You all ready for this?

So what's going to happen New Years Day at 2pm Pacific on ESPN? Will the Ducks be ready? I've read a few articles that make me feel good about their chances.

We all know about Ifo Ekpre Olomu. (Editor's note: I have NEVER been able to type his name without looking it up first.) He screwed up his knee in practice a few weeks ago and will not be playing. He was easily Oregon's best pass defender. The thought of replacing him is scary.

But replace him they must. Now here's the bright side. Ifo didn't get good by his senior season. He was good from the first time he took the field when he was a freshman. The player to step into the rotation to replace him, Chris Seisay, is already impactful as a redshirt freshman. He says he's excited, motivated, and ready to show what he can do. Never underestimate the freshman.

Kenny Wheaton? The Pick? Freshman.

According to his bio, Seisay is a little taller than Ifo. He's already been playing; recording tackles, pass break ups, forced fumbles. Although he was a three star recruit to Ifo's four, he still received tons of player-of-the year accolades from his high school and town. He's got great hands -- he played both sides of the ball as cornerback and receiver; he was even punter with a 41-yard average! He's an athlete. 


That's Seisay mixing it up at UCLA.

Seisay is every bit the next man up. But he won't be manning the secondary alone. Here is an overall view of Oregon's backfield post-Ifo.

LOVE TO HANG AROUND, FSU; BUT GOTTA RUN.
The winner of this game will have the better rushing stats. Simple fact: The first time Oregon played Arizona and lost? Didn't run well. The next time they scored 51 points, ran much better. (Look up the stats yourself if you don't believe me. I don't feel like digging them out.) 

 Here is an excellent article about how Oregon's philosophy on the run is successful and won't change for the playoffs. 

An excerpt from that article:
"When we run the ball well, we are hard to stop,'' offensive coordinator Scott Frost said. "One of the things Chip (Kelly) and Mark brought to this offense is balance. We want to make teams defend everything. We try to stay as close to 50-50 (run/pass) as we can while making teams defend sideline to sideline. For a defense, that's hard to do.''

The word is, as good as FSU's defensive players appear to be on paper, they are a little soft on the run, even straight up the middle. Oregon needs to test that.

It looks like Thomas Tyner will be in to help. He's had time to heal his shoulder and ankle and has been practicing. Starting center Hronis Grasu has been practicing too, after sitting out the last two games with a knee injury.

RECEIVERS
Oregon's receiving corps will be near full strength. Along with the great squadron of Charles Nelson, Darren Carrington, Devon Allen, Bryon Marshall, and tight ends Evan Baylis and Johnny "The Mundster" Mundt -- who are filling the shoes of the injured Pharoah Brown, Oregon is getting back veteran Keanon Lowe and 6'7" Dwayne Stanford from injuries.

All of these guys are playmakers. They are catching passes from Mr. Heisman, and they have the smartest group of fundamental X and O coaches anyone could ask for.

Here's an article that got me hard just reading it.

OK I've reached that moment before a game. I'm done talking about it. I'm done reading about it. It' GO time. Let's get it on.

So what's going to happen? How do I think the Ducks will do? I'm not a score prediction or points spread guy. I prefer imagery. Let me just show you in a picture.
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Ducks are gonna rip off their arms, and then their legs;
then beat them over the head with their own arms and legs!

--KB

I know you are, but 29 . . . I know you are, but 29 . . .

I've got a new drinking game for y'all to play.
Google Florida State, Oregon, Rose Bowl, Jameis Winston, etc. Search through all the media -- blogs, articles, videos . . . Every time a player, coach, reporter or blogger from Florida State utters "29 wins", take a drink. They say "undefeated" less often, so take two drinks.

You'll be drunk in half an hour. A couple of lines I found . . .

"I really don't understand that," FSU sophomore cornerback Jalen Ramsey said [on being 9-point underdogs to the Ducks]. "We're the ones who won 29 in a row. What are we scared of?"
Take a drink.

"The only undefeated team in the country," [FSU Coach Jimbo Fisher] frequently reminds questioners.

Take two drinks.

 

The following article from the Orlando Sentinel explains how FSU is needing to reach deep to find some extra inspiration to prepare them for the Rose Bowl. False self-pity appears to be the go-to motivation.
 

