2015 Rose Bowl: Preview

   For the first time ever, The Oregon Ducks and The Florida State Seminoles will meet. Where they will meet is in the first college football payoffs. This years edition of the Rose Bowl will feature possibly the best Quarterback match-up ever. The defending national champions Florida State will face the #2 Ducks of Oregon. Here is a few players from both teams that you should be keeping an eye out for.


   Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon: The 2014 Heisman Trophy winner will plan to do what he does best, and that's win games. Marcus Mariota is no doubt the life line for the Oregon Ducks and he will need to show it for Oregon. Florida State is not a first half team, that means that if Oregon can get a large enough lead on Florida State in the first half they could have a better shot at sealing the game. He is Oregon's main player and their star player.


   Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon: The Freshman power house for Oregon, he will need to run head on through the big defensive line for the Seminoles. He will be a key part for Oregon.  If the Ducks can not get the passing game going, they will need to get the running game going, and they will have a great chance to do that with Royce Freeman in the backfield.


   Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State: The 2013 Heisman Trophy winner has not been what he was last year, with throwing 17 interceptions this season, but he knows how to rally his team back from being down. He has lead three fourth quarter comebacks this season. The key for Florida State is to attack this wounded Oregon secondary.


   Nick O'Leary, TE, Florida State: The big senior tight end can almost catch anything. That's big for Winston who can throw it up there and know that he has a big target out there. It will be important to see if Oregon without Ifo Ekpre-Olomu can defend the multiple targets Florida State has.


   The Rose Bowl will be on ESPN at 2 PM PT. The game will face two very high powered offenses for the semi - final. The other semi - final is between Alabama and Ohio State also on ESPN at 5:30 PM PT. I believe that Oregon will get to a great start early and have too much of a lead for FSU to come back. But it will be close.


   Prediction:
Oregon 48 - Florida State 42


- Go DUCKS!

2015 College Football Playoffs

   The final rankings for the College Football Playoffs were announced this morning, and four teams will be playing on January 1st. Here is what the games will be.

Sugar Bowl:
1. Alabama
VS
4. Ohio State

Rose Bowl:
2. Oregon
VS
3. Florida State

   The Ducks will be playing Florida State in the national semifinals, in Pasadena California. This is a very good thing for the Ducks because now the Ducks will play closer to home and have a little advantage. However, Florida State played there for the 2014 National Championship vs Auburn and won. With Marcus Mariota most likely winning the Heisman on December 13th, this will be a Rose Bowl for the ages. Florida State Quarterback Jameis Winston won the Heisman in 2013, that means that this year's Rose Bowl will involve a face-off between two Heisman winning quarterbacks.


   Florida State has not been very good on either sides of the football, but they always seem to find a way to win. They are the only undefeated team left in the nation. Their Defense is 60th in the nation in run defense, and the Ducks are 22nd in the nation in run offense. This game will rely on the Ducks scoring first and establishing the lead early, the Ducks struggle when they are behind early.  However, Florida State is accustomed to being down early. They have been behind eight times this season. The have won seven times by a margin of six points or less. The Ducks look like they should wipe out Florida State statistically, but it will depend on if we can score first and keep Florida State at bay for all four quarters. My official preview will come on the day before the game on December 31st. But for now I will give my early prediction. On December 13th the Heisman trophy will be presented on ESPN.

Early Prediction:
Oregon 52 - FSU 41

- Go Ducks!

2014 Pac-12 Championship Preview

   First things first.  I would like to apologize for my absence.  I had school finals, as well as some kind of awful stomach flu. But I'm back, healthy,  and ready for some great football this weekend!


   Earlier this season the Ducks played Arizona in early October. The Wildcats beat Oregon soundly and seemed to once again spoil the Ducks hopes for a playoff.  But the Ducks slowly clawed their way back into the discussion, and are now ranked number two in the recent College Football Playoff Rankings.  Arizona (10-2,) ranked number seven in the recent polls, are back to see if they can ruin the Duck's shot at the playoffs for a second time this season.  However, the Ducks are a very different team than they were in early October.  Royce Freeman has grown as a player into a much stronger back, and the return of Jake Fisher helped the Ducks offensive line in more ways than one.  But, will that be enough for the Ducks to win the Pac-12 title and claim a spot in the first College Football Playoffs?


   Arizona, however, is also a very different team.  Freshman quarterback Anu Soloman is looking like a younger version of Marcus Mariota, and Scooby Wright III is possibly the best lineman in the nation. The Ducks will need to find some way to stop Wright from making the big plays that he has done all this season. It will be a very difficult test for the Ducks, but if they are able to defeat the Wildcats they will be in the CFB Playoffs. Kickoff will be in Santa Clara, California, which if you remember, was where the Ducks beat Cal earlier this season.  It will be on Friday at 6 PM PT on FOX.


