Home Football On to Vegas Bowl and the SEC’s Gators

On to Vegas Bowl and the SEC’s Gators

By
oob
-
556

Let’s hear thoughts on the Beavs bowl destination. Opponent previews, game plan, who’ll get playing time.

From ObjCritic in last thread:
“…seems like a bad draw. A 6-6 team with a bunch of players potentially bailing, and a backup QB busted for child pornography….
If the Beavers win, in the longer term, the thing that will likely stand out the most is a 10-win season.”

Feel free to add news on transfer portal gems too.

10 wins!…….GO BEAVS!

556 COMMENTS

  1. 3

    From DanOregon in last thread:
    “It’s a good window – prime time back east on a Saturday on ABC when a lot of Christmas parties are happening. It’s a win. And you are playing in a football stadium, not Petco Park and splitting the time slot.”

    Reply
  2. 10

    We absolutely have to win this game if only for the SEC vs. Pac-12 narrative.
    Also, a 10 win season is always good for appearances and recruiting as ObjCritic said.

    Will be my first time in this stadium. Anyone been in the 3rd level have any feedback on seeing the field?

    Reply
  4. 5

    I like the matchup. Team the Beavs have never played and this looks like a very winnable game vs a 6-6 SEC team that may be in shambles with its roster and a player booted off the team for legal issues.

    Late Saturday afternoon game on ABC.

    I’m good with it.

    Reply
    • 2

      Yes I agree and a win will pay dividends in future recruiting although not as confident in that statement now that there is NIL buying going on.

      Reply
  5. 13

    Names matter. Florida is one, OSU isn’t. Will be good for the program to hang one on them. Hoping UF transfer Chatfield has a huge chip on his shoulder for this one

    Reply
      • 1

        I bought tickets through OSU for the Ohio State game a few years ago. The tickets were in the corner of the top deck in the end zone. Once I got the tickets and seeing how bad they were, I ended up finding a better tickets on stubhub the day before and ate the cost of the OSU tickets.

        Reply
  8. 5

    Beavs should roll to a pretty convincing win given the leadership and focus of this team. Last year’s bowl game embarrassment will be fuel for the team to not let down in post season.
    As long as Florida doesn’t have a Lamar Jackson as 3rd string, Beavs should handle them defensively.

    Looking at the overall draw for PAc12 teams, it may be a possible sweep of all 7 games for the conference with 2 possible losses: UCLA is DTR sits out, Ducks if they just don’t care.

    Reply
  10. 5

    MBB continues to impress. Up 34-23 at the half on the road against the Trojans. Dropping threes like crazy, so I don’t expect that to last, but looking good nonetheless.

    Reply
  11. 10

    Need to win the bowl game. Nobody will remember that Florida was having a down year but everyone will remember the 10-win season and the win over the SEC. From Coach Smith’s comments, only Rezjohn Wright will be opting out of playing. Everyone else as of today is playing (Colletto, Damien, Grant, etc.) I think we need to step on Florida’s throat early and cruise to a win.

    Reply
    • 2

      Rezjohn isn’t opting out, he had surgery on his hand. He would be playing this game it sounds like if he didn’t need surgery. see his latest tweet response back to Carter Bahns on Twitter.

      Reply
    • 5

      Luke Musgrave is going to try to go to the game but obviously won’t play. Wright will also try to be at the game. Both probably signing with agents soon and headed to draft training.

      Seems like Chance made the decision to transfer a few weeks ago which lines up with him not being at the games.

      Reply
  16. 6
    1

    MBB falling apart again in the second half, now down 57-53. USC went to a zone and the Beav’s played Tinkle ball (passing around the perimeter until three seconds on the shot clock). Also, no clue on how to attack the press. Two minutes left, I don’t think a miracle is going to save them this time.

    Reply
  17. 2

    Imagine if we only lost to Utah, we’d be in a NY6 bowl at least. Happy with Vegas because it’s not El Paso.

    Florida looked good against Utah but that was forever ago and I haven’t seen them play this year after that.

    I see Beavs cruising in this one. Pound the rock baby!

    41-21

    Reply
  18. 3
    1

    Beavs hit two late threes to make it close, but they had a terrible five-minute period in clutch time that lost them the game. Final 63-62 USC. Too bad because they led for about 30 minutes. Final 63-62

    Reply
  19. 3
    1

    Tinkle made no adjustments at all since the game against Washington when we couldn’t handle press. And our zone offense is just a horrid. Five people stand on the perimeter and the best shot every time down is a force at the end of the shot clock. Same old thing game after game

    Reply
    • 4

      I will agree that our offense has looked pretty bad at times. But I highly doubt the issues with turnovers in regards to press/ball pressure has not been addressed by Tinkle. The young guys are struggling to take care of the ball which is natural for a lot of young players. I am encouraged by the fact that we turned the ball over as many times as we did on the road and lost by a point. This team seems to be able to slow teams down well. Which means they will lose a lot of games like this. But they will also have some wins that are unexpected like against Washington. This team could end up with a split conference record.

      Reply

  20. Path to Beavs finishing in the top 10:
    -FSU loses to Oklahoma
    -KSU loses to Alabama
    -UW loses to Texas
    -Penn State loses BAD to Utah
    -Beavs win (of course)

    Not probable, but still possible. Basically, we need the traditional powers having relatively down seasons to come up big. Oklahoma beating FSU is probably the biggest stretch, but FSU also hasn’t beaten any tough opponents this season, so I could see them choking.

    Reply

  21. Wow, Florida lost to Vanderbilt this season. I know Vandy is having a bit of a resurgence, but still…you never want to take part in that resurgence on the other side.

    Reply
    • 1

      A real Jekyll and Hide team. Before the unexplainable Vandy loss, they hammered Texas A&M and South Carolina in back-to-back weeks. They also barely beat a one-win South Florida team by 3 points earlier in the year. Hard to know which Gator team will show up

      Reply
      • 2

        sounds like they play even to the lower competition and play up to their full potential against better teams. Let them think we’re a soft Pac-12 team and let them think we are a Vandy or South Florida team. Playing their backups versus our starters gives the Beavs the advantage.

        Reply
  22. 2

    From what little reading I’ve done, it sounds as if Florida is also a “run first” team, but with a defense that can not be counted on (there was a blurb I came across prior to their rivalry game they lost against the FSU Seminoles about being ranked 92nd nationally on run defense).

    Seems winnable; I’d like to have as healthy a roster as can be had going in.

    Reply
  23. 1

    Looks like Rehjon Wright will miss the bowl game with a broken finger. Time for someone else to step up and earn a starting spot for next year.