FSU relaxed for Rose Bowl, using role as underdog and villain for motivation

By Brendan Sonnone

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Jameis Winston shook hands with Mickey Mouse, posed for a picture alongside Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota and then, as he has so many times before, found himself surrounded by dozens of reporters.

Marcus Mariota poses with a silly cartoony character
and Mickey Mouse.

All the while, Winston could only think of one thing.

 

 "The main thing I'm trying to do is get me a smoked turkey leg, put some hot sauce on that bad boy and eat it," Winston said Saturday at Disney California Adventure Park. "I'm hungry."

[Are you gonna pay for it this time?]
 

No. 3 FSU (13-0) faces No. 2 Oregon (12-1) in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, with the winner advancing to the national championship. For some, the magnitude of this stage could spark nerve. But for Winston, along with his teammates, there is comfort in familiarity.

 

Winston, coach Jimbo Fisher and several other FSU players spoke to media members for the first time since arriving in California. While this is a different set of players, a different season and a different opponent, FSU is no stranger to playing big games in the Rose Bowl.

 

"Just being in California again, the kids knowing what to expect, how the routine of things is going to go, any time you can do something a second time definitively helps," said Fisher, who guided FSU to a win over Auburn in the Rose Bowl last season to claim the third national title in school history. "The more you're in those atmosphere and environments, it's critical."

 

Fisher points to last season's experience playing in the title game in Rose Bowl Stadium, as well as playing in the Orange Bowl the previous season, as reasons he expects his team to be unfazed by outside distractions this week.

 

"Learning on how to adapt to media on a media day, practice on a practice day, how to get ready for the game; the more often you're in those situations, the better you handle them," Fisher said. "And we've been in them quite a few times.

 [Oh by the way, Oregon has played in the Rose Bowl before. Nearly the entire coaching staff had the experience of playing in the National Championship. Half these players were in the BCS Fiesta Bowl. Nearly all of them played in last year's Holiday Bowl.
So ya, they also know how to follow the itinerary and set their alarm clocks, meet in the lobby at a certain time and remember where the buses are parked to go to Disneyland.  What exactly is the big deal, Jimbo?]
 

"It's business as usual. They're mature, they know what it takes, and they've proven it 29 games in a row." [Take a drink.]

 

However, two aspects of the Rose Bowl will be different for FSU this season. First, the Seminoles enter the game as the underdog, with some oddsmakers favoring Oregon by as much as 9.5 points when the betting line first came out. It is the first time FSU has been an underdog in 50 games, according to ESPN.

 

Second, FSU has become detested by what seems like a majority of college football fans. In the span of their 29-game win streak, [Just in case you didn't catch it the first time, this Orlando reporter mentioned it again. Take a drink.] the Seminoles have become villains in the eyes of numerous fan bases. Part of that is a product of winning.
Yes it's true. Haters are hating Florida State simply because they win.
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And that is why the Indian cries.

But FSU has also been portrayed as a program that will win at all costs. Winston, who was accused of sexual assault but not charged, is the poster child for the criticism.



"Leave the poor kid alone.
He's a victim, just like me."

 "That's having a chip on our shoulder," Winston said. "When you haven't lost a game in a long time, you can get bored. The fact that so many people are motivating you to not get a loss, we need it."

Balancing fun - like spending the day at Disneyland - along with game preparation and media obligations can be a challenge. But FSU is in familiar territory and, as Winston puts it, has enough motivation to remain focused. [So playing Oregon isn't motivation enough for them? I must say, for the sake of sparing them from their boredom, these bastards really need a good beating.]

 

"Last year, I think we just shocked everybody with how we beat everybody and pulled off that national championship game," Winston said. "This year, everyone came prepared to put a [loss] in our column. We did it; another [undefeated] regular season, another ACC championship. [He apparently didn't actually say it, but it was implied. Split the difference, take one drink.]
 

"And we're not done yet." Ya. We'll see about that.

More later,
--KB

 

And We Thought USC was Bad!

This is just a quick post to make you aware of another most excellent post. Dom Pruett of SB Nation's 'Addicted to Quack' tells us that of all the lame, disgusting things we may have heard about Florida State, they are even worse.

