I just finished watching the ESPN College Gameday Preview show.

Obviously, the consensus is USC for #1 in the Pac. They were not the consensus pick, though, for the National Championship game.

Chris Fowler joked that maybe the question should have been "Who is going to be #2 in the Pac-10?" Herbstreit quickly mentioned Oregon.

I have seen early predictions of the Ducks finishing anywhere from 2nd to 5th. They have a favorable home schedule this year with all the "big games" at Autzen.

Will Cal duplicate last season's record? Is ASU worthy of a Top 20 ranking? What about UCLA? Will Tyrone Willingham bring UW back into contention?

Ducks open next week at Houston.

[ October 03, 2005, 01:55 PM: Message edited by: Mariner Duck Boy ]

Hey MDB, I've been waiting for you to start the thread. Can't wait until Thursday - I'm leaving work early for the 4pm kickoff.

Various Pac-10 thoughts.

1. Is USC the obvious favorite to win the league? On paper, yes. But, it wouldn't be impossible for Cal, ASU or Oregon to win the Pac-10, given schedules. USC plays at Oregon and Cal, Cal and ASU don't play each other. And, you can never overlook the possibility of an upset.

2. What will be the surprises? My guesses: USC will not go undefeated; OSU will be keeping UW and Stanford company at the bottom; WSU and Arizona will do better than expected.

3. Biggest enigma: UCLA

4. Final league-play standings:

USC
Oregon
Cal
ASU
WSU
UCLA
Arizona
Stanford
OSU
UW

Go Ducks!
wb

[ August 29, 2005, 05:20 PM: Message edited by: wilderblue ]

Wilderblue, Lucky! I can't take off early from and I'm on the bus so I won't be able to watch the game until 5:30 or so. I just hope the Ducks are in the lead by the time I get home. It should be interesting to see the Ducks & their new offense which is a combination of their traditional passing game, with the spread and the option thrown in.

I was also surprised to hear Jordan Kent is now on the football team. So, he's lettering in Football, Basketball & Track.

Houston also has a unique version of the offense so it may be a very high scoring game. I read in the Register Guard that one of their receivers described their offense as "a combination of the veer option of Navy and the spread passing attack of Hawai'i." It should at least make for an entertaining game just to see the wild formations that they use.

Interesting predictions on the Pac. You think the Beaves are going to finish 9th, huh.
Here's my predictions. USC will lose one conference game somewhere along the road.

U$C
Oregon
Cal
ASU
UCLAME
Beavos
Cougs
Stanford
U-Dub
'Zona

Yes, I believe they will lose one of their away games: Oregon, ASU, Cal or UW.

I'm freaking excited for Saturday even though we're opening up against Sac State.

I just got my itinerary for the Washington game though and the New Mexico State game as well so I'm pretty stoked. I'm kinda pissed that my friend called the Oregon game already but tis OK, I don't need to goto the craphole that is Eugene, Oregon anyways. wink

I'll post up my rankings and season preview tomorrow when I have more time (read: sitting bored as hell in class)

And they don't want you stinking up the joint either, you Damn Berkely Bear fan, you!

What I think you meant to say was: "go to that glorious, magnificent, radiant and beautiful city that is Eugene, Oregon"

GO DUCKS GO!

Boys! Do we really have to sink to the level of those Oklahoma/Texas or FSU/Miami/Florida folks?

Kiss and make up, you two!

Of course, when it comes to USC bashing - all gloves are off - or is it on - what's that damned saying anyway?

wb
Go Ducks! Go Bears (except when they're playing the Ducks)!

We would never stoop down to Texas/Oklahoma or FSU/Miami/Florida level!

Besides, I really don't mind the Bears. I actually like Bears. Grrrr.

And I totally agree. All gloves are off when it comes down to U$C bashing...and UW....and OSU.

7 hours and counting.



GO DUCKS!