    Reply
  24. 5

    I am going to say I am pleased that the Men’s basketball team was a one point road loss away from starting PAC-12 play 2-0 after that rough 3 game stretch at the PK tourney. This team clearly still wants to win games, just need some players to step up in crunch time.

    Reply
  25. 4

    Does anyone think OSU’s lack of a passing game and offensive balance potentially cost them an invite to the Holiday bowl?

    While i enjoy the hell out of the defense and the run game, is it possible or probable the risk of OSU being one dimensional and risking entertainment value may have cost them? If their run game were to be shut down it coukd be biring.

    Reply
  26. 6

    Silver Linings of Vegas Bowl:
    – great opportunity to beat an SEC blue blood
    – shorter break/not likely to be as rusty or lose mojo
    -leg up for staff to recruit & scour transfer portal after the season
    -easy travel, another beautiful new venue for bowl game
    -before Christmas
    -ABC broadcast midday
    -Florida has an aggressive 1st year head coach
    -Final rankings will likely be favorable if Beavs get 10 wins a full 3 weeks beforehand: no style points just win

    Holiday and Rose are the bulletin board for next year…get an experienced qb and it will be within reach and the program will continue to develop into a consistent contender.

    Reply
  27. 1

    I’m kind of surprised the LV Bowl payout is so low. $2.9 mil split 12 ways is only $242,000. Probably doesn’t even cover the cost of the extra practices and travel expenses for the team. Obviously they get their share from the other Pac12 bowl games, and the extra practices are valuable, so it’s still a net positive.

    Reply

    • Yeah, have to think of it as the entire Pac12 pool split 12 ways if you’re considering the team’s travel expenses.
      USC losing Friday cost the Pac a ton of extra cash to split, but pretty obvious they didnt belong

      Reply
    • 1
      1

      On the topic of bowl season payout and conference perception, the PAC 10/11/12? needs to drop to 8 conference games and strongly encourage ADs to schedule a patsy in November. If you added 1 win to every team in the PAC right now you’ve got extra teams going bowling and the perception of a stronger conference even if it’s smoke and mirrors.

      Reply
  28. 1

    Something to keep an eye on when making Vegas travel plans is the game time. If you’re planning to fly in Saturday morning, it could be risky.
    The NFL has a playoff game the next day and if they set that game for early Sunday, they will need more turnover time after the Vegas Bowl to prep the stadium.
    In that scenario, the Vegas Bowl will get bumped up to 11:30am Saturday. Hope it doesnt happen, but the potential is there.

    Reply

    • I wrote about this possibility last week. Had thought they were supposed to have a decision made already.

      whiskey soaked napkins
      November 28, 2022 at 9:15 pm

      Also saw this whilst researching earlier. The Vegas bowl may swap start times with the New Mexico Bowl should the NFL flex the Raiders/Patriots game to an earlier time slot the following day. This would move the Vegas bowl kick off to 11:30am PT.

      Should find out this week. The Raiders suck and I fully expect the NFL to flex that game out of SNF.

      Reply

    • FYI, just read that a decision on flexing the Patriots/Raiders game out of SNF for that week should me made by Tuesday.

      I fully expect it to happen and the Vegas bowl will kick off at 11:30am pacific time.

      Reply

    • And it’s not a playoff game. The Raiders are hosting the Patriots. It was originally picked to be the Sunday night football game on NBC. The nfl is considering flexing it out of the SNF time slot and moving a different game into SNF.

      Mainly because the Raiders suck. And the Patriots aren’t much better. More compelling games with playoff implications that could be shown on SNF that football fans would actually want to watch.

      Reply
  31. 5
    1

    From Dam podcast last night:
    Some of qb names the staff is going after in xfer portal are big. Swinging for the fences. However, they are wanting guys with actual college snaps and game experience. So the high star recruits that sat for a year or 2 without any playing time aren’t the focus. I think the qb situation is very attractive for a lot of players but I think the NIL is absolutely going to play a factor.

    Chiles and 1 other are going to be early enrollees…wr from Florida I think. Awesome to get Chiles on campus early.
    Austin hasn’t declared for draft and indicators are he’s coming back. I think he needs another year and it would be huge from a leadership perspective to stick around.
    Rawls is reportedly leaning towards staying as well. I think he played better than the 3rd team or honorable mention that he received but I think his chances would be better with another year. Injuries and whatnot prior to this season didn’t get him a ton of playing time so another year of film would be huge for him imo.

    Reply
      • 5

        Austin, Cooper and Julian is a good starting trio in the secondary. Oladapo would be absolutely huge to have come back.

        Offensive line is intriguing as well. I haven’t seen anything on Greg leaving which would leave Grey, Brewer, levengood, Bloomfield and fuaga all back next year(loss of kipper). Offensive line could be insanely good next year again

        Qb, linebacker and secondary in that order could use some added players. But getting just a qb would be absolutely huge

        Reply
      • 1

        They did not unfortunately. Perhaps they save that info for their insider peeps that subscribe to them but on their open podcast they didn’t mention names.

        Reply
  32. 2
    2

    Roll call of who on here are making the trip to Viva Las Vegas! I have my flight booked for Friday night arriving around 9 PM in Vegas! Hotel is booked and waiting on OSU ticket office to release the tickets. My first time attending a bowl game! This was the only Bowl I would have been able to go to due to the game being on the weekend instead of a weekday.

    Reply
    • 1

      Trying to nail it down and book a trip today. First timer as well.
      I like the weekend timing, aside from hotel rooms/flights are already going up in price

      Reply

      • Advantage is knowing you won’t be near obnoxious Florida fans. Also, i think they tell you what sections are available for beaver fans and its part of their allotment. The tickets were cheaper a week ago than they are today because people bought them cheap through the Vegas Bowl website and then put those tickets on the secondary market to make money.

        Next year, I may buy tickets to the Pac-12 championship and or the Rose Bowl ahead of time to get them cheaper then put them out on the secondary market if the Beavs don’t go.

        Reply
        • 1

          Had our tickets purchased yesterday but had to cancel today due to wife’s slow recovery. Unfortunately too much visual stimuli between game, concert (Allman Family Revival) and Vegas in general. I was looking at Ticketmaster yesterday-you want to be on the West side. Was looking at first row upper deck about 10 yard line for $75 each. I’d rather have in hand-one less variable.

          Reply
  34. 2

    QB’s going crazy in the portal. Kedon Slovis (Pitt) just entered after a mediocre year – 10 TG 9 int.

    Devin Leary for NC State who has a lot of experience and 1 year remaining.

    Reply

  37. If I’m remembering right, USC and the Beavs were the only two FBS (is that the big one?) schools to offer Slovis a scholarship. It was such an unusual list for a kid that ended up starting as a Freshman. I would think we’ve got a chance with this guy if JS still believes in him.

