Jacquizz The Short-Legged Beaver

I found this on Ted Miller's Pac-10 Blog from ESPN...it was pretty good.

JACQUIZZ THE SHORT-LEGGED BEAVER

(To the tune of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer)

You know Barnes and Beban and Pritchard and Vince
Lou Holtz and Don James and not many since
But do you recall
The smallest Trojan-killer of all?

Jacquizz the short-legged Beaver
Couldn't stand up very tall
Whenever he got the handoff
He became a bowling ball

Cushing was getting livid
Whenever Quizzie ran around
He'd run through their legs until
The referee said, 'First down'

There must have been some magic there
In Beaver-land, I guess
Because when Quizzie's work was done
The Trojans groaned, 'BCS'

Yes, now the Beavers love him
And they shout it out with glee
Jacquizz the short-legged Beaver
Barred the Trojans from Mi-am-ee

Salem Is An Iceberg

Once again I apologize for my absence from this blog, but I do have a good excuse. On Saturday I went to a Christmas party on Croisan Mountain in Salem and I strongly stress the word "mountain" here. The trek up the mountain in a friends Land Rover was an exciting one, and on Saturday when we planned to trek back down there were numerous trees blown over so we were forced to stay another day. Unfortunately, all power was out so no internet, television or flushing of toilets. Yes, gross indeed. I have made it back to civilization today though and was pleased to find that Oregon landed an excellent replacement for Patrick Chung next season. Anthony Leon, a 4-star JUCO safety, made his commitment today. The kid had an offer from USC...enough said.

With that being said, I'm headed off to bed considering the last few nights have been a blur mixed with large amounts of beer consumption. I plan to write a lengthier post tomorrow before Christmas Eve and Jesus' birthday so check back then.

Something To Make You Laugh

These two videos have nothing to do with the sports, but I just felt the need for a good laugh on a Thursday:

1) Perfect Christmas Gift For The Ladies:


2) I Could Laugh At This All Day:

Impulse Thought Casserole

This weather is just great isn't it? I feel like I have cabin fever considering I've been confined to an office for the past 48 hours while working diligently away on a computer. The roads have been so bad that trying to get out and appraise a house has been somewhat of a joke. Luckily for you fine blog readers I've found/thought of all kinds of good things to blog about...not on company time of course:

All-Time Greatest Sports Blowups
These are some of my favorite that I could think of and I ranked them from 1 to 5

1) Bobby Knight - It's Forming...I Can See An Image


2) Dan Hawkins - Go Play Intermurals Brother!


3) Allen Iverson - Practice? Practice?


4) Mike Gundy - I'm A Man!


5) Kevin Borseth - Offensive Rebounds


I'm glad to see that there are currently 18 people signed up for the College Bowl Pick 'Em group that I made on Yahoo. If you haven't taken the opportunity to sign up (and you want to) just refer to Sunday's post for the info. to get locked up. Last night I was perusing different forums for info. regarding recruiting, bowl games, etc. and I stumbled across a link that led me to the gifts players receive for their participation in each bowl game. Here's what the Ducks and Beavers will get for their respective appearances:

Holiday Bowl:
Player Gift Package
Players from both schools will receive a Tourneau watch, a hooded sweatshirt from Sports Tek, an Insignia 19” HD TV/DVD Player, and a Best Buy gift certificate.

Sun Bowl:
Player Gift Package
Players from both schools will receive a Sony DVD Handycam, a Timely Watch Co. Silvertone watch, an Armor Gear Dolly Llama Travel Bag, a Majestic Therma Fleece Pullover, a Brut hair dryer, a VP Sports Stone cap, and an official Brut Sun Bowl souvenir coin.

I'm assuming the Tourneau watch the Ducks are getting will be very cool and expensive. It's a helluva lot better than a Brut hair dryer? How many men use hair dryers anyway? Well, maybe the Sun Bowl figured since the Beavers did wear bra's at one point that they still liked to get their hair "did." A Sony DVD Handycam is a great idea though because you could pawn that off to a family member and they could film the game and get player input after it's over. I think players attending the Champ Sports Bowl have hit the jackpot considering EACH kid gets a $400 shopping spree at a local Best Buy during the week leading up to the game. Here's a link to "Behind The Bowls: The swag, the events, the background for each bowl game" from collegefootballnews.com that profiles all the bowl games and what they offer the players. I'm assuming as time creeps closer to the BCS games they will profile those bowls as well.

Sam Bradford Is Your Heisman Trophy Winner

Prior to the Heisman trophy presentation yesterday I was thoroughly convinced that Tim Tebow would win it for a second time in as many years, and that the media wouldn't have it any other way. It's refreshing to see that simply was not the case. The Heisman voting broke down like this:

Player	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
Sam Bradford, Oklahoma	300	315	196	1,726
Colt McCoy, Texas	266	288	230	1,640
Tim Tebow, Florida	309	207	234	1,575
Graham Harrell, Texas Tech	13	44	86	213
Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech	3	27	53	116

Amazingly, Tim Tebow finished up in 3rd place after media pundits claimed all week that he would likely be a shoe in for the trophy. Perhaps he didn't circumcise enough Pinoy boys earlier this year to win the favor of voters. What was the deal with Graham Harrell not even being invited to the presentation in New York anyways? Give me a break, the kid threw for 4,700 yards this season with 41 touchdowns and a passer rating of 163. The least the Heisman comittee could do was invite the kid, wine him, dine him and put on a class act. Instead, they do the complete opposite and prove that the Heisman Trophy is more political than the election of the President of the United States.

Sam Bradford: 4,464 Passing Yards; 48 Touchdowns; 186 passer rating.
Colt McCoy: 3,445 Passing Yards; 32 Touchdowns; 179 passer rating.
Tim Tebow: 2,515 Passing Yards; 28 Touchdowns; 176 passer rating.
***Graham Harrell: 4,747 Passing Yards; 41 Touchdowns; 163 passer rating.

After looking at the numbers it seems apparent to me that Graham Harrell was easily the 2nd best candidate to receive the award through statistical evidence. He plays in the exact same conference as Bradford and McCoy so the bias to leave him out is beyond me. I can't argue with the fact that Sam Bradford deserved the award though. He has put up amazing numbers every game this year, and he has turned the Oklahoma Sooner offense into one of the most efficient units College Football has ever seen. They've scored 60+ points in their last 5 games against opponents that were highly rated and that can play solid football. Unfortunately for Bradford, he has the daunting task of playing a Florida team in the Championship game that is equally athletic as his Sooners. Oh, and I don't want to forget to mention that the Sooners can't seem to win a BCS Bowl Game if their lives depended on it (losses to West Virginia and Boise St. should come to mind).

I've made a College Bowl Pick'Em Group on Yahoo! and the more people that join up the better.
Here's the group ID and Password:

http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/bowl/register/joinprivategroup_assign_team?GID=27486&P=ducks

• Group ID#: 27486
• Password: ducks

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Hey everyone,
I apologize for my extended absence from the blog. I'm lookin' forward to getting back into the flow of this again though! My enthusiam level was dwindling last week and it's unfortunate that my Civil War high was spoiled, but I think I can easily express my Beaver hatred in the next 350 days. I have friends coming over tonight to keep my mind off things, drink good beer and watch the Blazers take on the Magic so I'm going to make tonight's post fairly short. I have found some pictures though that I'm sure you all will like:





This picture ^^^ is a proper omen that the Beaver's would absolutely get their asses destroyed.



That is a rather large knot-knibbler.

There is so much to be talked about when you miss a week of blogging. Steve Sarkisian to Washington, The Holiday Bowl, Visanthe Shiancoe showing his wang to the world on FOX, College Bowl Season and the National Championship game. I'll be sure to touch on 'em all here in the next few days. Ok, time to drink a seasonal winter brew and watch the Blazers!

Sorry For No Blog Posts

Hey Blog Readers,
I apologize for no blog posts this past week...I've had a lot going on in my personal life that has really taken my attention away from this blog, and to be quite honest it has been hard to think about anything else. I'm hoping to start writing again on Sunday when I've had a few more days to cope and to clear my mind. Thanks for the patience.

The Speed Limit On The Highway is 65...not 38.

San Diego or El Paso? I'm glad the Ducks took the first option by clowning on the knot nibblers. Maybe it's fitting for the Beavers to land in El Paso for a bowl game because I hear the greasy burrito's near Juarez will give Reser's a run (and the runs) for their money. I feel like I've finally got my wits about me to write this blog entry after a long evening of drinking and extensive partying due to the beatdown of, as my friend coined last night, "Beaver shanty town" AKA "Beaver Nation." I don't think there really are enough words to express my overall happiness as to what it means to be a Duck fan after yesterday's victory. Yesterday's contest wasn't a matter of "I hope we win" but rather "It's necessary we win." Over the course of the last two seasons Oregon State's ego has continued to inflate itself after back to back Civil War victories. Listening to them rant about how they really should be considered the superior program in the state and that Oregon is all "flash" and no "substance" has been hard to swallow. Bryant Cornell, starting linebacker for the Beavers, had this to say about the Ducks before the game:

"Oregon gets a lot of media, but I'd hate to think my media was coming from the uniforms I was wearing," he said. "I feel like a lot of their pub is what Phil Knight is doing for them."