   This game will decide if the Ducks will play on January 1st in the Playoffs.  The final rankings will be released on Sunday at 12:45 PM PT and that will decide who will be in the playoffs. The Ducks are 13 1/2 point favorites.  I think it will be a tough game, but I do think Oregon will win this time.

Prediction:
Oregon 34 - Arizona 23


- Go Ducks!

#2 Oregon (9-1) Vs Colorado (2-8): Preview

   This BYE week could not have come at a better time for the Ducks. With a host of injuries
to the offensive line, defense, and the TE position. But there is good news amidst these injuries. Offensive lineman Hroniss Grasu promised that he would return by the end of the season, Andre Yruretagoyena who injured his knee in the Michigan State game will be back for this game. Saftey Ifo Ekpre - Olomu is most likely going to be playing vs Colorado on Saturday. However TE Pharoah Brown will be out for the rest of the season due to a leg injury. Now let's get to Colorado. The Buffaloes have not been able to grab a PAC-12 victory this season. This could be a great game for the Ducks to get back into the groove for a stretch vs the Beavers, and the PAC-12 championship.


   The Ducks vs the Buffaloes is scheduled for kickoff at 1:30 PM on PAC-12 Networks. For radio it is KUGN-AM (590) and KZEL-FM (96.1). On a side note, Marcus Mariota was pulled over by police over the BYE week for speeding near Veneta. He was reportedly going 80 in a 55 MPH speed zone. He will not face any suspensions because of this. However he will have to pay a 200 dollar fine.


   My prediction is that they will pull the starters in the second half.
Oregon 52 - Colorado 10

#4 Oregon 51 At #17 Utah 27

   As the Ducks entered Salt Lake City they were on edge against the number 17 Utah Utes, as they should of been, because for the first quarter, the Ducks could not get anything moving against the Utes. The 46,000 fans made Marcus Mariota work hard to snap the ball. They had upset on their minds. I saw it run out in my head. Utah would beat us and we would be done for the playoffs, and when Utah quarterback Travis Wilson threw a 78 yard pass to wide receiver Kaelin Clay, who then beat a Duck defender to the end zone for what appeared to be a touchdown that would put Utah up by 14 in the second quarter. But what Clay forgot to do, was bring the ball with him. He dropped the ball for celebration 2 feet before crossing the end zone. As the crowd and the whole Utah nation celebrated, Ducks defender Joe Walker picked up the ball and ran down to the opposite side of the field, and with a herd of Ducks, scored. After that embarrassing play the Ducks would score 24 unanswered points.


   The Ducks would not only win the game but seal the Pac-12 North to go to the Pac-12 championship. However a win would come a price with injuries to Pharaoh Brown, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, and Hroniss Grasu. It will remain to be seen if the Ducks can overcome these injuries. They will have a nice BYE week, then a easy game against Colorado and then Oregon State. With Auburn losing to Texas A&M, we should jump into the number three spot.


- Go Ducks!

Playoff Outlook Week 11

   Last week in college football, it spelled the end for Ole Miss and the end of the Stanford Cardinals for Oregon. Utah fell to Arizona State. Arizona State went up in the rankings to #9.  Here is the top four for week 11, of the 2014 season of college football.


   #4 - Oregon: The Ducks had a impressive win over Stanford last week, beating them 45-16. This week Oregon will face a tough test against 6-2 Utah. This will also be Oregon's fourth away game of this season. If the Ducks win out, I believe that they will grab that final four spot.

   #3 - Auburn: Auburn just scraped by Ole Miss in a win, 34-31. However, they proved that they are a team that should be in that top four. Auburn does have a test against Alabama at the end of the season. I think that if they win that game, as well as the others, they will and should be there.

   #2 - Florida State: Florida State has the easiest schedule in these top four teams, but they have not looked really all that good after almost losing to Louisville. But since there is no one else in the ACC that could really cause FSU any problem, I think they will win out, and go to the playoffs.

   #1 - Mississippi State: Mississippi State won 17-10 against Arkansas on Saturday, and they will face a beat up Ole Miss team at the end of the season. But I have not seen enough to think that Mississippi State will keep that number one ranking for long. I am almost certain that they will fall eventually. They have a great Quarterback in Dak Prescott, but they have not looked like an overall playoff team lately. They would need to get some big wins to switch my views throughout the season.


   So there it is. Week 10 is in the books, and week 11 is prepared to be just as important. Some big games that I did not mention is #5 Alabama vs #16 LSU, and #8 Michigan State vs #14 Ohio State. I'll see you on Friday for a preview of Oregon vs Utah.



- Go Ducks!