His story tells me that the Ducks have more than an opportunity, they have a downright duty to rid the nation of Winston and Florida State. The Bowl Selection Committee and the NCAA would owe Oregon a huge debt of gratitude to do what they were too weak to do -- knock these crimiNOLES out of the picture.

Here is the intro to his funny article, Why You Should Hate: Florida State Edition.
You could write a goddamn thesis paper on all the reasons Florida State deserves your hatred. I couldn't have dreamt up a better team to write one of these pieces for. This is the pinnacle right here, folks. There isn't an NFL team as dysfunctional and putrid as the Seminoles. They are the Floyd Mayweather of college football. Because of that, I say thank you to Florida State and their odious football program.

And here is the link to the whole article.

Even their horse, Renegade, appears to stink up the field.
What do they feed that poor animal?!?

More later,
--KB

Mariota Christmas to All

Before I look back at this year's Heisman trophy winner, it is only right that I take a moment to talk about the first and only other Heisman winner from the state of Oregon, OSU's Terry Baker.

Why? Because Oregon State did something really classy. They took out this half page ad in the Oregonian to reach across the valley and pay classy respect to their chief rival.

So in kind, I will take this time to honor their winner, Terry Baker.

Terry Baker won the Heisman Trophy in 1962 after an incredible year of not only throwing 2,476 yards and 23 touchdowns, but rushing for an additional 1503 yards and 15 TD's.

The first player to win the award west of Texas, Baker is also still the only player to win the Heisman in football AND play in the Final Four in basketball.

One of his more memorable--

OK that's enough.

DOES CHARACTER COUNT? (Mariota's, not mine.)
This time it most certainly does. In fact all three Heisman candidates were considered people of outstanding character.

ESPN opened this story with the following line:
 You can exhale now, America. This Heisman Trophy winner you can bring home to Mom.

Humble. Selfless. Genuine. Incredible.
Fans from Hawaii to Oregon can feel
nothing but pride for identifying with
Marcus Mariota.

Through the middle of the season, Mariota was given the stupid label of being "Too nice." Reporters and bloggers across the country repeated the simplistic phrase with no substance. I don't know what they were looking for.

But I do know that when Mariota lost his only game this year at home to the Wildcats, he didn't throw his towel over his head and run to the locker room. He certainly did not flip off the opposing bench.

He walked halfway across the field, found some kids, kneeled down and started signing autographs.

Then he came out next week and every week after that and absolutely annihilated every foe that stood in his way, including those same Wildcats.

Too nice? Whatever.

It's just refreshing to see when honor, respect and decency come with winning AND losing. It's nice to see when athletic dominance doesn't have to go hand-in-hand with a-holeness.

I don't know exactly when the Heisman became just a trophy for the best stats and most wins. The selection process became boring when you could just add up the number of ESPN highlights for each candidate and pick the winner. Perhaps it was always that way.


Badger and Tide fans, you too should feel nothing but
envy that you didn't have Marcus Mariota.

Make no mistake, Mariota had all of those skill and highlight boxes checked for his own self. But unlike three of the last four . . . uh, "winners" in Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston, nobody felt like they needed to take a hot soapy shower after voting for him.

WE THE STATE OF FLORIDA,
FIND JAMEIS WINSTON "AWESOME"!
The Florida State Judge (which, to me, still suggests a judge that went to Florida State) determined that he could not find Jameis Winston in violation of the FSU Conduct Code that strongly discourages the raping of women because he felt the accuser's testimony was no more convincing than the accused.

Could that be because the victim's burden to prove that she was raped was made more difficult because Winston did not have to answer any questions? And further, Winston's two buddies who were also in the apartment, including the one that allegedly filmed this mutually consented tender moment of love making, did not have to testify. They didn't even have to show up.

The accuser and her attorneys were permitted to ask Winston questions in written format. And he was permitted to not answer a single one.