How I'd love to hear what Bryant would have to say now. Maybe he could explain to me why those media grubbing whores with the green helmets and yellow "O's" absolutely beat his team like they stole somethin'. 694 total yards of offense was accumulated with 385 coming on the ground. That beats the old record for total yards that the Ducks set back in September against Utah St. Yeah that's right, Utah State...the team who is arguably the worst in FBS football this year. I should also mention that the final score of 65-38 looks eerily similar to the results of an Oregon State Men's Basketball game. 65 points is also the highest total that has ever been hung on the Beavers over the course of their program's 100+ year existence, and it will be nice to know that little nugget of info. will be staring them in the faces when they open their $5 dollar programs next season.

From time to time Duck fans have questioned the coaching staff for their ability to recruit superior talent but not showcase it on the field against a team like the Beavers who pride themselves on being "blue collar." After last night's offensive assault it truly became clear that Oregon's recruiting efforts have all been worth while. Oregon was better in all facets of the game, and it was the play from highly touted players that made all the difference. Years of ending with Top 20 recruiting classes made itself evident and it was truly a sweet sight to see. Since the end of the game last night I thought about how I wanted to tackle today's blog post. I wasn't sure if I wanted to truly express my disdain for everything Beaver or if I wanted to do take a different approach. I then realized that the Oregon players shared my hate and expressed it perfectly by setting records throughout the night, and letting the play on the football field speak for itself is exactly how it should be.

On The Eve Of The Civil War: Post #2

Well, in less than 36 hours the regular season will come to an end for the Ducks and Beavers. I will either be drinking myself into a celebratory stupor for an Oregon victory or drinking to erase all memory of an Oregon loss...hopefully it's not the latter. The main topic of concern I've had with this Oregon State team isn't their offense this year...even with "Quizz" they haven't scored at will, but rather just hang around long enough to close out games. My concern lies in their defense and what they plan to do to stop Oregon. As I've mentioned previously to close friends (so bear with me if this is repetitive) the Beavers rely heavily on a pass rush from their defensive ends Victor Butler and Slade Norris. Should Oregon be concerned with this? Yes and No. Norris and Butler are both very good players, but their skills really work against a drop back passer who they can always locate. Masoli is so mobile, maybe even too much at times, and therefore will evade them repeatedly. After watching the Beavers this year they make every attempt to bring their D-ends on a heavy pass rush, and maybe this is too simple, but it seems like Masoli would simply be able to step up in the pocket and challenge the Beaver linebackers to make a play. When the Beavers have played mobile quarterbacks this year the results are somewhat astounding:

1) Penn State: QB Darryl Clark: Had 5 rushes for 61 yards and a touchdown. Even had a long run of 24 yards...his mobility stressed the Beaver defense and made the linebackers make plays. Needless to say....they didn't.

2) Utah: Brian Johnson: Had 11 rushes for 11 yards and a long of 15. Those numbers aren't very good, but they opened the passing game where he went 17-20 for 201 and 2 TD's. If I recall, free safety and Pac-10 defensive player of the week Greg Laybourne got torched repeatedly on the final drive of that game that lead to the Beaver loss.

The closest the Beavers have come to playing a true "spread" offense this year is against Penn St. and they got absolutely dismantled. Utah runs a version of the spread as well, but their execution was lacking throughout nearly the entirety of the game and they still were able to win. My point: the spread offense limits the Beavers strengths and makes their linebackers (who aren't exceptionally quick) make plays repeatedly in space.

We've all heard that the Beavers have the 2nd best rush defense in the Pac-10, that's no lie, but like all statistics they can be skewed...this is no exception. What competition at running back have the Beavers played against this year? It's been sub-par at best...just like the Pac-10 has been. Here's a breakdown of the Beaver's opponents and their rushing ability.

1) Stanford - Toby Gerhart rushes for 140 on 19 carries while Stanford as a team rushes for 210. Stanford is currently ranked 22nd in the nation in total rushing offense.

2) Penn State - Evan Royster rushes for 141 on 17 carries while Penn State as a team rushes for 239. Penn State is ranked 15th in the nation in total rushing offense.

3) Hawaii - They rush for 50 yards as a team and are currently ranked 103rd in rushing offense.

4) USC - They only attempted 22 rushes for 86 yards since they were trailing the whole game. USC is ranked 18th in total rushing offense.

5) Utah - Attempted 36 rushes for 138 yards. Utah is ranked 43rd in total rushing offense.

6) Washington St. - Attempted 42 carries for 53 yards. Washington St. is ranked 111th in total rushing offense.

7) Washington - 28 attempts for 101 yards...even from Washington! Washington is ranked 108th in total rushing offense.

8) Arizona State - 32 carries for 78 yards. The Sun Devils are ranked 107th in total rushing offense.

9) UCLA - 27 carries for 48 yards. UCLA is ranked 116th in the nation in total rushing offense.

10) Cal - Jahvid Best rushes 15 times for 116 yards and a TD. Outside of spectacular special teams plays by the Beavers the Golden Bears very well might have won that game. Cal is ranked 51st in total rushing offense.

11) Arizona - Keola Antolin rushes 25 times for 114 yards and a TD. Arizona should have won this game if they had coaches that could think themselves out of a wet paper bag. Arizona is ranked 42nd in rushing offense.

12) Oregon - Ranked 6th in overall rushing offense...result TBD.

Nationally, Oregon State is ranked #22 against the run, but they have played some seriously pathetic opponents that are one-dimensional at best. To summarize that mountain of information up there ^^^^ here is the info. I want you to come away with:

• This year Oregon State is 1-2 against teams ranked Top 25 or better in total rushing offense (Penn State, Stanford and USC). Their lone victory was against USC and perhaps that was a total fluke.

• This season the Beavers have played 5 opponents that are ranked 100th or above in total rushing offense. They have won all 5...which isn't surprising. Oh, and there are only 118 division one teams...that makes it even worse.
  

PREDICTION: Based simply off of rushing statistics I will say that Oregon wins tomorrow. Keep in mind that Oregon State didn't miraculously get rid of its defensive front seven and swap it out with new guys after the first two games of the year...they simply played weaker opponents that are inept or average at running the football. Analysis of quarterbacks, defenses and special teams is a moot point...or so I hope!

Oregon - 38 / Oregon State - 27

Civil War Prelude - Post #1

With the Civil War looming less than 6 days away I figured it would be pointless to deviate from this monumental match-up between the Beavers and the Ducks, therefore, I'll have 2 or 3 posts dedicated to the topic this week. I don't think there is any other team in the nation that can be defined by one singular offensive like Oregon State and their vaunted "Fly Sweep," but outside of last weekend that play has had little success in the overall tone of their season. When I say, "little success" I mean that James Rodgers hasn't consistently torched teams for 100+ yards week after week, but there is no doubt that it has been a tremendous factor in shifting defenses and creating diversions for their running game. I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out what exactly Arizona was trying to accomplish by not getting in position at least once to stop James Rodgers when he ran the sweep more than 10 times last week for 110 yards and a Touchdown. You have to give the Beaver coaches credit though...they kept running it since Arizona showed no signs of truly dedicating an effort to stop it. Thankfully, I don't think we need to remind Oregon of how critical that play is to the Beavers success due to the outcome of last year's contest.

The old adage, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." seems too fitting for Nick Aliotti and the Ducks this time around against Oregon St. I can only hope that the Ducks defensive unit all watched Oregon St. chew up yards against Arizona with the "Fly Sweep" and have already made a huge mental effort to slow that down. Ultimately though, this defensive effort will fall square on the shoulders of Aliotti. Oregon fans still have the sickening feeling of watching Rob Gronkowski kill the ducks through the air time and time again 2 weeks ago, and the Ducks showed no signs of being able to stop that offensive barrage. Mike Riley made it known today that Jacquizz Rodgers is "very doubtful" to play this Saturday, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Ducks job will be any easier. I seem to recall a converted fullback with the name "Sieverson" stitched to the back of his jersey take a 70 yard touchdown run to the house against Oregon last year on the first play of the game. My point: it doesn't matter who Oregon St. has at running back...they will make plays. It is a serious blow to the Beaver offense though considering that their backups have less than 90 carries combined on the season.

Jacquizz Rodgers: 259 attempts for 1,253 yards and 11 TD's.
Jeremy Francis and Ryan McCants: 86 attempts for 367 yards and 3 TD's.

That's a huge offensive drop off, and not to mention the offensive scheme's that the Beavers were getting used to with "Quizz" on the field. Alright, now it's time to watch the Ducks put up a fight against No. 1 ranked North Carolina in the Maui Invitational. It's pretty cool to see 5 black kids on the floor all at the same time for Oregon...I don't know if that has ever happened in the history of the basketball program. Michael Dunigan has the potential to be a Pac-10 player of the year...doesn't take long to notice that. Goodnight Now!