After hearing the score after the first quarter, I was preparing for a 63-58 final score. Luckily, the Ducks made adjustments and shut down Houston in the second half. Ducks offense racked up 554 yards in total offense. I'm still concerened with the Secondary especially after allowing bombs of 70 & 62 yards and this coming from Houston receivers. What are they going to give up against Leinart & Reggie Bush or the other Pac-10 receivers? 1-0. Next up: Montana.

I was surprised that Wazoo had a closer than expected game against Idaho.

No surprise that ASU waxed Temple.

I watched Oregon-Houston and the Ducks looked both horrible and great at times... pretty typical of a first game. The atmosphere made it feel like a neutral-site game at best... certainly not a home game atmosphere for the Cougars.

The Fresno State-Oregon game should be interesting on the 17th. If the game was in Fresno, I would predict a Bulldogs blowout win. But since the game's in Eugene, I'm guessing it will be close. Oregon has a big advantage since it will be the Ducks' third game, while Fresno State doesn't open until next weekend against I-AA Weber State.

Should be interesting as long as the Pac-10 refs don't become a factor like in the last meeting at Autzen.

MDB, I'm sure you know that Joey Harrington's little brother is the starting QB at Idaho, right?

GO DUCKS!

Yeah, I was a little disturbed/worried during the first quarter. But once they got warmed up, they looked pretty good.

Did you get a load of the Houston AD? When asked what UHouston was doing to aid hurricane relief efforts, he stuttered and finally mumbled something about having volunteers collect money at the game and offering the refugees free entrance into the game. Bet that was a relief for them all! Geez.

BTW, I was born in Montana. My parents went to UMontana. GO GRIZZLIES (but not against the Ducks)!

And, finally, GO BOISE ST!

You heard it here first...Cal starting QB Nate Longshore will be out for ~3 months due to a fractured fibula. I feel horrible for him, he's waited so long to finally get his chance to play and played pretty damn well (8/11 130 yds 1 TD 1 Int) and now he's pretty much done for the season.

The tape hasn't been reviewed yet but it looks like it might have happened cause of a late hit. This is pretty bad considering Ayoob sucked it up (0/10) and Levy just hasn't had the practice and stuff to start. Mark my words, by mid to late season, Kyle Reed will be QBing for the Bears.

DeSean Jackson looked great, Marshawn really got it together in the 2nd half and the defense was clicking as well. Ironic that Tedford's team is all put together except for the QB position.

Terrible about Nate.

After opening weekend, here's how things look from this foggy perspective:

USC
ASU
OSU
Oregon
UCLA
Cal
Arizona
WSU
UW
(Stanford)

(Maybe, finally, those Sooner fans will shut up for a while.)

[ September 04, 2005, 11:42 AM: Message edited by: wilderblue ]

So I'm coming up for the Washington game this week...what should I do while I'm there? :confused:

Flying into Boeing Field Friday afternoon, staying in Bellvue. I basically have from Friday afternoon till kickoff on Saturday free. After that its straight from the stadium to the airport.

Transportation may be limited but I can always take a cab or something.

Well I hope you have fun at the UW game. I hope you stomp on the Huskies this weekend. Go Bears.

Staying in Bellevue? It's across the lake from Seattle. Are you in downtown Bellevue? If you have limited transportation, another option would be catching the bus to dwontown seattle. The city is small enough that you can walk the main tourist/shopping areas. YOu can also catch the monorail to the Seattle Center/Space Needle. From downtown, you can also catch the bus or walk up to Capitol Hill which is the gay area. Let me know if you want bar information or what interests you. I'd also recommend catching the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island and back as you will have a spectacular view of the city.

Katrina isn't through leaving destruction...

I was reasonably sold on LSU beating Arizona State, maybe by 8 points. But with:

1. LSU being seriously disrupted in its practice schedule
2. LSU players DEEPLY affected on a personal level
3. The game being moved to Tempe

I now think Arizona State can beat LSU. I see this one as a tossup, although I'd lean toward ASU by 2 or 3.

I'm leaning toward ASU by 7 or more.

I hate USC. I hope everyteam in the Pac-10 beats them by triple digits.

BTW, my sister went to Berkeley, so I cheer for them when they play.

Cal or UW?