Here are two excerpts from this ESPN article:
Under FSU's student conduct rules, Winston wasn't required to answer any or all questions during the Dec. 2-3 hearing. Instead, Winston read from a prepared five-page statement as his opening statement, and then referred to it again when questioned by Harding on the second day. Winston then cited the rule that permitted him not to answer questions: "From the Rule 6C2R-3.004(6)(d) of the Florida State Student Code of Conduct I'm not going to answer."
Harding then asked him: "And so you're not going to answer any additional questions?"
"Yes, Your Honor," Winston responded

Sunday, after Harding cleared Winston, the accuser's attorneys, Kerr and John Clune, issued a statement, saying: "Of the four people in that apartment only one, our client, testified, and she answered any and all questions about what happened. The three football players, Jameis Winston, Chris Casher, and Ronald Darby, all refused to testify and answer questions and somehow Jameis Winston still wins."

Well of course he wins. The woman failed to prove that Winston was lying when he didn't say anything. Oh sure, he had a 5-page prepared written statement; but it was certainly washed, spun, and rinsed by his lawyers.

But still, the people of the State of Florida are satisfied that justice was served. Jameis Winston gets to play football.

Stay classy, FSU.



Yes Virginia, there IS an
Oregon Heisman Trophy winner.

Wishing all of you the happiest of holidays, the Merriest Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza; and for those who celebrate Festavus, you were always a disappointment to our family.

--KB

Special For Many Reasons

OK check the office pool. Which of us had Oregon winning by 38? A valuable asset for any team is peaking at the right time. And Oregon is playing it's best football right now in December, going into the playoffs.

Going into the Pac-12 Championship, we were all recalling what Arizona had done the past two times these teams have met. But Friday night, Mariota and Co. worked their magic and erased all those memories. Marcus was the true Superman that Oregon needed. One Arizona fan on social media commented that he couldn't believe this was the same team that beat Oregon in October. The truth was, Arizona was the same team.

It was Oregon who was different.

No Scooby Sacks this time.

Back in October, Arizona sacked Mariota five times and forced two fumbles. This time, nothing and notta. Mariota floated around the pocket like a bubble boy. Whenever Scooby and the gang barely got within arms reach of him, he just rolled away and kept looking down field. His pocket awareness was near perfect.

The second this guy fell on his butt,
he was prey. Mariota saw him and raced
to the corner of the endzone for his second
rushing TD on the night.

 Ball control was incredible too. Mariota was 25 for 38, 303 yards, 2 pass TD's, ran in three more, and no interceptions. In his previous three games against the Wildcats, he had never scored a rushing TD on them.  Freshman Royce Freeman handled the running duties like a boss, carrying 21 times for 114 yards.  

Rolls Royce

The defense stepped up and quieted all of Don Pellum's critics. Arizona's two dangerous weapons, QB Anu Solomon and RB Nick Wilson were both neutered.

Everyone said Oregon HAD TO shut down Arizona's run to have a chance. They held Wilson to 26 yards on 13 carries. Their best rusher was actually their third string QB, Jerrard Randall. He kept the ball 11 times for 74 yards, but couldn't muster a single pass completion in his only 5 attempts.

Solomon going down.

Arizona Coach Rich Rodriguez tried three different quarterbacks. After zero points and repeated three-and-outs in the first half, he put in his second and third string and we saw Solomon on the sidelines in a walking boot.  

Isn't it Rich?

Rich Rod was sulky and short in the post game interview, but he said all the right things. He had plenty of praise for the Ducks, and before he spoke of his team's failures, he said he was out-coached. This was a big statement because I think he was the one coach who consistently had Coach Helfrich's number.

And what of Scooby Wright? I can't find the stats on him, but it's possible he had recorded fewer tackles for losses than losses of lunches. I mean dude was blowing groceries. So was AZ's center as seen in the video below. Did a puke bug drive the team bus?

Wildcat horkin' up a hairball on the field. Oh poor kitty.

All this great win did was solidify good things for the future. Mariota is going to win the Heisman. And Oregon finished #2 in the final national standings and will meet Florida State in the Rose Bowl for the playoff semifinal.

I'll focus on that in the days to come. But let me say how beautifully this is all setting up to be a storied season for the Ducks.

In the regular season, Oregon demolished one of their significant nemesis of previous seasons, Stanford. In the Pac-12 Championship, the Ducks got that rare opportunity in football -- a do-over, a rubber match. They got to face Arizona --the one team that had beaten them this year -- and vanquish them on a big stage.

Now they are facing Florida State, the reigning National Champion with last year's Heisman Trophy winner. Get past them, and the next opponent only becomes more legendary.