More On The Blog Tomorrow

Well, the Civil War game has shaped up to be one of the most important since 2000 and I will have more on that tomorrow. Unfortunately, for you avid blog readers I do have a life on a Monday night (amazing I know!) and therefore am strapped for time. Sorry! Check back tomorrow though around 7:30 PM and I should have a detailed post regarding Oregon's future bowl game and the Beavers.

Oregon St. Vs. Arizona: What To Expect

Before I contribute my prediction and pregame analysis of the Oregon St. vs Arizona game I think it's important to note that all Oregon fans should be rooting for Stanford to beat California tomorrow. As I mentioned last week, if Stanford can beat Cal then Oregon would be a Holiday Bowl lock regardless of the outcome next week against Oregon St. A loss to Stanford for Cal would have the Bears finishing with 4 conference losses and the worst Oregon can finish is with 3 conference losses hence the "lock" of the Holiday Bowl. The reason I mention this is that the result of the Cal/Stanford game will be known before the kickoff of the Beaver game, and if Cal does end up losing all Duck fans should root for Oregon St. to beat the Wildcats...yeah I know...I can't believe I typed that either. Let me bullet point this "supreme" scenario so that I don't contribute to your head exploding:

1. Cal loses tomorrow and achieve 4 conference losses. Oregon fans cheer with girl school glee.
2. Oregon State beats Arizona and still has the Rose Bowl in sight.
3. Oregon beats Oregon State next week and again Oregon fans cheer with girl school glee.
4. Oregon fans then proceed to gloat more than normal because the Ducks take the Holiday Bowl while the Beavers fall from grace to the Sun Bowl.

If Oregon St. was to lose tomorrow it would make the Holiday Bowl much harder for the Ducks to achieve since the winner would end up taking that game. Ultimately, Oregon just needs to win the Civil War...and it would be nice if Cal got beat too.

Ok, enough with the scenarios. The Wildcat/Beaver game has had me excited to sit around, watch College Football and do absolutely nothing since last weekend when I briskly walked out of the Oregon game wondering what in the hell happened in the second half. Then I realized that Arizona is a very good team and that Oregon just beat them...and Oregon St. hasn't. A lot has been made this week about Jaquizz Rodgers being the gamebreaker for the Beavers and whether the Arizona defense can stop him. What nobody has been talking about is Arizona's own midget tailback in Keola Antolin. I'm sure all Duck fans remember him considering he scored two touchdowns in last weeks game and was getting lost in translation around the goal line. I thought about sending Antolin a "thank you" card for dropping a critical pass in the game when Arizona was trying to convert on 4th and 4. If he catches that pass Oregon may have lost, but he didn't so it's a moot point. Arizona practices against a "Quizz" clone everyday in practice so why wouldn't they be able to contain him during the game? Before the season started I remember reading articles from the Oregonian that said the Beaver defense couldn't handle "Quizz" and he repeatedly tore them up in practice. I'm sure that type of info. would make Mike Stoops feel all warm and fuzzy considering Antolin has the ability to do exactly the same thing.

In last year's contest in Corvallis the Wildcat's rushed for a TOTAL of 9 yards...yeah that's right...9. Tuitama threw 3 picks in the game and Oregon State won 31-16. I think it's safe to say that Arizona's offense, and their team as a whole, has come a long way since last years meeting. Oregon State won't have the same success they did last year against Arizona's running attack and if they try to sell out to stop the run I do expect Tuitama to pick them apart through the air. Sean Canfield was the quarterback during last year's game and it appears that he may be the signal caller for tomorrow's game as well. From what I heard on the radio today Lyle Moevao didn't practice yesterday and is considered a "game time decision" due to a shoulder injury he suffered against Arizona St.

The deciding factor for the game will be whether the Beavers will be able to stop Rob Gronkowski. He is a large target and the Ducks certainly had no answer for him. Gronkowski always seemed to be the last resort for Tuitama when pressure was coming, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Beavers pick him off at least once while he tries to force a pass to him. "Quizz" will get his 32 carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns simply because it's what I would expect from him at this point...he is the second coming of Jesus after all.

Here's some interesting statistics regarding Arizona being the 2.5 point favorite for tomorrow's game:

• The Wildcats score on average 42.2 points at home and 37.2 on the road.
• They allow an average of 30.6 points per game on the road and 14.8 at home.
• The Beavers score on average 46.6 points at home and 27.6 points on the road. This stat is a bit skewed since Oregon State had the luxury of playing Washington State at home and hanging 66 points on them. Arizona played them away.
• They allow an average of 26.2 points per game on the road and 17.4 at home.
  

PREDICTION: Oregon State will win this week regardless of who as at QB. They are a team on a mission, just like Oregon was last year, but I highly doubt they will have a game altering injury take place. Oregon State 24 - Arizona 20.

Ducks Get Two New Commits

Oh the irony of college recruiting. After all the recruits Oregon has had during home games this season the two most recent additions to the Oregon football program never attended a single contest. Andrew Iupati, a 3-star JC defensive tackle, committed last week (this news broke Tuesday) along with his teammate Lavasier Tuinei. Both recruits are from Golden West Junior College in California and will help immediately fill voids that current seniors will be creating. Iupati is a huge recruit considering the recent mishaps Oregon has had in recruiting defensive tackles in recent years (Myles Wade, Simi Fili, Justin Thompson etc.). Iutapi is listed at 6'1" and 295 lbs. with offers from Oregon State, Tennessee, Arizona and Arizona St. All I can say is, if Mark Banker and Mike Stoops wanted this guy on their defensive lines that says enough for me. I think Tuinei has the potential to be a true "diamond in the rough" recruit for the Ducks. Listed as a 6'6" wide receiver who weighs 195 lbs. and can run a 4.5 -40...who wouldn't want this kid? I'm wondering if his recruitment was a complete accident before Duck recruiters actually saw the kid play. Here's what I think occurred: Oregon went to scope out Iupati since defensive line will be a major concern for next year and they just happened to stumble upon Tuinei as well. After doing some research it seems that Tuinei's family ended up moving during his junior year of high school which limited his high school exposure. As a freshman for Golden West he has 41 receptions for 680 yards and 3 TD's....16.6 yards per reception isn't bad at all.

Oregon will be young at wideout next year, but they have the potential to have some of the biggest receivers in the Pac-10. I'd suspect that Drew Davis, Jamere Holland and Jeff Maehl will be the starters next year, but once you mix in Ellis Krout, Garret Embry, Dion Jordan, Blake Cantu and Lavasier Tuinei it seems that Oregon's wideout worries recede a bit.

Here's a dream WR lineup for Masoli next year:
1) Ellis Krout - 6'4" and 190 lbs.
2) Dion Jordan - 6'6" and 215 lbs.
3) Lavasier Tuinei - 6'6 and 195 lbs.

I'm not sure Oregon has ever had two wide receivers on the field at the same time that were over 6'4"...let alone 6'6". Needless to say, Tuinei has me excited for Oregon at wideout next year.

There has been all kinds of chatter regarding Bryce Brown on Duck and Miami Hurricane message boards this last week regarding his recruitment and where he might end up. In a recent interview with ESPN Bryce Brown said Oregon had the "edge" over Miami at the current moment. Here's the question that was asked:

Interviewer: If you were to go somewhere other than Miami, where would it be?

Bryce: “It is safe to say that Oregon has got the edge by a little bit, but my decision is going to be a spiritual decision.”

After the Terrelle Pryor saga last year I'm trying to keep myself quietly optimistic that Brown may end up as a Duck, but after looking at the interviewers question more closely I'm not sure what to make of it. The question asked if he were to go somewhere OTHER than Miami not "do you favor Oregon over Miami?" Basically, it would seem Oregon has the "edge" over Missouri....not Miami like Duck fans would like to think. Ducksportsauthority.com has an article on the front page of their website titled "Brown loved Oregon visit" so who knows what Oregon can expect from him at this point. This is a biased remark, but why would he select Miami over Oregon? They currently have 3 top flight RB's committed including Brown and Miami hasn't put a successful running back into the NFL since Frank Gore...who is already in his 4th season with 49ers. Willis McGahee and Clinton Portis have both been in the league for well over 5 seasons, and it would seem that Oregon has become more of a "Running Back U" than Miami in recent years (Reuben Droughs, Maurice Morris, Onterrio Smith, Terrence Whitehead, Jonathan Stewart and throw in Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount for the future...hell even Chris Vincent made it as an RB in the NFL for awhile!). Ultimately, Miami has been irrelevant in a pathetic ACC conference for the past 5 seasons.

Here are a couple signs held up by fans during College Gameday appearances...the first one owns all!