I go with Cal by 14 (because I can never think of a good reason to like the Huskies) - even though the quarterback situation is a big question. I think they'll power on.

GO DUCKS!
wb

I think Cal will squeak that game...and it may be in doubt as late as the 4th Q. Despite how bad Washington played in the first game, Cal has a new QB. Tyrone is smart enough to make some changes for this game.

But if Cal does win by 14, I think Washington is in much worse shape than I thought. And they may be looking at a 2-9 season.

Does LSU have some voodoo curse on Pac-10 special teams?

Last year Serna misses the 3 XP's

This year, LSU blocks a FG and breaks up a punt and scores on both ... in a 2 minute span

Tigers 21, Sun Devils 17 - 13:00 to go

Hey Breeser, good for you to see what apparently nobody at ESPN could - that it was not a blocked punt. The ASU punter never got his foot on the ball. After his scramble he tried to punt, but in that split second when the ball is loose between hands and foot he got hit and the ball just fell to the ground.

Jim

OK, this Saturday is a pretty big game... 23rd-ranked Fresno State (1-0) travels to Eugene to take on the Ducks (2-0). Both teams are coming off dominating wins over Division I-AA teams from the Big Sky this past weekend (Fresno State beating Weber State 55-17 and Oregon beating Montana 47-14).

The teams always seem to play tight games... they have met 5 times before and no game in the series has been decided by more than 7 points. Last meeting was in 2002 (also at Autzen) and Oregon scored a late TD and pulled out a 28-24 come-from-behind win. That game was the first-ever start for then-freshman Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar. Pinegar is now a senior. Bad sign for Fresno State: the Bulldogs likely lost their top defensive player (Garrett McIntyre, the preseason WAC Player of the Year) due to a high ankle sprain Saturday... he's almost certainly out several weeks but tests will come back Monday.

Any predictions, Duck fans? I keep hoping the Ducks will be looking past the Bulldogs and preparing for the Trojans. Any chance of that?

The Ducks will not be looking past Fresno State to USC. I think they learned their lesson from last year and are taking the season one game at a time.

The Ducks have no problem moving the ball up and down the field with their new offense, but they are having problems scoring Touchdowns which is a concern for Belotti. They have to get their running game going and with super frosh Jonathan Stewart spraining his ankle, the Ducks will most likely be down one Running Back. At least they sill have Terrence Whitehead.

I think the game will be close and the Ducks are at home so I will give the game to the Ducks.

GO DUCKS! .

ATTN: Ty Willingham

I dunno what you did at Notre Dame, but if you could tell your defense that their goal should be to prevent TDs, not cartwheel in celebration of them, that'd be great. Thanks.

It was a great weekend for football no? Pac-10 did great. Was on the edge of the sofa for Texas/Ohio St (well, might have fallen off once owing to the 3rd martini we were enjoying at some point past halftime). Anyway, after 2nd week, here's my foggy rank:

ASU
Cal
OSU
Oregon
WSU
UCLA
Stanford
Arizona
UW
USC (the only chance this year to put them last because they didn't play)

GO DUCKS! (But I'll definitely be cheering on the other FSU against USC.)
wb

Anyone foresee an upset this weekend? Arizona over Purdue perhaps?

GO DUCKS!
wb

Should be a great game. I've planned my Saturday around watching it.

Don't forger that the Duck/FSU is a 4pm pst game and will be televised on TBS.

Unfortunately, I'm at a fundraiser that evening so I won't be able to watch the game. Time to set the DVR.

It will be an interesting weekend here as both the Cougars and Huskies have games in Seattle. The Cougs are playing a special "home" game at Qwest Field (Seahawks Stadium)against Grambling State while earlier in the day, the Huskies will be home against Idaho. A big topic of debate on the local sports talk shows is who will win the attendance battle? In years past, it would be a no brainer that the Huskies would outdraw the Cougs, but this year? There also has been a lot of talk about the ability of UW beating Idaho. Come on, this is Idaho. This kind of talk would have never happened in past years. Idaho hasn't beaten UW since somthing like 1905. It's weird (but refreshing) to hear doom & gloom talk from Husky fans who used to be one of the more arrogant fans in the Pac-10.