#5 Oregon 45 vs Stanford 16

   The Oregon Ducks solved their "Stanford" problem in spectacular fashion. The Ducks ran over Stanford without a problem. Marcus Mariota once again put the Ducks on his back and won this game with four total touchdowns. Stanford gave it their best, but never really clicked on offense or on defense. The Cardinal ran and ran, just like they did the past two years, but the Ducks were not fazed, holding Stanford to just 132 yards on the ground. With this win over Stanford, Oregon will most likely pop into the top four after #4 Ol' Miss lost to #3 Auburn.


   The official College Football Rankings will be out Tuesday, and I will make sure to post my second Playoff outlook then. Next week, Oregon will face #20 Utah.  Like Stanford, they have a big defense, but after this win I think that we will beat Utah in flying fashion. This week, Marcus Mariota proved that he is the most deserving football player to win the Heisman this year or any year in the past few.


- Go Ducks!

#5 Oregon vs Stanford: Preview

   For the past two years Oregon has been high in the rankings with a national championship bid on the line, and have gotten it thrown away by one team: Stanford. Once again, Oregon is up there and in the spot to play in the first college football playoffs, and once again they face Stanford. If Oregon can beat Stanford, they will control the PAC-12 North and control their fate for the playoffs. If they can not win, they are done. However, Stanford is not the team that can hang on to the football for 45 minutes in a game. Unlike last year, they don't have those powerful running backs that can run through our defensive line. Stanford is not ranked at 5-3, they seem like a normal team that Oregon can run over. But I don't believe it is going to be that easy. I believe we can do it but we need to do it mentally, and stay focused for the big game. This is not the huge top 10 match up we thought it would be at the beginning of the season, but it is, once again, just as important.


  Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 on FOX. Radio that will be AM (590) and PM (96.1).

 If the Ducks can win this game they can go to the playoffs, and will most likely be in the top four. I'm not saying Stanford will be easy, but I'm saying that if there is ever a time to beat Stanford, it would be right now.

  Prediction:
Oregon 31 - Stanford 13


- Go Ducks!

Playoff Outlook Week 10

    On Tuesday, a playoff committee will meet in Dallas and make the first playoff rankings. Up to this point, the AP Polls have been the one source for the main ideal rankings in college football.  But that will all change tomorrow.  Just like the BCS, the playoffs will have their own rankings, Unlike the BCS, four teams will be getting the bid to play in January. These rankings will change with wins and losses throughout the rest of the season. But the final rankings in the second week of December will be it. I will be explaining playoff hopes for the top teams in the latest Playoff Polls (This time it is the AP).  I will do this usually every Tuesday, but I will get you guys started now, ahead of the time.


    #5 Oregon (7-1): In order for the Ducks to slip into the top four, some teams ahead of them will need to fall, and Oregon will need to win out and win the PAC-12 Championship. The only big question left is will the Ducks get past their Stanford problem? They have big games left against Stanford, Utah, and Oregon State.  If they stay strong and pull it off, I can almost guarantee they will be in the final four.

   #4 Auburn (6-1): Auburn's only loss is to the number one team Mississippi State. However they are now back into the top four after a Ole Miss loss. In order for them to seal their playoffs hopes they will, of course, need to win out and beat number three Alabama. Whomever wins that game goes to the Playoffs.

   #3 Alabama (7-1): Alabama's one loss is to Ole Miss. They get back to number three which seems like the sweet spot for the playoffs lately. They will need to win out and beat rival Auburn, who shocked them last year in the Iron Bowl. Alabama does have a great chance to get into the final four.

   #2 Florida State (7-0): Possibly one of the best schedules in the nation to go to the Playoffs. Even though they have had problems with quarterback Jamis Winston, they will win all of their games and will win the ACC Championship and go to the Playoffs. No doubt in my mind. They have already solved the problem of winning their biggest game of the season against Notre Dame.

   #1 Mississippi State (7-0): The only team that I see that deserves to be number one. They have beaten Texas A&M (when they were good) and have beaten Auburn.  However, they must beat Ole Miss at the end of the season to go to the playoffs.


   So there they are, the top 5 for this week. Be sure to check out the playoff rankings tomorrow and I'll see you on Friday for the Ducks and Stanford preview.


- Go Ducks!

#6 Oregon At Cal: Preview

   Oregon will have their first Friday night game this season, vs. the dynamic passing attack of Cal. The only other team that has the kind of passing stats that we have played with this season, would be Washington State, and we all know how that went. We just scraped by, by seven points. The Ducks will have their defense up to par in this game, with Cal quarterback Jared Goff. The Golden Bears are ranked fourth in the nation, with over 350 passing yards a game. Although the Bears are 4-3 this season, they have the potential to cause the Ducks problems.  However, their defense is not too great. I believe the Ducks will run over Cal, but not without the Bears putting up some points.