Oregon Ranked 22 & 24 in USA Today and AP

The notorious November fade that has been synonymous with Oregon football the last few seasons has finally vanished...at least for the 2008 season. Wins over a formidable Stanford squad and a offensively dangerous Arizona team have put the Ducks back in the Top 25 right before a bye week. Before the season started I slated the Ducks for a 9-3 regular season record with losses to Arizona St., Cal and USC. With a win over Oregon St. the Ducks would achieve that 9-3 record and would most likely clinch a birth in the Holiday Bowl. Here's the updated Pac-10 standings after yesterdays games.

TEAM	CONF. W-L	OVERALL W-L
-USC	7-1	9-1
-Oregon State	6-1	7-3
-Oregon	6-2	8-3
-Arizona	4-3	6-4
-California	4-3	6-4
Stanford	4-4	5-6
UCLA	3-4	4-6
Arizona State	3-4	4-6
x-Washington	0-7	0-10
x-Washington State	0-8	1-10

USC, Oregon State and Oregon have sizable leads over Arizona and Cal at this point in the conference standings so I'll break down some scenarios of what we can expect for the Ducks.

1) Oregon State goes down to Arizona next week, beats the Wildcats and then proceeds to beat Oregon the following week. USC would go to another BCS game that doesn't have "Rose" in the title while Oregon State would be playing against Penn St. in Pasadena. California would have to win out against Stanford and Washington to be 6-4 and take the Holiday Bowl away from the Ducks since they hold the tie-breaker over Oregon, but do they really beat Stanford? That will be a game to watch next week.

2) Oregon State goes down to Arizona but loses, and then beats Oregon in the Civil War. USC takes the Rose Bowl while Oregon St. takes the Holiday Bowl. Oregon wouldn't be able to play in the Sun Bowl again since there is a "no repeat" clause which would keep them out. That leaves either a trip to San Francisco for the Emerald Bowl or to Las Vegas. Likely opponents for Oregon would be TCU in the Vegas Bowl and Georgia Tech in the Emerald.

3) Oregon State loses to the Wildcats next saturday and then loses to Oregon the following week (they inherit the November fade). USC takes the Rose Bowl while Oregon is a Holiday Bowl lock. This is the scenario I would most like to see.

Amazingly enough, there are two scenarios that have Oregon winding up in the Holiday Bowl, but they are predicated on Cal losing to Stanford (which could easily happen) and Oregon State winning out. Ultimately, Oregon controls its own destiny to play in the Holiday Bowl which is kind of refreshing...especially since nobody is talking about that yet. CBS Sportsline has Oregon slated for the Las Vegas Bowl against TCU which would be a pretty interesting game, but the Las Vegas Bowl is for the Pac-10 team ranked #5 in the final standings and Oregon can't finish any better than 4th at this point so I'm not quite sure how they came up with that.

Oregon did a great job of pissing of the Wildcats yesterday so I'm sure they will be more than eager to beat the Beavers next Saturday in the desert. Arizona has had a knack in recent years for beating ranked opponents that had high hopes of post season play, and I'm sure the crowd will be riled up to bring down the Beavers. I know Beaver fans want nothing more than to get national recognition in the Top 25, but I believe this is one of those times that their ranking will actually work against them. Arizona will be playing extra hard just to knock off a ranked opponent at home and to add Oregon St. as another statistic to their resume.

*Notice that I didn't mention Arizona in the above scenarios simply because Oregon holds the tie-breaker over them after yesterdays win. Arizona could beat both Oregon State and Arizona St. to finish the year, but still settle for a lower bowl game even if Oregon ends up 6-3 in Pac-10 play.*

Sadly enough, CBS Sportsline has Miami playing Pittsburgh in the Orange Bowl on January 1st. How in the hell are those two teams even worthy of playing in a BCS game?! The ACC champion is an Orange Bowl lock and it would seem that Miami is primed to take the crown considering the ACC is horrid. The Orange Bowl gets the last pick in the BCS bowl selection process and will end up with either an undefeated non BCS sqaud or the Big East champion. Whoopity doo for that bowl game...what a joke.

Here's a funny video I found while searching "College Gameday" on YouTube...it's of Lee Corso dropping an "F" Bomb. Check it out:

Attention Pac-10: Be Scared Of The Holiday Bowl

Congratulations Oregon. You officially saved your football season yesterday in one of the rainiest contests I've attended in a long time. 7-3 sounds a lot better than 6-4, and with Arizona and Oregon St. lurking just around the corner a win in November was more than needed. I think I'm still having a hard time digesting the fact that Oregon won the game with six seconds left and that's after turning the ball over 4 times. There's no doubt that Jeremiah Masoli is a work in progress, but after this 25 yard run with 1:20 left in the game I don't think there's any doubting why he's playing instead of Roper. When he was forced to throw he did just that, and going 11/21 for 144 yards and a TD is a much needed boost for the team and his confidence. I get annoyed when people say he "can't" throw, but I think it's along the lines of "does he really HAVE to throw?" Stanford couldn't stop Oregon's running attack yesterday, and it seems like half the time when Oregon does throw the ball the wide receivers don't catch it anyways. Masoli only needed to throw on occasion, but when Blount and Johnson combine for 225 yards on the ground passing the ball needed to be an afterthought anyways. If Duck fan didn't notice yesterday, it did rain for about 85% of the game and those conditions aren't exaclty condusive to airing the ball out. Another positive point is that Masoli did gain more yards through the air than Tavita Pritchard too (He went 15/22 for 138 yards and score). And more importantly, the Ducks beat a Stanford team that was 5-4 yesterday...they finally notch a win against a team that HAD a winning record.

So what does this game mean for postseason play? Here's how the top half of the Pac-10 standings shape up:

1) USC - 6-1
2) Oregon State - 5-1
3) Oregon - 5-2
4) Arizona - 4-2
5) California 4-2

Oregon State and California face off this next weekend in a game that has Rose Bowl implications for the Beavers and Holiday Bowl hopes for the Bears. USC is hoping that Oregon St. wins out so they can play in a BCS Bowl other than the Rose, but ultimately I think USC will end up facing off against the Nittany Lions in Pasadena. Oregon State gets to face off against the upper echelon of the Pac-10 now, and I don't think they can beat Cal, Arizona and Oregon all in a row. The last month has been good to the Beavers considering they've won 4 games in a row, but those games have come against teams that are a combined 7 and 30. That wasn't a typo...7 AND 30! Oregon, Arizona and Cal are a combined 19-9...that's much stiffer competition for a birth in the Rose Bowl, and if the Beavers can make it through unscathed they may deserve to play in the game...but who really wants to watch a rematch of Penn St. vs Oregon State? You know the BCS committee doesn't want to see that considering the first outcome. USC vs Penn St. is a much more attractive offering, and I won't be surprised if that's the matchup we ultimately see.

So that leaves Cal, Arizona, Oregon and Oregon St. duking it out for the Holiday Bowl. With the way the Ducks are playing this year I think it would be in their best interest to defer that game due to the opponent that they would face. Texas Tech, Texas and Oklahoma are all in the Big 12 South, and if Texas Tech beats Oklahoma on the 22nd (Tech won last years meeting and they have a bye week to prepare) they will probably beat Missouri in the Big 12 title game and play for the national title. That leaves either Oklahoma or Texas to play for the Holiday Bowl. Texas is easily a #1 team and Oklahoma isn't far behind. I think the Holiday Bowl opponent is exponentially more difficult than that of the Rose Bowl, and I think it's safe to say that the Pac-10 runner up would likely get beaten handily. The Sun Bowl and Emerald Bowl opponents are much more favorable, and if Oregon wins out and plays in the Holiday Bowl I won't be complaining...but I can't say that I will be expecting a victory.

RECRUITING NEWS: It's too early to say whether Oregon has received any commitments from this weekends highly touted recruits, and Bryce Brown attended the basketball game this afternoon so his visit hasn't even ended yet. I'm sure I'll hear more later in the week. Unfortunately, it seems Oregon may be losing another recruit. Four star wide receiver, Diante Jackson, may be switching his commitment. Per a Rivals interview he says:

"Looking back, I feel like I kind of made my decision too early. I have to call [Oregon head] coach Mike Bellotti and their coaches and let them know how I feel about stuff." Some Rivals insiders are saying that his decision to decommit may be based on being closer to his friends rather than Oregon becoming a more run oriented team. Oregon's emphasis on running is more predicated on the quarterback situation anyway, and if he was to change his commitment based on what he's seen the last month I'm not sure it's in the best interest that he's a Duck. With the way kids change their minds all the time I can't say that I'm not surprised, and hopefully Oregon can find a kid that is 100% committed to the program. Garret Embry, Blake Cantu, Chris Harper, Dion Jordan, Drew Davis and even Jamere Holland will fill voids in the future...I'm not worried...yet.