They'll face either Ohio State, a previous foe they had lost to the first time Chip Kelly took the Ducks to a BCS Bowl. Or they'll face the perennial National Champion and current SEC Champion Alabama -- the team coached by Nick Saban, the one who said the hurry-up no-huddle was bad for football. Oregon-Alabama is the matchup everyone has wanted to see for years.

But let's not count our ducklings yet. For now. Let's just enjoy these moments.

The Oregon Ducks: Current 11-time winner over Washington. 7-time winner over Oregon State. 8-time winner over Washington State. Current victor over Stanford and Arizona. Such a routine victor over USC and UCLA that it's not even worth counting.

Pac-12 Champions. #2 in the nation. National Champion Playoff Contender.

And there was one more thing. What was it? . . . . . . . . . Oh ya.
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80th Annual Heisman Trophy Presentation. Saturday, Dec. 13th. 5pm Pacific on ESPN.

--KB

Facing Their Kryptonite

ARIZONA
Richard Rodriguez has outcoached Mark Helfrich two times in a row now. While we point with pride at Chip Kelly as the one who changed college football with the no huddle spread, others remind us it was Rich Rod who was the original architect of the system.

QB Anu Solomon is young but good. RB Nick Wilson is very dangerous. When they play Oregon, those two have been flawless. And every Nick Wilson runs over 100 yards, the Cats win.

Oregonian writer Ken Goe, who sent me a court order to never mention his name, said in his own video blog that Oregon has to stop Arizona's run. Period. Pac-12 talking head Rick Neuheisel laid out in the this well done video just how hard that has been for Oregon. It's scary to watch.

" 'Gonna bust you up."

Scooby Wright is the general of Arizona's 3-3-5 defense -- a formation that Oregon has yet to solve. No other defense has been more successful at befuddling Oregon's O-line and humanizing Super Mariota.

Neuheisel goes on to say that the mental game is a factor as well. Arizona is not going into this game a-hopin' and a-prayin'. They've beaten Oregon. They know they can beat Oregon. They're getting ready to do it again.

OREGON
Marcus Mariota.

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The cocky fan in me wants to stop right there. But this game is everything. Better keep it real.

Something changed in Mariota after that humiliating loss to Arizona back in October. After that knockout he transformed himself into the legend that everybody was already pegging him to be. For the first time, he seemed to put on the Super Mariota suit and act the part.

His reluctance to all the attention was gone. I can't say what happened exactly, whether someone talked to him, or maybe he just stood in the shower for an hour and thought about things. But he came out at UCLA determined to be Oregon's hero.

Today's Mariota will not be the same Mariota Arizona saw before.

Mariota before Arizona. He spent most of his
time in the pocket taking sacks like Clark Kent.
 

Mariota after Arizona. He was literally
flying to the Endzone.

Rolls Royce Freeman. What planet did this freshman phenom come from? He was still tying to find himself in October. Everyone still thought Thomas Tyner was going to be the guy (I still think Tyner will do great things. I hope he still believes it too.) Byron Marshall was still taking handoffs and was only flirting with the receiver thing.

But now all of that is sorted out.

The offensive line -- it's like after the Arizona game, they had a meeting and decided to be better?!?!?  Who does that? And they're healthier too, with or without starting center Hronis Grasu.

Oregon wouldn't have a chance going into this game if they were the same team they were in October. Hell, they wouldn't even be in this game.

That thumping by the Wildcats was probably the best thing that could've happened to them. The Ducks today, they are leaner. They are meaner. They have that look in their eyes.

"Go for it."
(Editor's note: The earring is a little much isn't it?)

To win, the whole team has to be better. But ultimately it comes down to one man.
Super Mariota. We're calling on you once again to be our reluctant hero.

Our humble Superman.


Oh and one other key to the game, Ducks.
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Lose the pink.

Pac-12 Championship game. 6pm Pacific on FOX.
--KB

IT'S HIS HEISMAN, MAN.

WELCOME WISCONSINNERS
Before I start, I want to welcome two new subscribers, P.M and J.M., from Wisconsin. To make them feel a part of our blog family, I'd like to talk a little about two of their very favorite teams on the rise.

The Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badgers. Both of these teams have taken the lead in their respective conferences and control their own destinies.