    Reply

    • Slovis went to Pitt and Pitt’s top WR went to USC….

      Which WRs leave the beavers this off season? Will the remaining WRs be attractive to a well regarded transfer QB?

      Reply
  39. 2

    RE the CFP rankings:

    “No conference had more teams in the Top 25 than the Pac-12 with six: USC, Utah, No. 12 Washington, No. 14 Oregon State, No. 15 Oregon and No. 17 UCLA. The SEC had five: Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, No. 20 LSU and No. 21 South Carolina.”

    Reply
    • 7

      I am glad he’s not at Oregon State. He’s bring drama into the program day 1. I get he wants his guys, but he’s acting worse than Scott Frost did at Nebraska throwing Coach Riley’s players under the bus before stepping foot on a practice field with the current players. I give it 3-4 years for the Deion “Prime Time” experiment to be a bust. Not saying he won’t get top players, but he will also run top players out if they don’t win or perform. This could keep Colorado in the basement for decades more or bring them flash in a pan.

      Reply
    • 2

      Remember how everyone bagged on Beau Baldwin for being successful at the FCS level purely because his talent was better? The talent disparity Deion had at JSU was WAY bigger. Texas A&M, Miami, etc. have already shown us you can’t build a winner at the FBS level with just top-ranked recruiting classes. I’m not saying Deion isn’t a good coach, but he’s not really proven anything yet.

      This should be fun.

      Reply

      • Yeah, his QB son might find PAC defenses a little more challenging, particularly the Beavers secondary.

        Julian, Cooper Jr., Oladapo(returning ?), Austin, et. al. Ha!

        Reply
        • 15
          1

          Oladapo walked on Senior day. He’ll play in the bowl and then declare for the draft. There are a lot of players playing in the bowl game that will declare for the draft. The seniors and juniors want to finish what they started before going to the next level. Best group of leaders we’ve had in a really really long time. This is a major reason why I’m going to the bowl game. I want to send those players off right after cheering for them all season.

          Reply
  41. 1

    dear lord. i waited 24 hours to start booking my flight/hotel for the game and everything is more than double what it was yesterday. forget that
    if anybody finds a good travel option out of PDX, let me know.

    Reply

    • If you’re willing to stay the night in PHX Friday night and fly direct Saturday morning, it would cost you this:

      Alaska – Friday Dec 16th PDX 4:30 PM – PHX 10:47 PM local time
      SWA – Saturday Dec 17th PHX 7:20 AM – LAS @ 7:35 AM local time
      SWA – Sunday Dec 18th LAS 5 am – PHX 7:10 AM local time
      Alaska – Sunday Dec 18th PHX 11:35 am – PDX 6:39 PM local time

      Airfare would cost you $692.16, plus hotel in PHX, uber/taxi from airport to hotel then back to airport the next morning. Then get a hotel in Las Vegas Saturday night. not ideal, but still cheaper than $800+

      Or you can look at taking the train to Seattle and looking at flying out of Seattle. Or look at Greyhound as well.

      Reply
    • 1

      Also look at Alaska, Spirit, and Frontier airline combo flights with directs to Denver or Phoenix then Denver to LAS or PHX to LAS. Mix and match may be your best “Hacker Fare” option at this point. Use Kayak and or Priceline to find the best combo flights then buy the tickets from those respective airlines.

      Reply
    • 1

      ok, last one for you and I’m done. lol

      Alaska – Friday Dec 16th PDX 9 am arrive in PHX 4 PM
      Spirit Airlines – Friday Dec 16th PHX 6:15 PM arrive in LAS 6:27 pm
      Spirit Airlines – Sunday Dec 18th LAS 9:45 am arrive at PHX 11:58 am
      Alaska Airlines – Sunday Dec 18th PHX 5:22 pm arrive at PDX 11:44 pm

      Total cost $564.38

      Reply
    • 1

      Nice, haha. Might be worth a flier.

      saw some speculation that oregon has the inside track on Hudson Card because the new OC they’re hiring used to coach Card in HS. Depends on what Nix does.

      Also, they lost Justin Flowe to the portal today…..sad.

      Reply

      • Yeah I was just reading that.

        Real question, has anybody heard from Hank Bachmeier since he entered the portal, and would they want him?

        Reply
        • 1

          Good point, forgot about him. He was good before this season. Not sure what happened.

          And I personally like former Colorado QB Brendon Lewis, but I’m probably in the minority there.
          Thought he had all of the tools to be really good.l and he has good size. Entered the portal mid-season like Bachmeier.
          Both guys would fit the profile of an experienced player with multiple years remaining that Smith seems focused on

          Reply

          • That’s the guy I thought they should pursue out of high school. He would be a good fit. But he’s transferred once so he’d have to sit out a year. We got Vidlak instead that year.

            Reply

      • If they take Card, Moore will be gone. Not sure if Card is worth that but I’d love to see some chaos for them.

        Love that the the new OC they hired was the co OC and they had a top 20
        Offense before he got there so was he really that good of an OC… oh well they will sell it like it’s a home run hire.

        Reply
        • 1

          Uck boards not all in on the new OC.
          Example:
          “I am supposed to believe an OC who 3-years ago was coaching high school football and has never been a standalone OC at the college level is a great hire AND be happy about it? Let alone believing he was the best candidate available?
          I wonder if Lanning’s, “If I am going to learn on the job so is everyone I hire and nobody gets hired if they have too much experience” philosophy was discussed during HIS hiring process?”

          Reply

  49. Been seeing some stuff on Twitter regarding DJ U from Clemson and teams to watch would be Beavs, Fresno state and ucla. Who knows but regardless of some of his accuracy issues, seasoned play caller, great running ability. Could really add another dimension to the offense. Now, I think he’s too expensive and I doubt we’d be able to match any UCLA nil money but who knows. It’s at least fun to be in these conversations now.

    Reply
    • 6

      funny thing about some of these guys where if you ever followed Nemec a few years ago, DJ was about as much of a can’t miss/best in the nation recruit you could ever imagine a team landing. Now 2 years later and we’re talking about UCLA/Fresno/OSU being a realistic option.
      It’s why i can’t ever take those high school evaluations very seriously. So may 5 star QBs flame out and are a shell of what people once thought they’d develop into.
      Brock Huard is another local recent example.

      Reply
  50. 6

    Here’s another thing for the Vegas Bowl. I don’t think The Beavs have ever beaten an SEC team in their entire history. They tied Tennesee 13-13 many years ago and there was the 22-21 loss to LSU in the “Serna Game”. That should be a little motivation to smack the Gators around.