The Delusional World of BCS Football

Well, I think I'm ready to address the Cal game now. I have to wonder what the outcome would have been like if the "field" wasn't a lake by half time, but even with the weather conditions Oregon had numerous opportunities to make a move and potentially win the game. Instead of reliving those moments, which I'm sure we can all pinpoint precisely in our minds, I'll just say this: The defense played with authority. T.J. Ward, Nick Reed and Patrick Chung were hitting people...and hitting them hard. I still have a hard time stomaching the repeated 3rd and long attempts that the defense gives up, but when the defense is hitting people it makes it a little easier to swallow. Is it time to throw Roper back out there and abandon Masoli? I'm not really sure. Our wide receivers have a hard time catching a dry football...let alone a wet one...and he did play great against Arizona St. I think he has this weekend against Stanford to make his case that he deserves to remain the starter. And how bad is Jaison Williams? I think J-Will made it apparent that he is officially the most overrated Oregon Duck in the history of the program considering he receives so much press about his size, speed etc. and then proceeds to repeatedly suck week-in and week-out. Drew Davis should be starting in his place the rest of the season. Davis is large, physical and catches everything thrown his way....maybe Wide Receivers coach Robin Pflugrad just has a hard time benching a guy that is 6'5", runs a 4.4 forty and looks like Randy Moss streaking down the field? Too bad looks aren't everything.

With Texas Tech knocking off the Longhorns in one of the greatest endings to a college football game I've ever seen it would appear that the BCS has a lot more shaking up to be done. Here's a link to the newest BCS standings for reference.

1) Alabama
2) Texas Tech
3) Penn St.
4) Texas
5) Florida
6) Oklahoma
7) USC
8) Utah
9) Oklahoma St.
10) Boise St.

I'm sure all Nittany Lions fans are bent out of shape that they got leap frogged by Texas Tech, but after watching the Red Raiders play a superb game AND BEAT #1 TEXAS it only seems relevant that they take over the #2 spot behind the undefeated Crimson Tide. Unfortunately for the Red Raiders, I don't think they will stay atop their lofty perch for the rest of the season...especially since they have to play Oklahoma in Norman and go through the rigors of the Big 12. Amazingly enough, the Sooners may be sitting atop the BCS standings by the end of the season if they continue to win and beat Texas Tech. After seeing the way Florida absolutely $hit canned the Georgia Bulldogs you have to wonder how they will fit into the BCS picture. Outside of Alabama I'm not sure there's another SEC team that holds a candle to them. They are only 1 point away from being the #1 team in the country, and I firmly believe that the Gators will be making up one half the National Championship. So who makes up the other half? I think that either Oklahoma or Texas will fill that void. If either team wins out I think the BCS computers will rank them ahead of an undefeated Penn St. team who comes from one of the weakest conferences in all of college football. I hear media pundits repeatedly talk about how weak the Big 10 is, but then they want to see Penn St. in the big dance either because 1) they'd like to see Joe Pa on the sidelines or 2) they have amensia and have forgotten that the Big 10 has been in the title game the past two years and has been pimp smacked in both appearances. In my opinion, a one loss SEC or Big 12 team is a better representative to play for the national title than Penn St. ever would be. The simple fact that Texas had to play FOUR Top-10 opponents all in consecutive weeks speaks volumes about the Big 12, and the SEC Title Game between Alabama and Florida should determine which of those teams plays for the National Title.

My Utopian Prediction: Florida vs. Texas in the National Championship

In a perfect world I think that would be the best matchup, and who knows maybe it will happen. The BCS computers don't take into account the media love affair with Joe Paterno, and they do weigh heavily on strength of schedule.

Here's my actual prediction: Florida vs Penn St. in which Florida proceeds to own the Lions 44 to 10.

Mark it down. As my dad says, "Bet the wife, house and kids."

Ugh

I'm not gonna lie...I don't have much motivation to make a blog post after yesterday's loss. By tomorrow I think my disappointment will have faded enough to make a truly thoughtful post. There will be a lot for me to talk about...especially the new BCS rankings. Ok, I'm going to go drown my sorrows over a Mirror Pond. Goodnight now!

Rock, Paper, Scissors

After watching the replay of the Oregon vs. Arizona St. game I thought I saw Willy Glasper and Patrick Chung play rock, paper, scissors to determine who would get to fly down the field on punt coverage. Thanks to YouTube I was glad to find out that my eyes didn't deceive me:



It's great to see the enthusiasm from those two guys (especially Chung when he ends up losing)! Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part, but after last weeks defensive effort I would like to think that Oregon has turned the proverbial "corner" when it comes to the secondary living up to their potential. This weekends game against Cal will really be the indicator as to what we can expect out of the Ducks for the remainder of the season.

In last year's loss to the Bears the Ducks had a total of 3 turnovers that ultimately led to their demise...all three were in the 4th quarter too. The Ducks should be thankful that California no longer has Justin Forsett, Lavelle Hawkins and Desean Jackson on the offensive side of the ball. Jackson alone caught 11 balls for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns last year. If the Ducks would've been able to contain Jackson they probably would've won the game, but his world class speed was too much for Jairus Byrd and the Oregon secondary. For all the publicity I've heard this week about Cal's 3-4 defense stopping Oregon's running game I'm not convinced that they will have the monumental success that many people are giving them...including The Register-Guard's Rob Moseley. To make my point I think it's important to dissect Cal and take a closer look at what they do, who they have played etc.

So how good are the Golden Bears? There has been moments in the season where they look like the team that was picked to contend for second place in the Pac-10 behind USC. Then there are times (2nd half of Arizona game) where they fall apart at the seams and can't mesh on offense. Their biggest quality win is probably against Michigan St. back in week 1 where they barely got by the Spartans with a score of 38 to 31. They did hold one of the nations best running backs in Javon Ringer to 87 yards on 27 carries, but let's be honest...Ringer is the only offensive weapon Michigan St. has and they still put up 31 on Cal. Even more importantly Cal is probably less confident in their quarterback than Oregon is at this point in the season. Kevin Riley has been up and down his whole career, and I wouldn't expect an all world performance out of him on Saturday. The one game changer on Cal's squad that WILL make plays against Oregon is their running back, Jahvid Best. I'm going to guarantee that Best will have one long touchdown at some point in the game, but great players will make great plays. Luckily for Oregon, stopping the run is their specialty. Cal beat the Sundevils 24-14 back in early October, and although they may have thumped UCLA last weekend the score wasn't indicative of the overall outcome. Going into the 4th quarter the Bears were only up 13-17 on the Bruins before they resorted to flea flickers and Kevin Craft interceptions to finally pull away.

And what's with all this hype of Cal's 3-4 defense? Granted, they are ranked #12 in the nation in overall rushing defense but Oregon is ranked #17 so that statistic is very reliant on the opponents they have played. Cal has played 1) Michigan St. 2) Washington St. 3) Maryland 4) Colorado St. 5) Arizona St. and 6) Arizona. The best rushing offenses they have played came from Maryland (#45) and Michigan St. (#49)...both of those teams come from conferences that are total $hit too so those stats are probably even more skewed. Needless to say, they haven't met a rushing attack that is as good as Oregon's which is currently ranked #5 in the nation after 8 games...and that includes the game against USC. This 3-4 defense is the same set they showed against Oregon last year and it's the same defense which Jonathan Stewart gashed for 121 yards on 21 carries. Yeah I know, that was Jonathan Stewart, but Oregon hasn't missed a beat on the ground since his departure. Jeremiah Masoli will undoubtedly be the X-factor in this game. If he is able to find success moving the ball on the ground with his quarterback scrambles I think Cal will be in for a long day. This might be the coming out party for Masoli through the air as well...with Cal leaving 4 linebackers in to stop the run that will leave single coverage on the wide outs. Cal has won 3 of the last 5 meetings that I can remember, and 4 of them have been extremely close games...I don't expect this one to be any different.

2003-2004 Result: 21-17 Win in Eugene
2004-2005 Result: 27-28 Loss in Berkeley
2005-2006 Result: 27-20 Overtime Win in Eugene
2006-2007 Result: 24-45 Loss in Berkeley (Dennis Dixon throwing a pick on the 1st play hurt)
2007-2008 Result: 24-31 Loss in Eugene

Prediction: Oregon 31 - Cal 24

Feel free to leave a prediction of the score too...I'm interested to see what you all think.

Masoli Is The Guy For The Ducks

I knew the Ducks would get the memo that Saturday was my birthday and therefore they would celebrate by beating those lowly Sun Devils...I just didn't think it would be by 34 points. Thank God for Comcast and the invention of the DVR because since Saturday I've watched the game twice and there were some positives notes to comment on:

1) The defense played like we all knew they could. The Ducks came out with a fire that was evident in the first game against the Huskies. The secondary made big plays when it needed to and playmakers (Byrd and Thurmond especially) created turnovers and earned their preseason Thorpe Award status. Perhaps there can't be enough said about the recovery and preparation that takes place in a bye week. The Ducks did have a tall task of playing 7 games in a row before their bye week which made the wear and tear even more evident in the secondary unit at times (*cough* USC game *cough*). I don't think it's a coincidence that the Beavers beat USC after coming off a bye week...it truly is an invaluable time to prepare for an opponent and get healthy. Getting Spencer Paysinger back was huge too, and it's nice to see that Bellotti has decided to stick with Casey Matthews at linebacker instead being loyal to John Bacon. Matthews is the future and Bacon seems to get burned like the meat on a weekly basis (a bad analogy I know). Watching Patrick Chung hit Rudy Carpenter so hard that he was bleeding from the nose and mouth at the same time speaks volumes about the intensity that was out there on the field.