    Here is how to watch the game; The kickoff is at 7:00 PM PT on Friday on FOX Sports 1. On the radio it is AM (590), FM (96.1). The players to watch for this action packed game is freshman Royce Freeman, who put up more than 150 yards and four touchdowns last week, vs. Washington, and Jared Goff of Cal, who I promise will throw a lot. The Duck's defense will need to show up tomorrow night, or we will have a problem stopping Cal. (This is the first college football game played in Levis Stadium, the new high tech stadium, in which the 49'ers play in.)

   My prediction is:
Oregon 52 - Cal 31



- Go Ducks!

#9 Oregon 45 Vs Washington 20

    As of this weekend, Oregon has beaten Washington now for 11 years. They did it last night as Oregon once again dominated UW in Auzten.  Freshmen Royce Freeman scored four touchdowns in his second 100 yard rushing game in a row. The Ducks looked more like a playoff contender than since the Michigan State game. The Ducks have raised three spots in the AP Polls to number six. The Ducks are in the sweet spot to possibly slip into the top four and go to the playoffs. For now, the Ducks need to beat Stanford, # 19 Utah, and Oregon State. I believe that if we win out, and win the PAC-12 Championship, we will be in the top four without a doubt.


    On Friday, the Ducks play Cal in the first game at Levi's stadium. The Ducks are 19 point favorite, and will hopefully pull off a victory against a team who loves to pull off a fight vs the Ducks. For now, we must stay focused and keep winning, an reach that main goal of the first College Football Playoffs.



- Go Ducks!

#9 Oregon Vs Washington: Preview

    Twenty years ago the Ducks were leading with 1:08 left in the game against rival Washington. The University of Washington had beaten Oregon six years straight before that year.  That year the Ducks were picked to finish 8th, in the PAC-10.  UW quarterback Damon Huard dropped back and threw the ball to the left end of the end zone.  What would happen after that would be the most legendary play in Oregon Football history.  Kenny Wheaton would intercept that pass and run 97 yards to score and seal Oregon's victory.  The Ducks would go on to win the PAC-10, and go on to the Rose Bowl. On Saturday the Ducks will honor "The Pick" with throwback uniforms that they wore 20 years before.

    Here is how to watch the game: Kickoff is at 5:00 PM PT on FOX Sports 1. Radio is KUGN-AM (590) and KZEL-FM (96.1). Oregon is 5-1. Washington is 5-1. Oregon is the favored by 20 and half points.

   On a side note the beavers lost last night. That is good if you hate the Beavers, but when you think about it, who doesn't. (insert smiley face here)

Also make sure you tune into the #5 Notre Dame vs #2 Florida State game. You might have to juggle the remote, because it is also at 5:00, on ABC.

   My prediction is:

Oregon 49 - Washington 31

- Go Ducks!

#12 Oregon 42 At #18 UCLA 30

    The Ducks had a lot of doubters about their season after a disappointing loss against Arizona the week before, but they silenced all of them this weekend, and routed UCLA 42 - 30.  After the impressive win, Oregon seems like Oregon again.  Marcus Mariota shot back into the Heisman race, and Oregon proved that they are not out of the playoff discussion. The biggest player of the game was freshman running back Royce Freeman with 18 carries for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns. If the Ducks win out and win the PAC-12 Championship, they will most likely be in that top 4. The offensive line looked great after giving up 12 sacks in two games. They gave up none vs UCLA.  It was not only a physical help, but also a mental help to the offensive line to have senior left tackle Jake Fisher back after an injury. The defense seemed to give up in the 4th quarter, and gave up 20 points in under 10 minutes.  But all those things can be fixed.


    Next week, Oregon will face rival (5-1) Washington in Eugene. They have beaten Washington every year for the past 10 years.  This is also the 20th anniversary of the legendary "Pick."  After the big win, the Ducks boost up 3 spots to be back in the top ten at number 9.


- Go Ducks!

#12 Oregon At #18 UCLA: Preview

    The Ducks were beaten last week vs a well and ready Arizona team.  Now they face a team who also is just coming off a defeat at home, to Utah. Both teams were in the top 10 when they lost last week, meaning that this could actually go any way. The question is which team has enough mental toughness to beat the other team, and that's really whats it's going to come down to. The Ducks are a 2 1/2 point favorite on Saturday, which is the lowest they have been for as long as I can remember, The last time the Ducks lost two games in a row was in 2007, when they lost to an Arizona team, and then to UCLA.  I really hope that coach Helfrich will be able to ready these guys off a sore loss.


    Here is how to watch the game. 12:30 PM PT Kickoff. Television: FOX. Radio: AM 590, PM 96.1.


   Last year Oregon was able to score 28 points in the second half against the Bruins. UCLA's star QB Brett Hundley has a injured left arm, but he is still up there for one of the best quarterbacks in the PAC 12.  It will really only come down to who can overcome the loss last week.