    Reply
  51. 5

    Some recent transfer portal follows for Coach Bray:

    Travion Brown – WSU LB
    Levani Dumani and Stephen Herron – Stanford grad transfers at LB and Edge
    Ernest Hausman – Nebraska LB
    And the Edge rusher from Wyoming who was offered today

    Reply
      • 8

        Dam, hope you get better soon. I battled colon cancer during 2020 and 2021. That definitely made me miss some good events so I know the feeling for sure. Looking forward to this game and catching up with friends!

        Reply
  55. 1
    1

    Looking at the qbs available so far, my preference in order:
    Spencer Sanders
    Devin Leary
    Brennan Armstrong
    DJ Ugaleilei
    Hudson Card
    Keedon Slovis

    63 qbs now in the portal, looking forward to see how Beavs can find the right guy(s) to take the next step.

    Reply
  56. 5

    QB would be a great get in the portal, but there are a lot of good lineman available. That’s where the beavs can make some big gains on both sides. Keeps the foundations of offense and defense solid.

    Reply
  57. 5

    We have a little over 2 weeks till the 2023 early signing period(Dec 21st) Here’s a look at our 16 current verbal commits:

    QB-Aidan Chiles
    DE- Kelze Howard
    Edge- Zekiah Saez
    DL-Abraham Johnson
    DT – Thomas Collins
    LB – Isaiah Chisom
    CB – Andre Piper Jordan Jr
    CB – Jermod McCoy
    WR – Tastean Reddicks
    WR – Montrel Hatten
    WR – David Wells
    WR – Zachary Card
    TE – Cooper Jensen
    TE – Dorian Thomas
    OL – Jacob Anderson
    OL –  Zander Etsy

    Then there’s a crystal ball for LB Leonard Ah-You to bring it to 17, but is it known if he’s LDS mission bound?

    Seems heavy on WRs/TEs. Wonder if they all stick.
    I dont know how many scholarships we’ll sign in this class, given how much room we also want to plug gaps with portal players. Could be our biggest class in awhile though, given our past couple of years have been relatively small.
    2021 and 2022 each had 20 commits, including transfers it looks like. Think we should have room to exceed that by quite a bit as players leave early for NFL or transfer out.

    What do you all want to see to help round this class out? Mostly transfers or mostly HS?

    Reply

    • I’m curious about Dorian Thomas. Seemed like there concerns this fall about his role and/or how TE were being used? Maybe I’m not remembering that correctly? I’d like to see some more help on the d line. If Rawls stays that would be huge but that’s no guarantee.

      Reply
    • 3
      1

      Oladapo moving on leaves a huge hole at strong safety, particularly in the run game. Thomas can fill Grant’s position at free safety but if Austin leaves as well, then we don’t have a reliable CB3.

      If Smith can land a good CB, SS, and DT from the portal, it would be a successful offseason, even without a QB. If not the defense is going to struggle.

      Reply
    • 3

      Ouch. That’s harsh. I see their point to a degree, but college football coaching isn’t a charity. He could have been a force for positive change in a community that obviously needs it, so I can understand their disappointment.

      I’m actually hoping he succeeds at Colorado, the Pac could use the exposure and another winning team. Hopefully his downfall isn’t hiring every unemployed black coach in the country just to make a point. He seems like he could control a roster full of transfer portal primary donnas about as well as anyone could so best of luck to him.

      Reply
  64. 2

    The problem with hiring Deion Sanders is: 1) He fails. 2) He succeeds, leaves for a bigger stage after 3 years and takes half the roster with him.

    Reply
  65. 2

    Even at 25 transfers they won’t have depth to compete like USC had right away. USC inserted 16 starters and the Heisman winner.
    Colorado will be lucky to get to 6-6.
    I also think there is a bias against the reality of talent/competition level throughout the PAc12 that none of the talking heads acknowledge.

    Reply

  66. Recruiting (and now the transfer portal) keeps the buzz going in the off season. It also helps them justify their ridiculous preseason rankings.

    Reply
  70. 3

    Somebody sent me this QB’s name to check out yesterday. Mike Hiers from Samford.
    Put up some ridiculous numbers this year. 35 Tds to 3 INTs with 3307 yards and completion percentage was 77%. Also ran for a few TDs.
    Samford is still playing in the FCS playoffs, so his season isn’t over at this point, but it sounds like he’s expected to transfer. Anybody interested in trying out an FCS guy for 2 years?

    http://hosted.stats.com/cfb/players.asp?id=288647&team=218

    Reply
    • 6

      Also, I think the Beavs need to take 2 transfer QBs this year, just for insurance. Could easily see 1 of the younger guys transfer out when Chiles gets on campus.

      Reply

    • Looks great! Low ints and very high completion percentage sounds like Rose Bowl to me.

      This combination isn’t present with very many of the portal qbs.

      The ideal is- high completion %, low int, great downfield touch, escapability, running ability, glad to be here all in one package

      Which guy fits these criteria?

      Reply
        • 2

          Bo Nix vs Georgia:
          21/37. 173 yards. 0 tds. 2 ints

          Spencer Rattler vs Georgia:
          13/25. 118 yards. 0 tds. 2 ints

          Hendon Hooker vs Georgia:
          23/33. 195 yards. 0 tds. 1 int

          Context helps. Samford Oline would certainly be overwhelmed by GA dline.

          Reply

        • Georgia is something else this year… Sure Missouri took them down well into the 4th, but they look unstoppable this year. Hell I just saw a stat where Stetson Bennet has thrown 3K plus yards all in the first 3 quarters this season as he’s gotten pulled in almost every game in the 4th for the scrubs to take over.

          So I’m not surprised any QBs against that defense has had a tough go.

          Reply
  72. 3

    Hope Smith acts fast in the portal. Strike now while the iron is hot. Maybe not at QB but other key positions that need help. A position like punter could be filled fast if they feel they need one.

    Transfer portal will be a little crazy for the next couple years while all the guys with the covid year are still playing.

    Reply
  74. 11
    2

    Finally got travel details arranged and booked for Vegas. Found it to be wayyy cheaper to just fly in Wednesday and I’ll just work from the hotel for Thursday/Friday and then fly home the night of the game.
    Flying solo and a I’m a bowl game virgin. Should be a fun time.

    Reply
      • 2

        same hotel (and i’m staying at an inexpensive one that is off, but near the strip)

        Wed/Sat Flight Hotel combo = $320
        Closest to same Fri/Sat combo = $905

        May not be a big deal for some, but that’s not including walking around money and game ticket, so the extra $600 saved will be nice to have.

        Reply

        • Wow that’s crazy. I have some coworkers leaving the Salem area on Friday at 2 and driving straight there. I don’t see how they will be awake for the game, haha.

