byrd had nine tackles (six solo), 1 intercepted pass (not including the one that was taken away from the questionable pass interference call) and three pass breakups. Byrd was the second Duck to come away with a Pac-10 Player of the Week award after Matt Evensen for his performance vs. Purdue.

What? No Preferential Treatment?

In random news of the day... China's table tennis silver medalist Wang Hao (Please tell me this pronounced wang ho?) must have counseling for a fight with a security guard attempting to stop Wang from urinating outside a karaoke bar.

I find some irony in the fact that someone named Wang was caught publicly urinating. To top it off, he beats the individual who attempted to stop him and yells 'I am the famous Wang Hao! I am the world champion! Does it matter if I beat you?'

Sounds like he learned his lesson though... 'It taught me that I have to be very careful about anything I say or do.'

Nawwwwww... Really?!?

Black Helmet Rumors

There were rumors floating around even before Phil Knight recently mentioned a uniform change in the near future and if you want to believe a reliable source on chatforquacks, the black helmets are no longer just a rumor, he's seen them.

As we've heard (but not confirmed) for a few weeks, black was apparently the color of choice for this weekend's homecoming matchup with UCLA. Though, I never found one legitimate source that said they had seen the team practicing with them recently. Moseley even just confirmed that the Ducks will be wearing the normal green helmets tomorrow but didn't elaborate (update: he has a little).

It seems like things have been pretty quiet this week so I'm not sure what to think. I'd like to believe the rumor and all the smoke & mirrors (ie. keeping the media at bay) but I just don't think the Ducks will don new helmets without practicing in them first and someone leaking that information.

Kent Gets Another Chance

Jordan Kent picked up spot on the Seahawks roster in Seattle after Courtney Taylor struggled.

Hitler a Duck Fan?!?

Bet you didn't know that Hitler was a Duck fan too? Very funny but please someone post a video response to this...

UCLA Predictions

So I guess I was the only one who predicted wrong last week. Who would have guessed?!? Exactly why I don't bet on teams that I care about.

• John Hunt hasn't missed one yet and predicts an Oregon win.
• Sports Network has a more elaborated rundown of the game and believes that the Ducks "simply have too much firepower for UCLA."
• Scout.com (collegefootballnews.com) also believes the Ducks will bounce back.
• Miller put the Ducks on an upset alert but believes that Ducks will listen to that alert.
• Moseley predicts a Duck win also.

My prediction (if you care)... Oregon 37 - UCLA 16. I'm guessing I can't beat the 38 point difference from my USC prediction.

Recruitment News for Homecoming

Ducks have a good amount of recruits who will be visiting for Homecoming this weekend and may even have some unofficial visitors. I doubt Tate Forcier will be visiting since he's already committed to Michigan... However, it wouldn't surpise me if he was on the sidelines. Also, if you hadn't heard last weekend, the Ducks picked up Diante Jackson, their first wide receiver of the 2009 class.

Defensive Changes

After Oregon's humbling 44-10 loss at the Colosseum, Moseley asked Bellotti some questions regarding the state of Oregon's defense. Oregon's D was supposed to rank among the nations best this year, especially the secondary. On Saturday the Ducks defense allowed a huge 598 yards and 443 of that was passing. Ugh...

Hope the Ducks can figure out their defensive problems or it's going to be a long remainder of the season.

Interesting Links

Here are some interesting links of the day...

A USC blog has a poll on Oregon's uniforms and whether they are the best or the worst in college football. At the time I took this poll a whopping 506 people thought Oregon's uniforms were "the best" while only 27 people had voted them "the worst" (and 26 said they didn't care as long as USC beat them). These numbers intrigued me. After contantly hearing from other schools about how Oregon's uniforms were hideous we seeing something different in these numbers.

According to the football rumor mill the Washington Huskies may be pursuing Pat Hill for his services. Not sure what I think about see Pat Hill in the Pac-10.

A Little Fuel for the Fire

Tale of Two Faces

What Sanchez reaction will we see after Saturday's game???

More Maualuga Info

Ted Miller discusses why Maualuga's absence for USC game vs. the Ducks may be good or bad.

USC Predictions

Here are a few predictions regarding this weekends Oregon game vs. the USC Trojans:

Looks like John Hunt has been fairly accurate (5-0) in the first five games and picks (not surprisingly) a USC win on Saturday. If he continues at the pace of his first 5 picks the Ducks would wind up at 9-3... Not bad.

Scout.com (Collegefootballnews.com) also believes the Trojans will win with double digits. Though they believe the game will be toe-to-toe until the 4th when the skill at quarterback will ring true.

Moseley also piped in with his predictions for the game. He also picks a USC win.

Surprise, mother f@#$ing surprise... Ted Miller picked USC to win too.

Geez, even at Off the Pond, Nick's PreNicktion is for the Ducks to lose on Saturday. Come on Nick, I've always thought of you as more of a homer than that.

While I have to admit it is extremely hard believing that the Ducks can pull of a win, in the Colosseum and after their only loss of the season. Let's look how the Trojans have responded to loosing in the past.