    My prediction:
    Oregon 24 - UCLA 14



- Go Ducks!

#2 Oregon 24 Vs Arizona 31

   Last night, Oregon got beat on all sides of the football. Their defense broke down, the offensive line cracked, and the crowd was quiet. Two weeks ago the Ducks narrowly escaped Washington State by a touchdown. Eventually, with the way they were playing, someone was going to beat them. That team was Arizona.  For a second straight year, the Ducks lost to Arizona while being in the top five. The bigger question is, what happened to the Ducks? They were a 23 point favorite, and they had all the play makers (and those snazzy pink uniforms). But somehow they just could not get it done. Arizona did a great job on defense and offense to stop Oregon.


   Can the Ducks bounce back from this painfully loss?  They most likely will not fall too far in the rankings. I think they will remain in the top 10. But it is still early in the season, and there is a lot of ball left to be played.  But when the Ducks face UCLA next week who, may I remind you, are ranked number eight, and then Washington and then #14 Stanford.  It is unlikely that the Ducks will remain a one loss team for much longer, with the offensive line and the defense, but all we have right now is hope. We will know the official rankings on Sunday, at which point I will post where we are and where our PAC-12 friends are with us.  Just keep this in mind if you are feeling a little melancholy this weekend.  It is possible.  We can still do it. (Make it to the playoffs). Right?




- Go Ducks

#2 Oregon Vs Arizona: Preview

    I hope you enjoyed your BYE week, but life is just not the same without a Duck game. Tomorrow, the Ducks will play a foe not like Stanford with big slow guys.  (Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of Stanford.)  Last year Arizona, and their fast and lean operating mode, embarrassed us by ending our Rose Bowl hopes, beating us 42 - 16. This year The Wildcats also look good.  At 4-0, they have enough passion to win this game and take down a number two team. The Ducks will try to do their best, but with recent dangers such as our offensive line, who gave up 7 sacks to Washington State's defensive line, we could have serious problems.


    In other news, the Ducks will wear their famous pink uniforms for breast cancer awareness month against Arizona. They wore those uniforms last year against WSU. Tomorrow will be Oregon's 100th straight sell-out at Auzten Stadium. However there are 500 tickets still available, so please pick them up if you can, and sell out Autzen for a 100th time.

    Here is how to watch the game on Thursday: 7:30 PM PT ESPN. On radio, it's 96.1 FM. The Ducks are a 22 point favorite.


   My prediction for the game is:

Oregon 49 - Arizona 20



- Go Ducks!

#2 Oregon 38 At Washington State 31

    Oregon traveled to Pullman on Saturday to be out-played by a ready Washington State offense. For most of the game it was a shootout, back and forth, between a touchdown by Oregon and a touchdown by Washington State. We knew that WSU would be a passing team coming into this game, and they did.  And by the way, Oregon was not the only team with a close call last night.  Florida State won 23-17 in overtime against Clemson.  Alabama coming off a close call.  Oklahoma scraping by West Virginia.  LSU was not so lucky, losing to Mississippi State for the first time since 1991.  Not a good week for top ranked teams.

    Next week the Ducks will have their first and much needed "bye" week. They will need to fix some things, including their awful looking offensive line that gave up 7 sacks.  Their next game is going to be on a Thursday against a undefeated Arizona team, that if you remember, humiliated us last year as one of our two losses. The Duck's season does not get any easier after that, when we play #12 UCLA in the Rose Bowl. But there's something that Duck fans have got to remember: A win's a win.

   Here is a look at the top 4 rankings at the end of week 4.

   1. Florida State

   2. Oregon

   3. Alabama

   4. Oklahoma

- Go Ducks!

#2 Oregon At Washington State: Preview

    Oregon travels to Pullman, Washington on Saturday to take on the 1-2 Cougars.  Last year the Cougars threw for 557 passing yards. This year, in just three games, the Cougars have thrown for 1465 yards.  Now you may think that we perhaps should worry about them, but what you need to understand is - they throw.  And that's it.  Only 86 rushing yards in three games. This will be Oregon's first away game for the season, and it will be a test to see how they will do on the road for the rest of the season.  I think it could be a shootout for the first quarter, but with the Ducks defense will start to click after the first, and we will shut them down.

    Now here is how to watch the game tomorrow:  Kickoff is at 7:30 PM PT on ESPN. On radio it is KUGN (590).  On a side note, check out Florida State vs Clemson at 5:00 PM PT, on ABC.  Florida State could loose that, which will boost Oregon into the number one spot, assuming we beat Washington State. In the Heisman race, Marcus Mariota is number one so far, after Florida States Jamis Winston got banned for the first half of the Clemson game. 

    My prediction for this game is going to be a high scoring game because of Oregon's high scoring offense, and Washington State's passing game.