Watching these two teams last weekend, I noticed five common traits. One of the more interesting . . .

OK that's enough welcoming.

TO BE HONEST, BEAVER ROADKILL IS KIND OF SAD


I mean what can you say? Marcus Mariota immortalized himself by jumping over a hapless Beaver while pushing down on his head like a rude boyfriend. He did a Heisman pose as he was serving a Beaver a face-load of his junk.

That's not even funny. It's just pathetic.

In the first game of the season, Oregon State fell behind Portland State at halftime. They looked terrible. It looked like the season opener the year before when they were stunned by Eastern Washington. They eventually won, but that first half had Beaver fans everywhere with their faces in their palms.

At the time, I put up a Facebook post: "Beavers, I used to laugh at you. Now I just pity you." And immediately I got an angry retort from a Beaver fan that it was too soon to be that cruel.

So I didn't say another word about the Beavers for the rest of the season.

Until now.

Beavers, take a look around and ask yourself if you're happy with your team. Did that effort look . . . . . . .even like effort? Are you still OK with Coach Riley and his "Aww Shucks, Gee Willickers" apparent settling for mediocrity?

Heh heh...haw haw...I mean...
WOW! Was that a trip to the woodshed or what?
My britches are still burnin'....
Whoo boy .... Heh heh....

After watching the Beavers fall to 5-7 for the season, the real question to be begged is, How in the world did they win five?

When I look at the Beavers, I see uninspired players struggling with a boring and predictable playbook. How much longer will they put up with this?

Another Beaver humbly prays
at the Failing Wall of Reser Stadium.

IT IS NOW A BONAFIDE NOBRAINER.
Traditional voters for the Heisman are now saying that the race is pretty much over. And Teddy Mitrosilis of FOX Sports is even calling for a unanimous vote for Mariota. Here is an excerpt:
Mariota went 19-of-25 for 367 yards and four TDs (no picks), while adding another 39 yards and two TDs on the ground.
This stat is insane: Mariota now has 47 total TDs to only two interceptions on the season. TWO! He also leads the country in yards per attempt at 10.4 and is completing 68.6 percent of his passes (sixth in the nation and about 2 percent better than Jameis Winston last year when he ran away with the Heisman).
He’s playing quarterback as well as it can be played, and no disrespect to Melvin Gordon, who’s had an incredible year at RB for Wisconsin, but Mariota should become the first unanimous Heisman Trophy winner of all time. He deserves to get every single first-place vote.

This is an unreal experience for Duck fans. Sure, players in the past have been mentioned as Heisman candidates, a couple even took the trip to New York. But to see one of our own play at such a high level and most importantly, stay healthy (KNOCK WOOD!), to reach this pinnacle is truly amazing.


Also, Marcus Mariota was just named Pac-12 Player of the Year. His sidekick, RB Royce Freeman was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

NEXT POST: "Of course you realize . . . ."

The Ducks have a return engagement with Arizona. Whenever any reporters were able to get Oregon players off to a corner to ask them who they REALLY wanted to play in the Pac-12 Championship, there was no two ways about it. Mariota and Company are getting exactly the opponent they wanted.

Oh we are awake. Yes sir.
WE. ARE. A. WAKE.
And you are going to RUE THE DAY
that you jostled our crib!!!

 

More on Arizona later.

--KB

 

Get out of the way, Beavers.....

CIVIL WAR KEYS TO THE GAME:

OREGON
The keys for Oregon will be to distribute the ball evenly amongst all their offensive weapons -- their three running backs including Byron Marshall coming out of the backfield to receive passes; their corps of tight ends even without Pharoah Brown; their endless supply of excellent receivers; and of course the one who makes it all happen, Heisman front-runner Marcus Mariota.

On defense, they need to watch out for the Beavers two weapons, the long passes down the center, and Coach Riley's patented tool -- the always dangerous, tried, true, and traditional Fly Sweep.

NO. NOT THE FLY SWEEP!!!

OREGON STATE
The keys for Oregon State will be to run fast, jump up and down, flap and wave their arms, and gosh dang it, just try their darndest to be the best they can be and work really hard to believe in themselves. As long as they show good sportsmanship, their moms will be proud.