2) I know people will be quick to say that "Arizona St. sucks!" but before the game everyone thought that it would be extremely competitive. Even Vegas thought it would be a close game with a spread 3 point spread in favor of Oregon and a blowout being the last thing on anyone's mind. ASU is in a slump, but I don't think they are necessarily bad. Losing to Georgia by 17 and being shut out 28-0 against USC isn't good don't get me wrong, but that team has a good quarterback and athletes that can make plays. Oregon just didn't allow them to even get rolling. If Walter Thurmond doesn't pick off Rudy Carpenter in the first quarter the game may have been 7-7 and who knows what the outcome may have been. Oregon extinguished their hopes of being competitive early which is ultimately what the spread offense hopes to accomplish...force a team to panic and try to score points quickly. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, there was little doubt that Oregon was the better team.

3) Jeremiah Masoli is making vast strides in this offense. He may make decisions that are a little on the brazen side, but it's great to see a guy play with a little wreckless abandon at times. One of his option runs in the first half looked like he was going to get wrapped up for a 2 yard loss, but after a few juke moves he's 15 yards down the field. I think that defenders don't know what to make of him...he has very good speed and is one of those guys that's really hard to get a square hit on. Even in the USC game he was never sacked...he escaped the pass rush with his speed which is something Roper could never do. A critical play early in the first quarter featured a high snap over his head which rolled about 10 yards before he picked it up and instead of falling on the ball (i.e. Roper) he picked it up and chucked it 30 yards out of bounds. Less than 5 plays after that the score was 7-0. That's heads up football and Masoli playing like a veteran. Watching him go 17/26 for 147 through the air was encouraging too and those numbers will only get better as the playbook is opened up even more. Masoli "haters" should realize that he is the guy for this offense. It's pretty nice when ASU linebacker, Mike Nixon says, "He's perfect for that offense." Attention retarded Duck fan: that statement is coming from a guy who got absolutely humbled by Masoli...I think the poor little Sun Devil might be onto something with that comment don't you?

4) Lastly, I'm curious to see what we can expect out of the Sun Devils this weekend. If they lose to the Beavers that would be their 6th consecutive loss this season and I'm not sure the Sun Devil fan base can even remember the last time they lost 6 games in a row. I would expect the Sun Devils to come out with an intensity that we havent seen all season because there is a lot riding on Saturday's game. If they can beat the Beavers and win out they will be 6-6 and therefore bowl eligible. The remainder of their schedule is winnable with games against Wazzu, Washington and Arizona. From what I heard on the radio today the spread is 16 in favor of the Beavers...this could be a trap game for the wood chucks.

Not much recruiting news has taken place so far this week, but then again it is only Monday. Later this week I'll break down the Top 10 for the last time and foreshadow what I expect to take place over the next 3 to 4 weeks.

BIG 12 and SEC: Bad Defenses or Good QB Play?

I'm watching the Texas Tech Red Raiders absolutely violate the Kansas Jayhawks this morning which gave me perfect insight for this blog post. If you have ever gone to a BIG 12 or SEC blog/forum you probably read comments from people that claim "Our conference plays the best defense EVERRR!" and then they will poke fun at the Pac-10 and its inability to stop anybody. The Pac-10 is always labeled as the conference that simply tries to outscore its opponents rather than stop them, but has that stigma finally been shifted to the BIG 12? This Texas Tech v. Kansas game is a perfect example of the point I'm trying to make. With 11 minutes left in the contest the Raiders have scored 63 points on the No. 23 ranked Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kansas! ESPN has been kind enough to update the status of the Oklahoma vs. Kansas State game too and amazingly the score is 55 t0 28....at halftime! The only excuse I can reasonably make for the lack of defense in that conference is the plethora of very good quarterback play.

Texas - Colt McCoy
Kansas -Todd Reesing
Oklahoma - Sam Bradford
Missouri - Chase Daniels
Texas Tech - Graham Harrell
Oklahoma St. - Zac Robinson

I understand that these guys are all really solid players, but does it warrant the lack of defense we've seen from the Big 12 especially since it is considered by many this year to be the best conference in the nation? Here is a ranking of the Big 12 conference broken down by total defense and where they stack up nationally. Sadly enough there isn't a team that cracked the top 30 in this category, and the total pass defense for this conference is even worse...believe me I've checked. Even the vaunted Oklahoma's and Texas' of the world are nearly giving up 5 yards a play which is REALLY poor considering Texas is ranked #1.

TOTAL DEFENSE

Year: 2008

Thru: 10/18/08

Rank	Name	Gm	Avg	Plays	Yds	Tds	YdsGm	Win	Loss	Ties	Natl Rank
1	Oklahoma	7	4.59	481	2210	18	315.71	6	1	0	34
2	Texas	7	4.94	458	2262	15	323.14	7	0	0	39
3	Oklahoma St.	7	4.88	482	2351	19	335.86	7	0	0	47
4	Texas Tech	7	4.96	495	2457	17	351.00	7	0	0	58
5	Nebraska	7	5.70	442	2520	21	360.00	4	3	0	64
6	Kansas	7	5.12	492	2521	19	360.14	5	2	0	65
7	Colorado	7	5.20	486	2527	21	361.00	4	3	0	66
8	Baylor	7	4.88	525	2564	23	366.29	3	4	0	73
9	Iowa St.	7	6.19	464	2873	28	410.43	2	5	0	98
10	Missouri	7	5.38	535	2876	25	410.86	5	2	0	100
11	Texas A&M	7	5.90	488	2878	31	411.14	2	5	0	101
12	Kansas St.	7	5.56	540	3005	26	429.29	4	3	0	105

Now how about those SEC fans who truly do proclaim their conference plays the best defense. I have a simple response to that: Outside of Tim Tebow (who is overrated) and Matthew Stafford from Georgia the remaining QB's in the conference are a bunch of donkeys. I like to think I'm an avid follower of college football, but when I can't name another quarterback outside of the two I previously mentioned that should speak volumes about how things look on the offensive side of the ball in the SEC. It's not like the SEC doesn't get a ton of publicity either. Hell, CBS labels themselves as the home of SEC football! No wonder SEC defenses look like absolute studs...they play against quarterbacks that truly are pathetic and for the most part one dimensional. The West Virginia vs. Auburn game on Thursday night illustrates my point perfectly. The Auburn defense had been labeled their strength this season (mostly because their offense blows), but once they come up against a multi-dimensional quarterback in Patrick White it completely messed with their schemes. They gave up 445 total yards to the Mountaineers and 271 of those were on the ground. Oh, and they got owned 34-17 by a Big East team that has played like crap for most of the year.

Here's how the SEC Conference breaks down nationally in total defense:

TOTAL DEFENSE

Year: 2008

Thru: 10/18/08

Rank	Name	Gm	Avg	Plays	Yds	Tds	YdsGm	Win	Loss	Ties	Natl Rank
1	South Carolina	8	4.22	486	2049	14	256.13	5	3	0	6
2	Tennessee	7	4.10	456	1869	10	267.00	3	4	0	11
3	Georgia	7	4.58	412	1888	16	269.71	6	1	0	12
4	Auburn	7	4.11	464	1909	11	272.71	4	3	0	14
5	Florida	6	4.45	370	1646	10	274.33	5	1	0	15
6	Alabama	7	4.36	443	1932	12	276.00	7	0	0	16
7	Kentucky	7	4.36	453	1975	9	282.14	5	2	0	18
8	Mississippi St.	7	4.81	424	2041	18	291.57	2	5	0	22
9	LSU	6	4.84	366	1772	15	295.33	5	1	0	24
10	Vanderbilt	7	4.92	475	2337	15	333.86	5	2	0	45
11	Mississippi	7	4.99	476	2375	20	339.29	3	4	0	52
12	Arkansas	7	5.54	452	2505	30	357.86	3	4	0	61

Wow, look at that...only 3 teams DIDN'T break the Top 25 nationally in total defense. These statistics don't take into account the complete lack of quarterback play in the conference though. When the final score of the Auburn vs. Mississippi contest was 3-2 you know the conference is absolutely despicable on offense. Nobody back East wants to bring this up though. There is no doubt that both conferences are very good, especially the BIG 12 with their QB's, but these statistics are so skewed if you don't look at them from a proper vantage point. The BCS games at the end of the season that feature match-ups between teams from these two conferences will help shed a little more light on which really is better. In many ways I think it poses the question of which came first: the chicken or the egg? Is QB great play responsible for these statistics or the complete lack thereof?