    Oregon 63 - WSU 31

- Go Ducks!

#2 Oregon 48 - Wyoming 14

    The Ducks entered this game with a little "big game hangover" from last week's game. In the first quarter, the ducks were blown out by the Cowboys, 7-0.  But Marcus Mariota would not let that last forever. The #2 Ducks acted like the #2 Ducks, and came back to score two more touchdowns to make it 13-7 in the second. Marcus Mariota already had a running touchdown this game, but when he flew over (somersaulted) one defender and wide receiver Keanon Lowe to score a Heisman touchdown. After that the Ducks went on to control the rest of the game with a 48-14 win in Autzen.


    The next game Oregon will play will against Washington State in Pullman, which will be Oregon's first road game of this season. The Ducks remain at the # 2 spot and are, of course, still in the playoff picture. Mariota doing his thing and getting out of the pocket to make plays could be the factor to win the Championship. Let's cross our fingers and hope that he does not get hurt.


    Now, lets take a look at what the top 5 is now:

5: Auburn
4: Oklahoma
3: Alabama
2: Oregon
1: Florida State



- Go Ducks

#2 Oregon Vs Wyoming: Preview

    This will be Oregon's third game in the 2014 season, and by the way, they have faced all undefeated teams so far this year.  Wyoming is 2-0 coming into Autzen, and with a very impressive defense. Oregon faced Michigan State last week and held up very well against another kind of strong defense.  A big question is this:  Can Oregon rebound from a huge win to face a smaller team in Wyoming?


    Now here are some things you need to know before the game:
    It will be on the PAC-12 Network, and kickoff is scheduled to be at 11 AM.  If you want to listen to it on the radio, tune into KUGN-AM (590) and KZEL-FM (96.1).  Make sure to wear green for the game tomorrow, if you are going to Autzen.  After this game, Oregon will start playing conference games beginning with Washington State next Saturday.


     This will be another game where the Ducks will be flying high, so here is my prediction:

     Oregon 63 - Wyoming 17

     See you on Sunday for a review.



- Go Ducks!

#3 Oregon 46 Vs #7 Michigan State 27

    A statement was made last night.  It made sure, and it silenced all who wondered if, we could handle tough teams like Stanford. All that ended last night as Oregon made an amazing come back to win the game and become a real playoff contender. Oregon attacked on defense, holding MSU to only 3 points in the second half.  I don't know what Mark Helfrich said in the locker room during half time, but whatever he said must have been awe-inspiring.  Oregon jumped up in the polls to the number 2 rank, ahead of Alabama. MSU was pushed back to number 13.


    Oregon still does have big tests vs UCLA, Stanford, and Arizona, but I'm sure that the team will go into those games with a little more confidence, now that they beat a tougher and more physical team. Oregon plays Wyoming next weekend at 11 AM, so get up early for that game.

This is what the top 5 looks like after week 2.

1. Florida State
2. Oregon
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma
5. Auburn



- Go Ducks!

#3 Oregon Vs #7 Michigan State: Preview

    Possibly the biggest non-conference game this season will take off in Autzen Stadium on Saturday. The Spartans are, of course, hoping to get to the first playoffs, as are the Oregon Ducks.  Let's look at the play makers on both teams.

    Play Makers For Oregon:

    Oregon's running back Royce Freeman is able to hold up to the big defense of MSU, and that may be one of the biggest factors of the game.  In the past, Oregon could not hold up to big teams, for example, Stanford.  But this year they will.  Freeman, may just be able to run over defenders instead of trying to run past them . Last game vs South Dakota, Freeman rushed for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns. Look out for Freeman as a huge play maker in this game.

    Marcus Mariota. No real surprise here, because Mariota is favored to win the Heisman, but this week Mariota will be on the money. With all the great receivers such as, Byron Marshall, Darren Carrington, and Johnathan Loyd he will find someone to pass to on Saturday.

   Charles Nelson and Byron Marshall. Charles Nelson may not be the new De'Anthony Thomas, he does share the same numbe, but look out for #6 on the field.  Byron Marshall is a duel threat as receiver and running back and will be running past the MSU defense Saturday.

    Play Makers For Michigan State:

    Conner Cook. He is the quarterback who has a lot of receivers that will find a way to get open and he will find them. He does however have a brace on his right knee that might stop him from running past the line of scrimmage or stopping him from scrabbling out of the pocket.

    Defense:

    Michigan State is known for their defense, and they are very good at stopping the pass. The big question here is how they will fare vs Oregon's passing attack. If the passing attack does not work, I guarantee that they will hand it off to Royce Freeman up the middle to gain a few yards.

    The game on Saturday will be at 3:30 PM PT and on Fox Sports 1. ESPN College Gameday will be at the Oregon campus. If you want to catch it on TV it is at 6 AM on ESPN. The Spread is in Oregon's favor with 13 points.

