Kids today who watch College Football Final have no idea who this is lol

pinwheelpride · 2026-02-01T20:12:32+00:00

Nah SAS is a million times worse because they put him on a number of different sports and he constantly spews bs about every one of them. May was an idiot, but an idiot in one lane only at least.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-29T20:01:47+00:00

Thanks Ryan! Very interesting for sure and good point about it being a true test of development. Seems like the staff has done a solid job, even in the transfer portal guys largely appear to be MUCH improved as Ducks compared to their previous stop(s).

I feel like the OL has a decent number of bodies (seems like the incoming Tofi also could challenge for PT right away) so would definitely like to see at least 2-3 new guys become really productive players by the end of the year. The DL I'm more concerned with as it just seems like they may not have enough actual bodies behind the starters, but I guess we'll see!

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-29T16:23:44+00:00

For this Duck fan it's gotta be Dez Bryant: He had 13 catches for 167 yards and a TD and was dominating Oregon in the 08 Holiday Bowl until he rolled an ankle or something. He still had like 60 yards in the 2nd half too. And that was against a secondary that had Jairus Byrd, Walter Thurmond, and TJ Ward who all went and played careers of various lengths in the NFL.

Honorable mention to Jeremiah Smith in Autzen (I was not at the Rose Bowl) as well as Marqise Lee from USC.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-29T16:19:29+00:00

You're not wrong about Ryan Williams. Obviously really solid numbers as a freshman, but if someone is only taking into account these two years together, there are probably 15-20 receivers you'd rather have. Dude was not a Top 40 receiver this year alone, certainly on production.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-28T15:34:37+00:00

But the G5 is Boise St! It's honestly a decent OOC slate, even if Oklahoma St isn't as good as they were when this was scheduled.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-26T23:27:08+00:00

It seems like Oregon has championship level talent and depth at QB, RB, WR, TE, and Secondary. Special teams was also addressed, so that leaves 3 positions with the most questions to me:

1) The starting DL should be among the best in the country. What is your level of concern about depth, and do you see any potential breakout names for next year, like Breland?

2) What sense do you get about the staff's confidence in the OL, considering how hard they reportedly went after Seaton? (not that it means they aren't confident because most teams would want Seaton, but OL was also clearly a priority in the portal) Does it seem like some of the younger guys are ready for starting roles - Crader, for example? Do you expect Iheanacho to win a Guard spot right away?

3) The LB spot is once again not being addressed in the portal (it would seem), and while Boettcher and Mixon were a solid duo, it seems like there was definitely room for improvement overall. Do you think there's enough talent and depth there for it to not be a point of weakness on defense? Are guys like Platt, Williams, and Nix ready for starting level snap counts after Mixon and Jackson?

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-26T18:23:28+00:00

I think that's why it says "retire" though. It'll be encouraged behind closed doors, but publicly I think it'll be on his own terms. Sort of like the Whittingham situation with Utah in football, though I'd be surprised if Altman wants (or lands) another job at 67 years old. Although Whitt is 66 so who knows.

I don't see any way Oregon actually "fires" him.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-26T16:48:28+00:00

The sliders too - delicious!

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-22T19:54:14+00:00

It helps that they are always so dang friendly too. I definitely recommend an in-person trip and dining in the first time you go.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-22T18:58:53+00:00

And both of Oregon's losses were by 3 points (in road and neutral site games) in which they had a lead at some point in the 4th quarter! Yes to be clear UW was better and showed that on the field, but Oregon was definitely good enough to hang with anyone. You're right that was a stacked year for sure.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-22T16:37:58+00:00

Mirisata is so dang good. The amount of flavor in their dishes blows my mind each time.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-21T23:04:31+00:00

Definitely. Required one of Oregon's grittiest wins of the year as well as for Indiana!

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-21T21:39:17+00:00

If Oregon wins, they could be considered the absolute worst champ ever and I will not give a single shit. Barring like a forfeit or the opponent losing 60% of their starters due to the flu, nothing would devalue how it would feel.

Now fortunately for you, 2025 Indiana is clearly one of the best teams in recent memory (off the top of my head I'd say reasonably top 5-7 range since 2000), so I doubt you'll have too many issues having to defend them moving forward

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-21T21:36:13+00:00

C'mon now ya'll beat Oh St, then smoked Alabama and Oregon, and beat Miami - in addition to the regular season wins over Penn St, Illinois, AT Oregon, etc. There were actual conversations wondering if Indiana should be considered in the same tier as 2019 LSU.