The Sirles Saga Is Over

Well, according to nearly every major recruiting site it appears that Jeremiah Sirles has decided to play for the Nebraska Cornhuskers next season rather than with the Ducks. I am a bit surprised considering that insider info. had Sirles pegged as a Duck, but I'm not really sure Oregon really lost out. As I mentioned before, Sirles has been downgraded from a 4* to a 3* and the reason being he recently hadn't been playing up to those standards. From what I'd read he doesn't like to block on the run which definitely wouldn't of worked in Oregon's system. Oregon is still in the running for Charles Siddoway and Taylor Lewan who are both seriously considering the Ducks. Lewan plans to make a visit during one of the last remaining homes game, and Siddoway will most likely be in attendance as well.

All the talk show radio hosts have been saying all week that Vegas missed the boat by putting USC as 16.5 point favorites over Arizona. Colin Cowherd fell just short of urging listeners to bet their life savings on the game. It is to be played in Tucson which many think will make all the difference in the point spread considering the Wildcats always seem to play well at home. Am I really the only one that thinks USC is going to skin the Cats? Arizona would've gotten beat last weekend if it wasn't for Cal's offense going completely anemic in the second half of that game. Granted, 16.5 points is a lot to spot the Trojans and the bet is tempting, but USC hasn't given up a point in over 11 quarters of football. For all the attention this game has garned from the media this week I wouldn't be surprised if USC absolutely destroys Arizona.
Prediction: USC - 45 Arizona - 17

I haven't really delved into college basketball yet, but with Lute Olson's retirement I think this is a perfect time to segueway into that topic. The Ducks recruiting class can really benefit from this sudden shakeup in the Pac-10 considering one of their top prospects for the 2009 class has decommitted from Arizona today. Mike Moser, a 4* small forward from Portland, decided to reopen his recruiting due to Lute Olson's news. Oregon could benefit greatly from this considering Moser had narrowed his scholarship offers down to a short list of schools and Oregon was thought to be a primary player. Before Olson's retirement Arizona had 3 recruits commited, but in the course of 24 hours two of them have decommitted and a third seems imminent. That is a crushing blow to the program considering all three recruits are highly rated (2 four stars and 1 five star). I'll be sure to keep tabs on that situation since basketball is right around the corner.

An Assortment

Jeremiah Sirles, an offensive line recruit who was a visitor for the UCLA game, has announced that he will be making his verbal commitment to either Nebraska or Oregon this upcoming Friday....either way I'll be sure to give a brief summary of his final decision once I find the news. The moderator on Chat4Quacks believes Sirles is an Oregon lock so it will be very interesting to see if that information turns out to be true. In regard to Sirles it's interesting to note that he was rated a 4-star by both Rivals and Scout but has currently been reduced to a 3-star on both sites. I'm not really sure what the reasoning was for this, and to be quite honest I'm not really sure that it even matters at this point.

So what's up with that referee in the LSU vs. South Carolina game going Chuck Norris on the Gamecock quarterback and giving him a nice forearm shiver to the ground?

Here's the video if you haven't seen it yet:



The more I watch that video the more I find myself pondering what in the hell the referee was actually thinking? I've heard some people say that Stephen Garcia, the South Carolina QB, was making a run right at the guy and he just defended himself. If you watch the video though Garcia doesn't even see the ref to his right before he is knocked to the ground. Hell, the ref actually looks like he drops back into coverage before he sees the QB start to run and then he makes a conscious attempt to take him out himself. ESPN mentioned yesterday morning that the ref was actually a linebacker for Kentucky back in the early 70's which may actually explain a lot. I'm guessing that he just had a brain fart of Mt. Everest proportions and instinctively played the QB like he did back in the day. Does this make it right though? Of course not. I think the ref should probably be suspended, but instead the SEC is going to sweep that one under the rug and hope that we all just forget about it. RIIIIGHT. Apparently the people in charge of the SEC haven't heard of YouTube...2 Million viewers of the combined clips of that play in the last 3 days. I don't think anybody will be forgetting about it anytime soon.

What can we expect from Oregon this weekend? Arizona St. is in need of a win VERY badly considering they've dropped their last 4 contests, and Oregon needs this as a statement game to show they won't be a pushover for the rest of the season. I think Oregon will try to establish themselves on the ground (big surprise there) while Rudy Carpenter and the Sun Devils try to air mail passes across our suspect secondary. Before the season began I never thought our secondary would be the biggest liability on this defensive unit, but luckily Oregon has had a knack for getting to Rudy Carpenter the last 2 times the teams have met up. I expect ASU's defense to give Oregon problems on the ground which will force the Ducks to throw. I expect a couple of turnovers from both teams, but a very strong showing by Jeremiah Masoli. I think the bye week will have worked wonders for the Ducks and I expect them to get on top early. Unfortunately, the game isn't on TV and I don't have the patience for Jerry Allen's feeble attempts to depict what is actually going on. My birthday is on Saturday and I'm going to assume that the Ducks got the memo that I simply want a "W" for my b-day gift. A Duck victory it will be.

Prediction: Oregon 31 - ASU 27

Feel free to post a comment on what you think the score will be!

Blog Post Tomorrow

Sorry for no blog post the past two days, but a new one is coming tomorrow. Due to the Fantasy Basketball Draft this evening I was once again strapped for time (Kent, I also made Brownies...that took up some of my time too...Tapioca pudding is next). I have plenty on the blog agenda for tomorrow so check back then!

The Midway Point: PAC-10 Analysis

Well, my 35-17 prediction of Cal over Arizona was so off base I feel embarrassed for even posting that yesterday. I guess I banked my hunch on Cal coming out firing since they had a bye week to prep for the Wildcats, and Arizona was coming off a heartbreaking loss to Stanford by 1 point. The quarterback situation at Cal only got more clouded yesterday as Nate Longshore played well for the first half, but later was replaced due to poor production in the second which could ultimately spell disaster for Bears. Wasn't it last year that after beating Oregon they proceeded to lose their last 6-7 due to quarterback woes? Here's the newest Pac-10 standings via ESPN.

1. USC: 3-1
2. Arizona: 3-1
3. Oregon: 3-1
4. Oregon State: 3-1
5. California: 2-1
6. Stanford: 3-2
7. UCLA: 3-2
8. Arizona St.: 1-2
9. Washington: 0-4
10. Washington St.: 0-5

From the remaining teams left on USC's schedule the only one that could give them a hint of trouble is Arizona...mostly because that game will be played in Tuscon. The Trojans have really righted the ship since the first quarter of the Duck game. They haven't given up a touchdown in over 11 quarters and have held their last two opponents scoreless. The Wildcats and Trojans face off next weekend to decide whether SC will still have National Title implications intact.

What does that leave for the remaining teams? If USC somehow sneaks into the National Title then the runner up could possible be playing in the Rose Bowl, but only if the Rose Bowl committee deems the runner up in the PAC-10 worthy for that bid. I'm trying to figure out if any of the teams in the Pac-10 besides USC could hold their own in the Rose Bowl. Penn State and Ohio St. play this next weekend to dictate whether the Nittany Lions are on track for the title game, and if they win the Buckeyes will likely take the Rose Bowl. Could the Ducks, Beavers, Wildcats or Bears play them tough? At this point I'm not so sure. I think the Holiday Bowl actually could produce a tougher opponent than the Rose. Texas will likely play for the National Title if they continue to handle business (which isn't all that unlikely) and Oklahoma will probably get the Fiesta Bowl. So that leaves Missouri, Texas Tech and Oklahoma St. for the Holiday Bowl. All 3 of those teams can score points like crazy and it could be a rough outing for whoever has to play them. Do I think the 2nd or 3rd place teams in the PAc-10 could beat Ohio St. or those aforementioned Big 12 Schools? No, not from what I've seen from those teams thus far but the next five weeks may persuade me otherwise.

I've been perusing ESPN's PAC-10 blog by Ted Miller and many Beaver fans are already claiming that they can win out and take the PAC-10 title from USC since they hold the tiebreaker over them. That's all fine and good, but Beaver fans forget that they have to play UCLA and Arizona away while also playing ASU, Cal and Oregon at home. Didn't UCLA just beat Stanford yesterday, and didn't Stanford beat the Beavers? The real fun of their PAC-10 schedule lies ahead, and the same is true for Oregon. With pivotal games of Arizona and Stanford at home, the schedule doesn't appear to be as bad as before. Having a bye week to rest and get healthy for the Sun Devils is always helpful, and the Ducks have the added benefit of a bye right before the Civl War game. While the Ducks will be resting that weekend the Beavers will have the joy of playing down in Arizona against a feisty Wildcat team, and who knows...Arizona may REALLY have something to play for at that point.