          Reply
  75. 4
    1

    PAC-12 needs to show up this bowl season. 7-0 would be great though 5-2 w/ the LA schools losing is acceptable.

    Beavs win this game 24-10. Florida is talented and physical but Smith gets a statement win.

    Reply
    • 1
      3

      I want the Pac to represent well. I want Oregon to lose by any margin. I want USC and UCLA to get blown out. So going 4-3 will work for me. We get money whether teams win or lose. Then again, I want our losses and win against Oregon to carry more weight, so if they win their bowl games, then we potentially get ranked higher.

      Reply

    • I agree. PAC 12 needs to go like 6-1, 7-0. especially the ranked teams. Every little bit of recognition helps. IF OSU, Oregon and UCLA all win that would make 6 PAC 12 teams with at least 10 wins.

      Reply

  77. Florida had six 4* players enter the transfer portal today, but Mcmillon is the only one with notable experience with 19 tackles on the season:

    Kamar Wilcoxson CB Freshman
    Jalen Lee DL Sophomore
    Yousef Mugharbil IOL Freshman
    Donovan McMillon S Sophomore
    David Reese LB Junior
    Chief Borders LB Freshman

    and a 3* TE Nick Elksnis Freshman

    Reply
  78. 2

    If USC, Penn St, KSU and Tennessee all lose, Beavs have a real shot at top 10 finish.

    Tulane beating USC may be the longest odds to happen unless the Trojans just sleepwalk through their bowl game.

    I don’t think UW loses to Texas, nor will FSU lose to Oklahoma.

    Reply
    • 1

      How much was 1 ticket after fees?
      Thinking i might just wait till game day and try to snag a cheap one. There’s no way Floriday/OSU fans will travel well enough to fill a large NFL stadium that holds 65K fans, right?

      Reply

      • I’d imagine most Florida fans won’t even bother to make the trip considering their poor record and all of the defections lately

        Reply
        • 1

          Looks like you have to be a season ticket holder or put a deposit down on next season to buy tickets at this point. Or wait another day and then the general public goes onsale.
          But then Stubhub has a ton of tickets available already, so go figure.

          Reply
  81. 1
    1

    Looking over the list of bowl game pep rally events for OSU fans:
    Highlighted by a Village People concert at Freemont Street

    Friday, Dec. 16
    Bowl-produced Pep Rally presented by Coca-Cola
    4 – 5:30 p.m. PT
    The Event Lawn at the Virgin Hotel
    FREE

    Bowl-produced Bowl Bash Concert featuring the Village People
    8 – 9:30 p.m. PT
    Fremont Street, 3rd Street Stage
    FREE

    Saturday, Dec. 17
    Bowl-produced Corona Extra Pre-Game Fan Fest
    8 a.m. – 11 a.m. PT
    Allegiant Stadium, Lot B

    OSUAA-produced Tailgate Town
    Time TBD
    Located within Corona Extra Pre-Game Fan Fest
    Registration coming soon!

    We’re talking:
    A Beaver Fan Zone within Fan Fest – party with Beaver Nation!
    Standing/seating/table areas within heated tented area
    Delicious brunch spread
    Cocktails with premium spirits, beer and wine
    OSU-only giveaways
    Live band
    Guest appearances by Beaver legends
    Photo ops (smile with Big Benny!)
    Fun activities and games
    Visit from the OSU Marching Band, Cheer and Benny Beaver
    And much, much more

    Reply
      • 4

        They’re going to have to start pretty early given the 11:30 game time. One of the major downsides of the time switch.
        Actually quite a few downsides.
        Worse time slot, on a network with less visibility.
        Saw on twitter yesterday several people complaining because they had booked flights for Saturday morning and are left with these expensive plane tickets that are basically worthless to them as they’ll have to book new arrival flights.
        Pretty poor of the LV Bowl to announce that 5:30 time without making it very clear to all that 11:30 was a possibility. We were lucky that Whiskey had caught on to that early

        Reply
  82. 1

    P12 Bowl predictions
    Beavs over Florida 38-24
    FSU over WSU 41-28
    Ducks over NC 38-35
    UW over UT 45-31
    Pitt over UCLA 34-28
    Tulane over USC 27-21
    Utah over PSU 34-24

    Reply
    • 3

      So many deserving accolades coming to the Beaver program as the year winds down.
      Coach of the year
      Offensive freshmen of the year
      Hornung Award
      Special teams all American for Gould
      Multiple all conference awards for offense and defense.

      I’ll say Bray may be the only slight on a national level but perhaps next year.

      Go Beavs!

      Reply
    • 1

      Not sure why a team would opt out. They still get paid even if they’re blown out. Maybe they don’t want to damage the delicate SEC reputation. LV would have to find an alternate team, right?

      Reply

      • Yeah alternate team is what I was thinking. If not COVID thing, and they cant dress a full team, then yeah, I could see the coaches wanting to protect their younger players from a beat down.

        Reply
        • 1

          speaking of damaging your reputation. Imagine backing out on the bowl voluntarily after your fans already booked travel arrangements.

          UCLA pulled the Covid card just hours before the holiday bowl last year and that screwed alot of NC State fans over

          Reply
          • 4

            They better get a team on the phone ASAP.
            Daschel is reporting 29 players have already defected from Florida’s roster since the season ended. Going to be a shit show if they do play

            Reply
          • 6

            This sucks for the Beavers, who beed a legitimate opponent and legitimate, competitive bowl game to have a chance to move up. They deserve that.

            Its kind of funny though that FLA, a team you would think would be a beneficiary of the Transfer Portal and NIL, is so unstable and actually destabilized by greed. It shows the importance of program leadership and the importance of true teams. OSU has the advantage in both compared to FLA and many other teams. They

            I hope OSU demolishes whoever is put in front of them. The NCAA and it’s spoiled programs, deserve it.

            Reply

    • I think D-1 teams are allowed 70 players for travel games. Don’t they roster about 100 plus for home games? They should have enough players, they will just be 3rd or 4th string!

      Reply

      • Do these bowl games count against eligibility for the players? I wouldn’t think so, but the FLA coaches may think “screw this”, don’t want to send a bunch of Frosh into the slaughter, and lose someone to injury.

        Reply
      • 1

        Bowl games are treated like home games unless something has changed in the last 3 or 4 years. Everyone who’s eligible to play travels. So they should be able to field somewhat of a team.

        Reply
      • 1

        For bowl games, all players get to travel. It’s a perk for all programs. I think there’s still a limit for players in uniform.

        So Florida should still have 80ish players except for the super key positions like QB and DT.