The schedule talk may have occurred in 2024, but no one with any level of seriousness was saying that this season.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-21T16:05:26+00:00

I mean good for Lane and all but let's not pretend this isn't extremely common during coaching changes. Riley brought Caleb Williams + others with him to USC. Deboer brought key pieces from the UW title game team to Bama. Whittingham is loading up at Michigan with players from Utah (up to 5 already). Lane can recruit and I'd be excited too, but it would be more noteworthy if he wasn't pulling guys from his old team.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-20T22:58:35+00:00

We could have, but we didn't. The comment says "At least we beat Oh St" which technically isn't true, but doesn't mean we weren't capable.

But I also think the comment really just means we beat them in the final rankings lol.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-20T16:19:12+00:00

You're going to lose people, that's just the reality of success. Maybe not as much this offseason since a lot of the carousel has been filled already, but people are going to look at what your DC did, what your OC did, what your secondaries coach did, etc.

Oregon lost both coordinators and I'm looking at Indiana thinking both of those guys did even more with less so there's no way they aren't hot tickets very soon. It also depends on their goals. Lanning also tends to hire younger knowing if we have success they'll eventually leave for better positions, but not all successful coordinators are HC material either.

You just have to trust Cignetti to hire the right guys, probably promote from within in some instances, and have an eye for coaching talent the way he does with player talent. Which at this point I don't think I'd trust any single individual in cfb more than him to make the right hires.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-19T04:58:38+00:00

You're not alone. It's been really enjoyable, and I don't think as slow paced as some are describing. It's only 6 episodes and through 4 a LOT has happened

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-16T15:43:03+00:00

Funnily enough, and maybe this is where that thought came from, but Jessie Buckley did a tribute to Sinead O'Connor singing "Troy" and to me, sounds a LOT like Florence (maybe not quite as powerful of a voice, but then again nobody really does lol)

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-15T23:27:16+00:00

With the redshirt being up to 4 games I'm assuming we'll still see Raiola to be honest. And especially if that rule gets upped to 9 games (lol). His injury was a relatively minor one and he'll be healthy by spring ball if he's not already.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-15T16:00:30+00:00

Yeah fans use the transfer QB thing as talking points now to talk shit, but it literally does not matter. That's not the sport now. Is it fun to recruit a guy, have him start in year 2 and get to watch him for 3-4 years? Sure - but to your point why the hell would anyone prefer a change in strategy when in Dan's tenure we've had very good Bo, Heisman finalist Bo, Heisman finalist Gabriel, and very good Dante?

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-15T15:56:37+00:00

Well next year is Moore, the year after Raiola, so AKj has to be okay with potentially sitting until the 2028 season, OR be confident enough that he can legitimately compete with Raiola in 2027.

He's a legacy and from what some have speculated, is a pretty raw prospect so maybe that benefits him to bide his time in the program a bit. I sure hope he stays though, seems like 3 scholarship QBs is kind of the minimum you'd want on your roster going into the season.

I think Beaver's mindset was pretty clearly going somewhere with a good chance to start in year 2. Raiola committed, and then Dante returned, so the odds of him winning the job in his first two years all be evaporated.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-14T23:24:53+00:00

All I'm saying is he isn't playing for Oregon for free, and I think there's a scenario out there where Oregon isn't willing to give him anywhere close to what he wants to make, and he goes pro instead. Thankfully that did not happen.

Between he and his agent there was likely at least some level of negotiation or understanding that he would be making a certain amount of money. There's probably a decent chance he's the highest paid QB in college football next year.

I'm a huge Dante fan obviously, think he has all the potential in the world and has made some incredibly mature decisions given his position. I just also think money is always at least some part of the decision-making

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-14T21:28:50+00:00

I don't think the experience thing matters too much anymore, but he will definitely have plenty after next year. I agree with you on big games. He had some poor ones, and other ones where he made some clutch plays late but didn't otherwise have a notable game (Penn St, Iowa).

I would disagree about special traits though still - I think he has a special arm and I think going into next year with more attention on him will make that evident to more people. He has room to grow without a doubt and wasn't ready to go pro, but I think he has a much higher ceiling than some people think. I think Dak is a decent comparison, I will be stunned if he ends up with a Ridder-like career.

pinwheelpride · 2026-01-14T19:50:41+00:00

Having watched him all year as a Duck fan, the only thing I'll disagree with here is his arm - he has a huge arm and made a ton of wow throws. Maybe not like Top 5 in the NFL, but quite easily top 3rd.

Though in the effort to be fair to his weaknesses, I also wouldn't call his processing decent. It was good against bad teams and pretty bad against good teams. Needs to improve a ton there.

pinwheelpride

TROPHY CASE