How good are the Cal Bears? They have the personnel to really play some solid football and I think Jahvid Best is one of the PAC-10's best running backs, but I think their QB situation will dictate whether this team can really accomplish anything. In many respects I think Cal and Oregon are identical teams. I'm predicting that Cal will beat either Oregon or Oregon St. just to further complicate the PAC-10 picture, but they will probably lose to Stanford or UCLA too. The Washington schools are a total joke and can't be taken seriously this year or probably for the remainder of this decade. Arizona St., although being 2-4, will beat somebody they shouldn't whether that be Oregon, Oregon St. or Arizona. Dennis Erickson seems to have Mike Riley's number and I can see that being a trap game for the Beavers (Ha, a Beaver trap!). Fortunately for the Beavers they will have a bye week to prep for the Sun Devils and the remaining pivotal games on their schedule. With that being said, I'll do some research this week and make my bowl game predictions for the Pac-10 and who they can expect to be playing in those games.

Look for a Pac-10 Analysis Tomorrow

Due to time constraints and the number of good college football games to be watched this evening I will write a more detailed blog post tomorrow. Oregon did receive a commitment from a recruit that was at the Oregon vs. UCLA game last weekend. Everett Benyard, a 6'6" and 323 lb. offensive lineman, committed to the Ducks today. From what I've read he sounds like a "pancake block" specialist and addresses the need for O-line recruits in this years class. Oh, and I guess UCLA isn't THAT bad after all considering they were able to beat Stanford today! Anyways, back to watching Mizzou get rolled. Go Tampa Bay Rays!

Prediction: Cal: 35 - Arizona: 17

Quick Update: Chris Williams To Nebraska

4 star linebacker, Chris Williams, who I profiled early this week decided to commit to the University of Nebraska today. He will not be making a visit to Oregon and has closed his recruitment at this point. It's interesting he made this decision so fast considering he just told Scout.com on Monday that he planned on making a visit to Oregon and found the Ducks to be a great program. Next year when the Cornhuskers are on TV he may be the only reason I watch the game for 5 minutes instead of immediately changing the channel.

On a more positive note, Tajh Boyd, a 5-star prospect and the #3 Dual rated QB in the country decommited from West Virginia last week and is apparently eyeing Oregon. This was the prize recruit of West Virginia's recruiting class, but due to their inconsistent effort on offense and recent coaching change he has decided to look elsewhere. Apparently once Mountaineer fans found out that Boyd had decommitted some of them took the opportunity to send him text messages and e-mails that were angry and inappropriate. That information was relayed to the national media by Boyd's mother who said her son would never reconsider playing for West Virginia. Is it just me or are Mountaineer fans a completely classless bunch? They send death threats to Rich Rodriguez (can't say those weren't warranted since Rich Rod is as bad as they are), but now they send hateful emails and texts to a high school kid? I'm thinking Boyd showed up on campus and saw girls with hairy legs and students wearing coon skin caps while carrying muskets to class. He probably had a Samuel L. Jackson moment and said, "*uck This!" You have seen their mascot right????


Note: most "outsiders" think that this gentleman dresses in this "costume" for Mountaineer home games when in fact this is normal attire in the state of West Virginia.

Take this for what it's worth, but the moderator on Chat4Quacks who shares insider info. has made it known that Boyd is very interested in the Ducks and may be silently verballed at this time. Boyd contacted Oregon on his own accord due to the Duck's spread offense being a perfect fit for his skill set. Chip Kelly has been on the recruiting trail this week and actually went back East to visit Boyd and conduct an in-home visit. (I've posted a YouTube video below of highlights from Boyd in his Junior season)



As I'm typing this I'm laughing at how TCU is beating the crap out of BYU 17-0. TCU's defense is ranked #1 in the nation and is absolutely man-handling the Mormons. Hopefully the ass whooping continues so the love affair with BYU will officially end after tonight.

The Top 10 Rankings: Time To Review

Since there hasn't been a whole lot of recruiting news from last weekend's visitors I figured I'd take the opportunity to break down the Top 10 for the second time this season.

Before I do that though I'd like to invite the blog readers to partake in a Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball league. It will be a competitive rotisserie point style league with a live draft set for Tuesday the 21st at 7:15 PM. Right now there are 3 teams signed up which leaves 7 spots open for a 10 team league. To join the league go to Yahoo's Fantasy Sports page and click the link for Fantasy Basketball. You will be asked to join either a "public" or "custom" league...opt for the custom league. You will need to enter a league ID and Password for entry into the league. That information is posted below.

Fantasy Basketball League ID# is 1606
Password: pdx08

With that out of the way here's the newest link to College Football's Top 25 on ESPN.com. I still don't think some of the teams in the Top 10 have started playing the meat of their schedules considering most teams are heading into their tougher games during the next few weeks. I'll probably do one more "Top 10 Breakdown" before I begin my bowl projections in the next few weeks.

1) Texas - I can't argue with the way they beat Oklahoma...it was gritty, physical and they simply beat the Sooners at their own game. They were able to capitalize on big plays when they needed them, especially when the game was looking like it might be blown wide open. Watching Jordan Shipley return a touchdown to keep the game in reach (score was 14-3 in favor of the Sooners at the time) was a thing of beauty. Great teams make big plays to win games of last Saturday's magnitude, and after beating the previous #1 ranked team they definitely deserve to inherit that ranking this week.

2) Alabama - Alabama has shown to be a national title contender at times (ex. beating Georgia 31-0 at halftime) but at the same time they have looked fairly ordinary (giving up 30 to Georgia in the second half and beating them 41-30). A bye last week helped prepare them for the second half of their SEC schedule, and I'd assume they will be ranked #2 or even #1 for at least the next few weeks. They face Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas St. before facing off against LSU on November 8th down in the bayou. Due to his recent success perhaps the Miami Dolphins will attempt to lure Nick Saban back to the organization for the simple task of locking him up for a day and letting fans kick him in the nuts for subjecting them to the fiasco that was the Miami Dolphins last season. Hey, I can wish right?

3) Penn State - Penn State wasn't always known for its offensive prowess, but this years team is putting up points and yards. The October 25th game at Ohio St. will be the make or break game for this team. If they can get by the Buckeyes there is little doubt that they will make up one of the teams playing for the National Title. Maybe then Joe Pa will finally retire and we all won't have to watch him wander around the sidelines like he's Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man." For that reason alone I'm hoping that the Nittany Lions make it to the big dance.

4) Oklahoma - This team has a knack for losing big games. Whether it be back to back BCS bowl losses to Boise St. and West Virginia there is little doubt that Bob Stoops hasn't been able to coach his teams to victory in the games that really matter. However, that doesn't mean this team isn't a good one. If Jordan Shipley doesn't return that kickoff for a touchdown the Longhorns may have proceeded to get their ass kicked because Oklahoma was in full control of that game. Sam Bradford is one hell of a quarterback, and his 5 TD passes against Texas makes you wonder if maybe he is the best QB in the Big 12.

5) Florida - This team is 1 point away from being undefeated and quite possibly the #1 team in the country. With the exception of Ole' Miss Florida has beaten their opponents by 20 points or more, but that could come to a halt real soon. Kentucky is next up with away games at Georgia and Vanderbilt to follow. I'm sure Urban Meyer is breathing a sigh of relief that Alabama is nowhere to be found on this year's schedule too. If Florida wins out and handles business in the SEC Championship there is no doubt that Gator fans will be calling for the National Title game. I can't say that I blame them either...especially if Texas was to lose between now and then.

6) USC - Oh how the Trojans are slowly making their way up the ladder. We all know the Pac-10 is in a down year which makes it even more surprising that USC already has a loss in conference play. With the BCS standings coming out this week there has been speculation that USC will be ranked #4 which would allow them to have a legit possibility at playing for the title. What USC needs is Cal to keep winning so "if" they beat them they would have one more quality win to help elevate them with the BCS computers. Pete Carroll knows how to get his boys up for a big game, and "if" a title game is in their future I definitely seem them taking care of business.

7) Texas Tech 8) Oklahoma St. and 9) BYU - Hey look everybody it's the 3 jackass teams that have no real reason even being ranked this high. I figured I'd just compile these teams because I don't feel like they have really accomplished anything. Oklahoma St. beat Missouri which was pretty cool, but who had Missouri played up until that point? I might tip my hat if Missouri goes out and beats Texas this week, but until then I don't really think that win is as great as people are making it sound. BYU didn't exactly light up the scoreboard last week against New Mexico (beat them 21-3) which is why they've stayed at the #9 position for quite some time. Or maybe it's because BYU opponents have a combined record of 10-27. I wouldn't be surprised if the BCS rankings have them somewhere around 13th or 14th...hell with those opponents they should be ranked in the high 20's! Texas Tech STILL hasn't played anybody and their fun begins a week from Saturday. They then play Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma St. and Oklahoma...all in a row. At that point the Red Raiders should put their heads firmly between their legs and kiss their asses and the Top 10 goodbye.

10) Georgia - They probably won't be on this list too much longer. Dealing with Vanderbilt, LSU and Florida 3 weeks in a row doesn't bode well for the Bulldogs. If they lose any of those games they will likely be out of a BCS bowl bid. Is there much else to say for this team other than they have Knowshon Moreno? I don't really think so.