MDB Top 10

1. U$C
2. Cal
3. ASU
4. UCLA
5. Oregon (until they find their running game)
6. OSU
7. WSU
8. Stanford
9. 'Zona
10. U-Dub

Depends on how hot it is in the desert -- some of those Midwestern boys wilt in the heat! I could easily see the upset there. (The Badgers had a tough time down there last year -- they actually almost drowned -- torrential downpour delayed the game and flooded the field).

re: FSU v. Oregon -- I'm going with the Ducks just because it is tough for visitors to win at Autzen. btw -- did Carr ever take on Harrington in their years at QB?

No. The last time the two teams met was in 2002 and the QB's were Pinegar vs. Jason Fife for Oregon.

Prior to 2002 the teams met in 1997 when Akili Smith (and at times, Jason Maas) was at the helm for Oregon.

Any word on the availability of Jonathan Stewart this weekend for the Ducks? I heard he was injured in the game against Montana but haven't heard anything lately about whether or not he'll play.

For Fresno State, Garrett McIntyre is out with the high ankle sprain. That is a huge blow to the Bulldogs as he is the heart and soul of the defense. He's started 27 straight games until this week, and is the WAC Defensive Player of the Year. If Fresno State can pull out a win in Eugene without McIntyre, the Bulldogs are even better than originally thought.

I'm zoning out and honored that you're paying attention to the west. Noticed it in your pics this week and then with your message above. What gives? Got a west cost boyfriend?

Smooch,
wb

[ September 16, 2005, 08:39 PM: Message edited by: wilderblue ]

With Marshawn Lynch out, Illinois over Cal?

Stanford loses to UC Davis? Are you kidding me? Wow. Talk about humiliating.

The Fresno State-Oregon game was a tough one. I'm not even going to mention the obvious fumble by the Ducks in the first half that inexplicibly wasn't overturned, nor will I mention the discrepancy in the number of penalties called, nor the obvious blown pass interference call against the Ducks that went uncalled. Luckily, the announcers on TBS observed it all and pointed it out repeatedly about the calls going against the Bulldogs. It's tough for Fresno State to win in that environment. The rematch in Fresno next season should be a good one.

Oregon has a great crowd and the Ducks QB was quite good. Fresno State losing its top defender hurt significantly and then the Bulldogs' top offensive threat leaving late in the 1st quarter with another injury after making a great catch inside the Ducks' 5-yd line hurt as well. Fresno State has an excellent first team but depth is a problem as with most non-BCS teams.

I actually think Oregon has a shot at beating USC in Eugene next week if the Ducks play as well as they did today.

[ September 17, 2005, 10:11 PM: Message edited by: TheOtherFSU ]

Sweet win for the Cougs over Grambling, even though this one didn't really count, it has to be a confidence builder for Wazzu, going into the real thing here next.

With the exceptions of the Louisville blitzkrieg over Oregon St., and Stanford setting football back 40 years losing to Cal-Davis (the way Pitt's playing, I guess Stanford was the lesser of 2 evils), the Pac-10 did pretty good yesterday.

USC was plain out otherworldly against Arkansas, seemed like they had 28 points after 7 offensive snaps or something like that. Even without Lynch.

Cal wore down the upset minded Illini in the 2nd half.

Oregon took out Fresno.

ASU showned no ill effects of the LSU game taking out N'western.

Arizona played Purdue tough before falling.

And if you thought Oklahoma was going to come out like a cornered animal scratching and clawing, a 17 point loss to UCLA would tell you otherwise. If any voter STILL thinks the Sooners are a Top 25 team, they shall be referred to the "People Who Should Be Shot" Thread.

Thanks for the smooch! nah -- the bf's from Pittsburgh. I've been following Left Coast fball off and on for the past 10-12 years or so -- the Badgers have had an opponent or two from there every season. Home-and-away with Oregon during the Harrington years; same with Fresno State under Carr; Stanford, San Diego State. AZ last year. Away games at Hawaii (Badger fans love leaving the cold midwest for the long Turkey day weekend).