        Reply
  85. 7

    Gonna do the beavs tailgate thing. $85, i don’t think I’m an alumni member anymore, which for all you can drink beer and breakfast spread doesn’t sound too bad.

    Reply

  88. Some “local newspaper” articles on FLA:

    https://www.gainesville.com/story/sports/college/football/2022/12/06/five-things-to-know-about-florida-gators-quarterback-jack-miller/69703175007/

    “Miller was a four-star recruit out of Chaparral High in Scottsdale, Ariz., the nation’s No. 14-ranked pro style quarterback by 247Sports.com. He was a four-year varsity starter, and holds the Arizona state records with 115 passing touchdowns and 3,653 passing yards. He also threw for 53 touchdowns in a season in high school, a 2A state record.
    …
    Miller is still recovering from injury; Kyle Engel would be next at QB

    Miller has taken limited reps since his return from injury and questions remain as to whether he may or may not be ready to go against Oregon State. Napier is expected to name an official starter later this week. If Miller can’t go, Florida could turn to redshirt sophomore walk-on Kyle Engel, who made his first collegiate appearance late in Florida’s 38-6 win over South Carolina on Nov. 12, but did not attempt a pass.”

    FLA gets commitment from 5*, #1 Dual Threat QB for class of 2024:

    https://www.gainesville.com/story/football/recruiting/2022/12/07/dj-lagway-commits-florida-gators-football-quarterback-billy-napier/69710382007/

    “The big recruiting coup caps off a tumultuous two weeks in which Florida lost its starting quarterback, Anthony Richardson, to the NFL Draft and backup quarterback, Jalen Kitna, who was dismissed from the team after being arrested on child pornography charges. Third-string quarterback Jack Miller, a transfer from Ohio State, is projected to start for the Gators in their bowl game in Las Vegas against No. 14 Oregon State on Dec. 17 (2:30 p.m., ET, ESPN), with walk-on Kyle Engel backing him up.

    Florida has landed a commitment from another top dual-threat quarterback, four-star JadenRashada from Pittsburg, Calif., who is expected to sign with the Gators in National Signing Day on Dec. 21 and will enroll early for the Class of 2023 in January.”
    ”
    https://www.gainesville.com/story/sports/college/football/2022/12/07/florida-gators-seek-relief-in-the-transfer-portal/69706132007/

    “According to social media posts and other sources, 17 Florida players have entered the transfer portal. Three more players have declared for the NFL Draft and three players were dismissed from the team either during or after the season.
    …
    The wish list for Florida at the quarterback position includes Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman, Tulane’s Michael Pratt and Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed, who entered the portal on Monday. The nation’s No. 2 passer, Reed has passed for 4,247 yards and 36 TDs at a WKU program that has produced NFL quarterbacks Mike White (New York Jets) and Bailey Zappe (New England Patriots).”

    Reply
  92. 3
    1

    From the Atlantic: A- grade

    ‘It’s not as if the Beavers massively overachieved this year. They won seven games last season, returned many key players and spoke publicly of aspiring to win the conference title. Still, this is their best 12-game record since 2012, and that’s something to celebrate. Considering two of the Beavers’ three losses came by three points to USC and three points to Washington, though — and that they finished eighth in the Pac-12 in scoring against conference opponents — Oregon State’s lack of production at quarterback presents a major what-if. — ‘

    Sound familiar?

    Reply

        • True, although having a great year and winning can be the best thing for a player’s draft stock. The NFL contract is still the ultimate prize so Beavs could be in a pretty good spot. Would be interested in seeing a list of teams in the market for a transfer QB to evaluate who the Beavs’ competition is.

          Reply

          • Yeah, I would hope there are still some good QBs out there who value a good O line to protect them, good receivers to throw to, and a really good defense over NIL $. But I also wonder if our reputation as a run first offense repels some QBs thinking they won’t be the star of the show, even though that may not be reality.

            Reply
          • 1

            Run first perhaps, but one of the very few schools who run a pro-set offense. Get a QB who can throw, you will see a wrinkle in what the Beavs’ do. Some QB’s might be specifically looking for that system for the next level.

            Reply
      • 2

        It’s easily one of the best destinations if a guy actually wants to just play football, if he’s looking for that big payday probably not so much.

        Reply
    • 6

      If OSU had a competent passer, the offense would really hum There’d be big pass plays out there, and a QB would look great. Next season offers a pretty good schedule and one of the best current homefield advantages in the PAC.

      When Smith was coordinator at UW I think they averaged about 42 PPG, and Jake Browning had a terrific season or two. I think OSU would easily be one of the top 3 offenses in the Pac with a legitimate QB. With the run game, there’s every reason to bite on the Martinez play fake then suffer a big pass play…

      Reply
    • 8

      Has anyone else watched his videos since he’s been named the CU coach?

      Announcing his QB son coming with Jim as “luggage”. More I’s than we’s.

      This guy is ACTUALLY going to have to coach to win in the Pac-12. You can’t win on talent alone in Boulder.

      This guy is a fraud and Probably one of the most narcissistic head coaches I’ve ever seen.

      I wish him luck in Boulder but I don’t see this ending well for him. Either way it should be entertaining. That’s the one thing Prime Time has always done.

      Reply
      • 1

        I still don’t get why the #1 recruit in the country (Travis Hunter) would have wasted his time at Jackson St. He’s sure not getting the Saturday competition to make a difference. I guess it’s a moot point if he’s transferring to CU.

        Reply

  95. Anyone remember Jason Brown? The fired head coach at Independence, Kansas from last chance U?

    I was never a fan of his at all and thought he was a douchebag. But he has some really good thoughts on football, NIL and sports in general.

    https://m.youtube.com/c/CoachJasonBrown

    Also appears regularly on Jason Whitlock’s podcast.

    Reply

  97. Jason Garrett and Troy Taylor are finalists for the Stanford job. Kind of an underwhelming pool compared to some of the other names floating around out there.

    Reply

    • Or just go without tickets. I’ve never paid more than $20 for a bowl game ticket from a scalper out front.Shoot, Florida is probably giving away their tickets.

      Reply

        • Maybe you’ll even get comped with a few rounds of blackjack at the tables Friday night – of course THAT may cost you more than $50. I’d love to go down there that weekend. Watch the Beavers play Saturday, stay for the Raiders game on Sunday. Wonder what those seats are going for now?

          Reply

        • I would check stubhub the morning of, you’ll see lots of tickets priced under face. under $50 for 100 level could be tough. Under $100 is very likely and it won’t be an endzone seat. Worst case scenario, you buy a ticket from the bowl game.

          I’d bet you could buy a cheap $100 ticket and just move around the lower bowl. I’d keep moving to whatever endzone the Beavs are going at.