    Prediction:

   (These are my mom and dads predictions as well as mine.)

    Mom: Oregon 27 - MSU 14
    Dad:   Oregon 17 - MSU 13
    Me:    Oregon 38 - MSU 21

In my opinion this will be a offense game with very little defense. Make sure that if you have any questions about the game contact me at duckseason2014@gmail.com



- Go Ducks

#3 Oregon 62 - South Dakota 13

    Oregon's first game of their big season in Autzen Stadium vs South Dakota, started off fast and furious. Marcus Mariota threw three touchdown passes in the first half. The freshman Royce Freeman scored two rushing touchdowns in his first game as a Duck. The offense looked great! They scored fast, (fastest scoring drive was the three plays in the beginning). The defense was a little slow, but they picked it up fast during the game. The Ducks look great for the season, and I still think that the Ducks will make it to the playoffs.


    The Ducks will have a big test next week vs Michigan State. The Ducks are 11 point favorites against the Spartans. I will have a full preview on Friday for perhaps the biggest pre-conference game in the nation.  I will also have a review of the Spartans team and what we will have to look out for next Saturday.




- Go Ducks! - JP

#3 Oregon Vs. South Dakota: Preview

    This will be Oregon's first game of the 2014 season, and the game before the big game. But Oregon needs to think of this game as any other game. They must not repeat what Michigan did in 2007.  Michigan had a big game against Oregon in the second week of their big season.  But first they had to get an easy win against the Appalachian State team. Michigan lost that game, and therefore lost their national championship dreams. I don't think that the Ducks will do this in this season, but we need to play it like they were any other team that's ranked high.


    The game will be at 7:30 PM on PAC-12 Networks. On radio it will be KUGN-AM (590) and KZEL-FM (96.1). If you are going to the game tomorrow make sure you wear white to match the Ducks uniforms.

    South Dakota should be easy, so my prediction for the game is: Oregon 59 - South Dakota 10.

If at any time you have questions about the game please contact me at  duckseason1@gmail.com

On every Sunday, I will have a review of the game the day before.




- Go Ducks

The Ducks Will Win the College Football Playoff, and Here's Why

     Almost three days until the Ducks kickoff against South Dakota, and there is already talk about how the Ducks will win it all. We are good this year, not like last year, or the year before that. With all the other teams out there such as, Florida State, Alabama, Michigan State, Oklahoma, you name it, in the top 10 they will most likely be in the run-up for the small four team playoffs. There's a few good reasons for the Ducks winning it all, and here they are:


     Marcus Mariota.  The best player in college football.  Period. Without any knee injury that would end the season, or at least our national title hopes as it did last season. He is cool under pressure, and when healthy he can get anything done. (For proof, remember vs the Beavers late in the season to win by one point.) He broke records and won awards last season, and he will again this season without a doubt.


     Running Backs. Since LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner left we have had little depth in the running back position. But this year we have three great running backs that will possibly be the best we have had for a long while. Bralon Addison, Thomas Tyner, and a freshman, Royce Freeman. Both Bralon and Thomas will have 1,000 yard rushing seasons.  Royce Freeman: Height six feet, weight 227 pounds. He is a four star recruit from California, and ready to fight for the first string. The Ducks have such a great depth in running backs that it will push us into the playoffs.


    Ifo Epkre-Olomu. You better get that name right because that is the name of the best corner back in college football.  In a conference where 10 starting quarterbacks returning to play in the PAC-12, you need to have some defense that can hold up and keep teams from scoring.  Ifo Epkre-Olomu is a Senior this year and it will be his best yet.


    So there you have it, the players to look for this Saturday.  On Friday, I will have a full preview for the game vs South Dakota, as well as my prediction for the game ahead. Stay tuned for more about Oregon Football, and more about College Football in general.
If you have questions please contact me at    duckseason2014@gmail.com


- Go Ducks - JP

Rankings, Uniforms and Golf?

Perhaps the most important part of the college football season is the rankings. For years now the Ducks have been at the top of those rankings. So, as we near the beginning of the season, the rankings start to be important again. Here is a look at the top four polls in the nation.


Athlon Sports has the Ducks at #6 in front of Stanford and Michigan State. It would not be that bad to be put at #6 away from attention, but still enough time to jump into the top four position.
Lindy's Sports has the Ducks at #4 in the nation. Stay in that position and we could get to the playoffs, but there's 12 games in a season, and at some times, 13. That could be hard to keep that position.
Sporting News has the ducks at #2, very high in the rankings, but it could be important to make a message to the voters across the country.
USA Today Sports ranks us at #4. That seems to be an average as far as rankings. It looks like #4 will be our resting place until the Ducks start their season.