And above all there's always that goal of playing (and beating of course) a Pac Ten team in the Rose Bowl on New Years (take that ucla and stanford!!)

GO DUCKS

I was at a fundraising event Saturday night so I had to keep checking the internet via my phone to get the latest score. Needless to say, when FSU jumped out to the 17-0 lead, I was not happy. But all's well that ends well...well, except if you are a FSU fan.

TOFSU: I hope you had a great time in Eugene and at Autzen. I hope the home town fans weren't too rude to you

Bring on those damn U$C Trojans (who look very very scary). If Oregon gave up 500+ yard to the bulldogs, will USC get 750?

Note to Stanford: WHAT THE FU*K?

Pac Rankings:

1. U$C
2. Cal
3. ASU
4. UCLAme
5. OREGON
6. Wazoo
7. Beavos
8. U-Dub
9. 'Zona
100. Stanford just because that was humilating for everyone in the Pac-10.

GO DUCKS

[ September 19, 2005, 07:15 AM: Message edited by: Mariner Duck Boy ]

Hey MDB and other Duck fans,

Guess we'd better start chanting our mantra for Saturday.

Pac-10 predictions next weekend? I'm going out on a limb with:

Oregon over USC
OSU over ASU

and doing the predictable with:
Cal over New Mexico St
Notre Dame over UW

WAC Commissioner Karl Benson this week filed a complaint with Dave Parry, the NCAA's National Coordinator of Officiating, relative to the officiating in the Fresno State-Oregon game last week in Eugene. Topics discussed included the discrepancy in penalties, specifically Fresno State getting flagged 16 times, 14 of them coming between the 2nd and 4th quarters after Fresno State jumped out to a 17-0 lead on the Ducks. Benson also specifically cited the outrageous call made when officials blew an Oregon offensive play dead while that play was still developing. The play was inexplicibly ruled dead when the end of play resulted in an Oregon fumble (recovered by Fresno State) that was negated. Benson said, "That's a play that should have been reviewed and overturned, and was a blown call." The significance of that one blown call was huge in the game. Oregon scored a touchdown on the very next play, though if the accurate call had been made, Fresno State would have had a 17-point lead and the ball.

That was painful.

Ditto. I got back from a wedding on Saturday and the Ducks were ahead 13-10. I shold have never turned on the game. I think I jinxed them.
Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush & the Trojans are a machine. As much as I hate the Trojan$, I had to admire the play of Reggie Bush. He is such a phenomenal player.

We'll see how they do in the afternoon heat of Tempe this weekend.

I hope the Ducks can bounce back at Stanford.

if they don't bounce back, then they should be sent to the WAC without dinner

Kellen Clemens got beat up on a bit and seemed kind of out of it for the last 1 1/2 quarters. I wish they had played the backup for a while longer.

Anyway, predictions for this weekend? I'll go with:

Cal over Arizona
Oregon over Stanford
WSU over OSU
UCLA over UW

and the upset:

ASU over USC

There you have it. GO DUCKS! wb

Ducks completely whallop and overwhelm Stanford!

I had hope of ASU pulling out the vicotry against USC but once the Trojan machine started rolling in the 3rd, I knew they were going to pull out the win. Reggie Bush - Wow.

After halftime, UW is pulling off the upset of UCLA! Crazy.

GO DUCKS.

Is it just me, or did anyone else think that ASU's Derek Hagan was playing the tip drill and punched the ball into Ellison's hand? To me it looked like he hit the ball, as if he was thinking he was batting it to his own guy and just forgot what color they were wearing that game. Not your typical interception.

Jim

After last week's games:

1. U$C
2. Cal
3. ASU
4. OREGON
5. UCLA
6. OSU
7. WSU
8. U-Dub
9. 'Zona
10. Stanford although U-Cal Davis would do better in the conference this year.

GO DUCKS.

[ October 03, 2005, 09:35 AM: Message edited by: Mariner Duck Boy ]