          Reply
  99. 7

    Florida thumped S. Carolina 38-6. That was November 12. Carollina finished strong so I think the Beavs are going to have a tough game.

    Reply
    • 4

      They have talent that cannot be discounted.

      Note too this bowl game is there opportunity to secure a winning season, so Beavers ought to be mindful of that motivation and prepare and execute.

      Reply
      • 1

        For sure the Beavs must prepare AND execute.
        Gotta believe the chance at 10 wins along with the fiasco last bowl game will be motivation enough.

        Reply
    • 1
      1

      Senior day for the home team and they were hyped for it. Last home game of the year for Gators.

      I’d guess SC was much more passing than running offense and Rattler had a bad game. SC did fumble on 2 consecutive possessions in 2nd half.

      Beavs will be fine if they run the ball effectively and tackle the Gator running backs. Gators are going to hope for big ply touchdowns on running plays. Bray will likely dial up pressure for the inexperienced qb and keep sure tackling to stop big plays.

      I expect the Beav defense to be the big surprise of the game and Florida will be lucky to score 17 pts.
      Many of the Gators are playing simply to get a trip to Vegas, will be unfocused and concerned about injuries.

      The Beavs have another chance to put to rest the back up qb problem. I expect a couple of ints, short field on punt returns and Martinez being the best back on field.

      Beavs win big 38-10

      Reply
  102. 1

    Here’s some takes on FLA from some homer writers:

    https://gatorswire.usatoday.com/lists/florida-football-season-grades-2022/

    I thought this was an interesting summary:

    “Take away the loss to Vanderbilt and this season went about like we thought it might. But you cannot take away that loss. The grade could be higher because of the strides made in recruiting.

    But there are still questions about Billy Napier’s in-game decisions, a brutally bad defense and no improvement in the special teams. Year Two is going to be really important, but let’s not forget that Florida went into every fourth quarter against a difficult schedule with a chance to win the game.”

    Reply
  103. 1

    Colorado hires Alabama’s co-defensive coordinator Charles Kelly to be its DC.

    Angry’s in CO enjoying good biking and edibles (“25 mg give or take”), maybe he’ll take in some Buffs games. Probably best to have another cookie to dull Sanders’ ego a bit…

    Reply
  107. 5
    1

    Since it’s further up the thread, i’ll answer here.
    It doesnt appear there will be a “bowl week” for the CBS pool. We could still be surprised and have them add it next week, but I think the season is over at this point.

    And the winner is……..The Hammer!
    Followed by a 2 way tie for BlackBandits and ScottInThe503, just 2 pts behind Hammer.

    Nice job guy and gals. Wish I had a prize for you but I dont.
    If I see you at the Bowl game Hammer, I’ll buy you a beverage of your choice.

    Reply
    • 1

      Thanks for setting this up! I kind of fell off in the last few weeks but I’ll take fifth place. Maybe next year we can have a small buy-in to make things interesting. :-)

      Reply
  109. 2

    Team saying right things about FLA instability, need to focus:

    “The Beavers? It’s Florida. They don’t care who shows up. They’re playing a program from the SEC, widely regarded as the best in the land. Bring ‘em on.

    “Whoever lines up out there is who we have to go beat,” OSU running back Isaiah Newell said. “We don’t really worry about what they’ve got going on.”

    Linebacker Jack Colletto looks at Florida’s two-deep and doesn’t see much difference.

    “They’ve got a lot of talent,” he said. “The next guy up isn’t going to be that big of a drop off from the guy playing before. It’s going to be a four-quarter game.”

    Note the FLA pundit whose season review I posted above said that FLA went into every game’s 4th quarter with a chance to win. I like what Colleto is saying.

    The team will arrive in Vegas next Monday. I don’t know where they practice, but hopefully the establish a morning routine so the 11:30 start time isn’t odd for their body clocks. I think its pretty consistent with their in-season practices. Hope they get to practice in the dome a bunch, but assume the Raiders get that?

    Reply
    • 1

      5 days in LV before the game? That could be dangerous. I’m sure they’re going to have some fun. Hopefully they get it out of their system the first 3 days, then buckle down the last two. Hopefully nobody does something stupid and gets held out of the game. Seems like you see that every year at various bowl games.

      Reply
    • 1
      2

      ” Hope they get to practice in the dome a bunch, but assume the Raiders get that?”

      Raiders practice at their facilities in Henderson, although based on last night’s game you wonder how much those facilities get used.

      Reply
  110. 8

    After a year or two, no one will care that OSU beat a very shorthanded Florida. They’ll just see that the Beavs beat Florida.

    The Beavs should see this as a must win game. Wait to have all the fun until after the game. Benefit to the players that it’s in the morning. Lots of time to go out at night after.

    Reply
    • 2

      Same will be true after a week or two when final rankings come out. If Beavs win they are assured of a top 15 finish and possible top 10 based on other results. The team has a lot to play for and a short handed Florida should be motivation to accomplish 10 wins, top 15, beat an SEC team, redemption from last year’s bowl loss.
      Las Vegas for 5 days presents challenges for any program, but I’d hope it will be advantage to OSU in team maturity and program character in such situations. Napier is in year 1 with 30% of his roster checked out and no longer involved. I’d expect Florida will have a long 5 days and not really take the game or Beavs seriously.
      A lot of the Florida press is downplaying expectations going into the game, basically anticipating a Beaver win.

      Based on the past few seasons with JS, I think the Beavs will learn from last year and be much more focused for this game.

      Go Beavs!

      Reply
  111. 1

    So how solid is Dorian Thomas? I figured he would have decommitted and now been a UofA commit but maybe he’s just waiting for some drama before signing day. I hope he stays committed but I don’t really care given the TEs that we have now and the next two coming in (2023 and 2024).

    Reply
  112. 5
    1

    Martinez’s visibility on “DamNation” makes ne hope he won’t leave for NIL money elewhere.

    With the OLine mostly intact, Martinez has the potential for a very big season next year.

    Reply
    • 2

      And consider how great any play action would be if the qb could actually hit an open receiver. I hope we have an attempt by the coaches to bring in a portal wr with size like the guys from Tenn and TCU.

      Reply
    • 4

      was thinking the same thing. That DamNation account seems to be really focused on Martinez right now and excited about some radio spot they recorded with him to be played during the game (Leerfield promotion?)
      Seems like a good sign that Damien is sticking around if he’s participating with them.
      Also good for other potential freshmen to see that OSU gave a guy the chance to shine in his first season and it landed him some NILopportunities at OSU.