On defense, they need to feel privileged that they have front row seats to view the best offense and single best football player that they have ever had the honor to be on the same field with. It'll be a great story to tell the grandkids. 

"Gee Wally, That Marcus Mariota sure is good."
"Ya he's really nice too. He saw me crying as
he ran by me to score and said 'Sorry'."

PAC-12 TITLE PICTURE
Oregon will play for the Pac-12 Title December 5th regardless of what happens tomorrow. Their opponent will be decided as UCLA hosts Stanford and Arizona State travels to Arizona. Both games start at 12:30 today.

UCLA, a 4-1/2 point favorite, will go to the Pac-12 Championship if they beat Stanford. If they lose, the winner of Arizona - Arizona State meets the Ducks.

The Ducks aren't concerning themselves with who wins. They are completely focused on just taking care of their own business to get to the big dance. The Beavers are an obstacle. The Pac-12 South Champ is an obstacle.

SEC CRUMMY OPPONENT OF THE WEEK AWARD WENT TO...
Last week it was #1 best-in-the-nation Alabama's turn to host a crummy opponent in late November as the playoff polls get more critical.

Two weeks ago you'll recall we had SEC teams scheduling a church (Ole Miss vs. Presbyterian) and a labor union (Missy State vs. UTM) . Last week Alabama played against Western Carolina.

OK now they're just making teams up. You got North Carolina and South Carolina. There IS NO West or Western Carolina. Yet there they were, from the WTF league I guess. The Catamounts, they call themselves.

Here we are in late November,
and the #1 team in the nation
played this team:
The Catamounts.

This coming Saturday is no exception to SEC teams scheduling cupcakes. Florida will be going up against what I am convinced is the most overrated team in the nation, Florida State.

Last week Florida State squeaked by a mediocre 6-4 Boston College 20-17 at home with a last minute field goal. This can't last. Eventually they will come up against a complete team capable of playing a full 60 minutes and get blown out.

It'll be a shame if it doesn't happen until the playoffs and locks out a more worthy #5 team, whomever that may be.

ALOITTI SHOULD TAKE THEIR MONEY
This story from The Oregonian's John Canzano last week:
 NFC East teams try to hire Nick Aliotti as consultant to combat Eagles
Former Oregon Ducks defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said on Monday that he's been contacted by NFC East teams that want to hire him as a consultant to help them solve the Philadelphia Eagles' offense.
Not an NFC East team -- every one of the NFC East teams.
"I have been asked by everybody in the NFC East ..." the retired Aliotti said on Monday. "The Giants asked me to come back when Chip got the first job. I didn't feel right doing that. Some teams have called when they're getting ready to play the Eagles and they call and have certain questions on the thing. Unless I know the guy and he's a good friend, I don't get involved with that."
The Eagles (8-3) are tied with the Cowboys (8-3) on top of the NFC East. [Dallas got crushed.]
Aliotti, who coached alongside Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, saw the offense every day in practice. He turned down the requests, he said, but Aliotti said he's talked scheme with some of his coaching friends such as USC defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox, who played under Aliotti.
"Sometimes it's about scheme, sometimes it's about how you handle what's going on with a situation," Aliotti said. "I have quite a few good friends ... mostly it's X's and O's or how you handle a situation or a player."

I think Nick Aliotti should set up a Pay Pal account and take their money. Once the transaction clears, he could give them the following valuable information. . . . .

1) You need to condition your defense to be ready for snaps every 17 seconds for an entire game. If you start conditioning now, you may be ready for the Eagles in 2015.

2) Because the Eagles QB is just letting the movements of your defensive players decide where the ball is going, you need to have all your men play straight up and honest. Don't lean to the right or left. Don't cheat up or back. Play your position, mind your own gap and territory. If you don't have 11 players on the field that can handle their own for the entire game, Kelly will exploit your weakness. And so your best chance is to just find better players in the next draft.

Really, do you think Chip would care if
Nick offered his opponents some "secrets"?
I think they both would just laugh.

In short, there's no trick. No scheme. No gimmick. If you're worried that Kelly's Eagles are going to shred your defense, you need a better defense.

That's it. Thank you for your business. Good luck.

--Nick Aliotti.

Civil War game time Saturday, 5pm Pacific on ABC.

--KB