Many of you have noticed that the Ducks do not like to stick to one uniform for long. In fact they change the uniform every game, but are their new snazzy looking uniforms good or are they bad? That's for you to decide, but they are flashy, and they have only published two uniform combinations so far, with much more to come.


Marcus Mariota has already finished college in three years, and has returned to play football for one more year. This year he only has two classes, by his choice: Golf and Yoga. I'm sure there are worse things to take a class on in school. For more questions on any of the topics email me at duckseason2014@gmail.com

P.S. if you haven't checked out my new countdown on the right of the page, check it out.


Go Ducks! - JP

Playoffs in a Nutshell

For the past few years college football was controlled by one system, BCS.  You knew it, I knew it, you may have hated it, you may have loved it, but one way or the other, it's gone.  That's right, this year the NCAA is trying the college football playoffs.  This is pretty confusing for some people, so I'll attempt to explain it for you.

The college football playoffs will start off with the top four teams in the nation at the end of the season. Those four teams will play a total of three games. The match ups will be as follows:  #2 plays #4, and #1 plays #3.  Those games will be played in the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. (Those locations will change each year.)  The winner of those games will play on a Monday in Texas for the national championship.

As for rankings, the people who will be deciding if the Ducks will be in the playoffs are a selection committee of 13 players and coaches who are very well known in the Football universe; names such as, Archie Manning and Tom Osborn. FYI, the Ducks are predicted to be #4 at the end of the season, which would be enough to get into the playoffs. So there you have it, four teams, three games to decide who will be the champion.  It is the first year of this, so time will only tell if it will work or not, but its a good start.

If you have any questions contact me at duckseason2014@gmail.com.




Go ducks!

Recruiting

The Oregon Ducks are working on hopefully getting new recruits to Oregon to play for the Ducks. Our weak areas in positions are QB, running back, and wide receiver. These are the three strongest offensive points needed for a win. Now, don't get me wrong; we have Marcus Mariota, who is the best quarterback we have had in a long time, possibly since Dennis Dixon, but we need to have more strength behind him. We have Jeff Lockty, but in my opinion he is not that great.

Running back and Wide Receiver strengths are good, but not good enough. Thomas Tyner and Byron Marshall are great running backs, but when they leave maybe next year we need to once again find someone else.  If you recall, Bralon Addison tore his ACL during practice, and that will put him out for the season, which hurts the WR area of our team.

A quarterback by the name of Travis Waller is a Oregon commit and he is very good.  When Mariota goes to the draft we will have Waller if he stays with us, and does not go into basketball or arena football. Its still a while away from kickoff vs South Dakota (54 days to be exact,) so we should look at it about a month from now.

For more updates on Duck football stay tuned.




Go Ducks

2014 Schedule

The Ducks have a somewhat easy schedule ahead of them for this season, but it will come with some challenges as we get more into the season.  It starts off with a home opener vs South Dakota, then a good game vs the preseason #3 team in the nation, Michigan State in Autzen . As the season goes on, we play vs Arizona in Eugene.  That will be an interesting game because they beat us last year on their home turf, so that will be a game that we will need to win to make a statement.  We play Oregon rival Stanford in the beginning of November in Eugene, a game we need to win to do anything in the playoff race.

Speaking of the playoffs, how it will work is they will pick the top 4 teams in the nation to play.  #2 plays #4, and #1 plays #3.  They will play this year in the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl, and then the two winners will play in Arlington, Texas, where they will fight for the title game.)  The season ends with the Ducks and Oregon State in Corvallis.

Here is a look at the full schedule and dates:


Aug 30th vs South Dakota - Home    7:30 PT - Pac 12 Networks
Sept 6th vs Michigan State - Home     3:30 PT - FOX
Sept 13th vs Wyoming - Home     11:00 A.M. PT - Pac 12 Networks
Sept 20th vs Wash St - Away     TBA
-----------BYE-------------
Oct 2nd vs Arizona - Home     7:30 PT - ESPN
Oct 11th vs UCLA - Away     TBA
Oct 18th vs Wash - Home     TBA
Oct 24th vs Cal - Away     7:00 PT - Fox Sports 1
Nov 1st vs Stanford - Home   TBA
Nov 8th vs Utah - Away     TBA
-----------BYE-------------
Nov 22nd vs Colorado - Home     TBA
Nov 29th vs Ore State - Away     TBA



Go Ducks!

Welcome

Welcome to my new Oregon Ducks blog where I will talking about everything Ducks, to help you be more informed about the best football team on Earth. Just some fast info about the Ducks. The Ducks are located in Eugene, Oregon and our home stadium is called Autzen Stadium, and it can hold 54,000 fans. It is the largest sports arena in all of Oregon. Drop in here anytime for stats and information about the Ducks.  I welcome questions at any time.

Join me for more about the ducks.




GO DUCKS!