• Unfortunately you can't really look back as far as 2004 (Not 1 loss) and to 2005 (only loss came to Texas in the NC)
  
• In 2006, when USC lost to OSU, the Trojans squashed Stanford 42-0. They also lost to UCLA in the last game of the season and came out to beat, then No. 8 Michigan by a score of 32-18.
  
• Last year after loosing to Stanford at home, the Trojans came out and beat Arizona by 7 (at home 20-13). After loosing to Oregon, the Trojans stomped on OSU by a score of 24-3.

So what's this tell us?!? Probably nothing. Probably that I just wasted my time looking that stuff up... Or probably that the Trojans don't seem to have a problem bouncing back from a loss (like the Ducks have in the past).

Then again, wasn't everyone saying that Michigan was going to annihilate Oregon last year after their season opening loss to Appalachian State? Lets look how that ended.

So, while a USC win is probably the likely outcome in Saturday's matchup... Every once and a while a streak needs to be broken.

Sure, call me a homer... This is exactly why I (typically) don't bet on Duck games... But hey, someone has to do it!

Ducks 28 - USC 24

Time to pull out your bag of tricks Chip.

Trojan Breakdown

Here are few links from the last few days regarding the Oregon/USC game this weekend:

If Saturday's game wasn't already a big deal every player, two players on each sideline will be playing for some brotherly pride.

According to Moseley, Rey Maualuga will not play this Saturday for the USC/Oregon game. He also posted some comments from Bellotti's Tuesday night press conference.

JTLight, at Addicted to Quack, believes that for Oregon to win, the Ducks must force the game into the hands of Mark Sanchez.

Nick, at Off the Pond, has reconsidered his original claim that Darron Thomas should be number 1 QB and now believes that Masoli will give the Ducks the best chance to win. He also had some good points to why this game against the Trojans is no different today than it was before OSU beat them in Corvallis.

Can Ducks do it again? I still believe it.

Blazers Media Notes

I could have probably accumulated a bunch of links from Blazer's Media Day yesterday but found that "Blazer's Edge" did a fairly good job of recapping. Here are also some updates from Oregonlive's Blazers Blog. The season is almost upon us!

USC Fans Jealous?

No, not of our football team. But our cheerleaders.

Make sure to read the comments. Here are just a few:

JamesUSC99 said:
"Now that the season has tanked from a football perspective, I'm at least excited to see the great Oregon cheerleaders. A big fight on to the Ducks!"

60614Trojan said:
Damn, there are a LOT of hot girls in that picture! A LOT! Quite a selection. They are going to really embarrass the USC Song Girls before a network audience, that's for sure."

TrojaninDC said:
"There are some seriously great abs on display here. Who knew that college cheerleaders were not required to be fat and ugly? Who knew that thick legs were not a mandatory requirement to be a college cheerleader in the politically correct 2000s? Who knew that cheerleaders were still allowed to be beautiful and thin? Hmmm.... Political incorrectness is alive and well in Eugene, Oregon. And I love it!"

Another Night Game

According to Moseley, the Ducks will play a night game at Autzen for the second time this year. The Ducks will kick off their homecoming vs. UCLA at 7:15 next Saturday.

Beaver's Rose Bowl Bound

I've already heard Beaver fans talking Rose Bowl. Can't we wait a few minutes here since you are getting WAY ahead of yourself. Isn't it only WEEK 5! Let's take a look at the Beaver's remaining schedule:

• 10/2 - @ Utah
• 10/11 - WSU
• 10/18 - @ Washington
• 10/25 - BYE
• 11/1 - ASU
• 11/8 - @ UCLA
• 11/15 - Cal
• 11/22 - @ Arizona
• 11/29 - Oregon

I think if the Beaver's play the way they did against USC they can probably go 7 for 8 of those games, resulting in another 9 win season before their bowl. While they do have a favorable home game slate, I still think road trips to Washington, UCLA and Arizona will all be tough (regardless of their current standings). Only time will tell. I remember Duck fans talking about National Championship last year after beating USC and ASU... We all saw how that ended.

Thanks For Nothing

First, I just want to say congratulations to Oregon State for upsetting #1 USC. Yes, I'm giving props now because I know I'll hear about it all season long.

Second, let me be first to say, DAMN IT... Thanks for pissing them off. So not only are Beaver fans going to gloat all season about beating the mighty Trojans, but will likely get to rub it more because USC is going to make some heads roll next week when they return to the Colosseum.

Some interesting things to take from that game:
1.) Who taught the Trojans how to tackle?
2.) Yes, that was the same defense that lost their whole front 7 and held USCs stable of running backs to under 100 yards rushing.
3.) "Quizz" is agile and quick but damn is that kid tiny.
4.) Maualuga's knee is F'ed.
5.) USC has now lost 3 of the last 4 games in Corvallis. Seriously? Corvallis?
6.) I love it when Sanchez looks like he is about to cry.

Mark it... Beavs are going to loose Utah next week. Further proving the Pac-10 isn't worth a $hit this year.

Just because this is a new season, the Thursday curse (top team upsets) is not broken. Thank our lucky stars that the Ducks aren't playing on a Thursday this year.