      Reply
      • 3
        1

        Ya I don’t think he’s leaving, he seems to have a plan to get to the NFL. He’s getting accolades and attention here where he’s now the star of the program. Seems like a humble driven kid who stuck with the Beavs. Being 14 in the nation can only help IMO

        Reply
  114. 4
    1

    DM gets third team Freshman All-American and Velling gets HM.

    The QB Lindgren passed over for Vidlak (Clay Millen) gets HM, as well. Lindgren really needs to redeem himself this cycle with talent evaluation.

    Reply
  117. 7

    CFN ranks the LV Bowl #20 among all bowls and says “If nothing else, it’s a chance for America to finally see this terrific Beaver team.”

    Reply
  119. 1
    1

    So I don’t get this Martinez tranfer talk. Didn’t he shutdown his recruiting and say he’s 100 OSU? Seems dedicated to the University and not an ucks money chaser kind of guy. I think he knows that this system and OL make him look good. A full year of starting in this system and if the team can build on this year he could be a heisman candidate.

    Reply
    • 1

      Its in response to Nemec saying the orher day that teams are indeed going to come after Martinez and dangle NIL opportunities in front of him to lure him away from OSU.

      Reply

        • Daschel answered a similar mailbag question today. Basically said 3rd parties still get in contact with players or through their families. I think the rule states a football team cannot contact a player who isnt in the portal, but it’s so poorly written, there a many ways around it.

          Reply

        • I’d genuinely be surprised Martinez would say “yes,” even if additional money was involved.

          He is talked of now, and from the outside, his role on the team looks to be certain after this season. Why leave to expose yourself to potential risk?

          Reply
      • 14
        1

        Nemec just trying to stir the pot and create concern in Corvallis.
        He probably expects Phil Knight to back up a brinks truck to Martinez’s dorm room and get him to transfer to Oregon.

        Nemec is a duck honk and always reports through duck lenses. It isn’t a shock to think the stars on any of these “lesser” programs are getting contacted. The shock to a guy like Nemec would be that those stars on “ lesser” programs won’t be bought and may realize the grass isn’t always greener even if Phil dangles $$$ at you.

        Reply
        • 2
          1

          Good points, I think you’ve sized up Nemac pretty well. No matter how hard the snake oil peddlers work at it there is the revolving door of coaches that will concern many of their targets.

          Reply
        • 8
          1

          Nemec is so fucking lazy and obviously disinterested in his coverage of the Beavers.

          The Beavers are actually the more interesting of the two programs, given all the Knight money the Ducks programs have received.

          I’m actually looking forward to the 2024 CW, when the Ducks are in a “completed” Reser stadium, Martinez is in his third and final year, and the stadium is LOUD. They had trouble with 28K on one side of the stadium. The surround sound will be impressive. And, I look forward to the
          ’23 CW in Eugene. Fuck those Ducks.

          Reply
        • 1

          I didn’t think it was all Nemec with the rumors. Isn’t Dashiel saying he’s pretty sure NIL collectives are talking to Martinez? It makes me a little nervous since Dashiel was accurate about Nolan transferring although I know some didn’t think that was surprising. I still say a healthy focused Nolan is better than Gulbranson in the college game, but that’s just my worthless opinion. At one point, the coaching staff had the same conclusion.

          Reply

    • Did you watch him tonight?
      I didnt, but had read he aggravated a wrist injury on his throwing arm last week and had to sit almost that entire game, and this week they werent sure if he’d even be able to play

      Reply

      • I watched the game, but didn’t listen to announcers, but that explains why he didn’t play in first half. He has good pocket awareness, lots of passes were off the mark, injury might of caused them

        Reply
  122. 12
    1

    Tweeted by KVAL sports guy,
    “Trent Bray just said he has no interest in being a head coach at this time. He likes where he’s at and enjoys the teaching aspect of coaching, not the administrative stuff”

    NOTE: Quote is included in the presser posted below by F Nemac

    Reply
  123. 7
    5

    Montana State is absolutely skull fucking William & Mary in the FCS quarterfinals. 55-0 now with 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

    Reply
    • 9

      The Beavers played and swept a completely respectable non-conference schedule. Those wins look even better today given those teams final records and their dispositions.

      Importantly, that’s not a schedule any informed Beaver fan would have trusted prior coaching staffs to sweep. It speaks well of this staff and their preparation for those games.

      Reply
  126. 3

    Read that Harlem Howard has “DB at Oregon State” on his instagram account. Can’t confirm as I don’t use instagram. Nice to get a secondary player after some decommitts.

    Reply
  129. 1
    1

    We live in the Nashville area and my 8th grade son was invited to workout with a local private school’s football team. It was insane, they had an indoor practice facility. Adjoining weight room/locker rooms. I guess 27k a year buys a lot of nice things. Hope they offer scholarships.

    Reply

  130. Troy Taylor hired at Stanford. He played at Cal so that’s kind of awkward. Taylor was OC at Utah for a couple years so he’s not new to the PAC12 and had coached at Cal for a number of years in the 90s. Going to be hard for him to turn around that ship. It’s a multiyear rebuild.

    Reply
    • 1

      He turned a Big Sky bottom feeder in Sac St. into a competitor. It will be interesting to see how he is able to make the transition. You would expect the offensive at least to be more dynamic.

      Reply
  131. 4
    2

    Another super late hot take- My thought on the Deion hire at Colorado is that it’s a high floor hire. In this new college football environment, he’s going to attract talent from all over. He doesn’t have to recruit high schools as much with the transfer portal alive. He’ll get guys who are upgrading from smaller schools and cast offs from big programs to fill out his high schools classes. If he can convince players to go to Jackson St over FBS schools, he’ll be able to convince even more guys to head to Colorado too. He’s going to clean house at Colorado because most of the players aren’t high level guys and the replacements will probably be better.

    This is good for the PAC12 to bring in a coach who will be a great recruiter. Keeps the talent on the west coast, forces the rest of the PAC12 to step up their games.

    I don’t think much of him as an in game coach so if his coordinator hires hit, Colorado will be contending for the conference title in a couple years.

    Reply
  132. 2
    1

    Looking at Stubhub for Vegas bowl tickets.
    Prices are dropping quickly. You can sit 100 level on the Florida side in the corners for $50, including fees.
    Even a few 100 level OSU seats in a similar range.

    I was offered a chance to sit in the OSU athlete’s family section for around $130 too. Only more deals to come I’m sure

    Reply
    • 9

      Odd how he and his dad still think NFL would have any interest in any 6 year college journeyman who has shown such little loyalty and is attempting to go to his 4th school in a 6 year span. A guy trying to gain experience as a value add to his resume is different than a guy shopping around for another fishy money arrangement.
      In addition, he has now been passed over as the starter by 3 coaching staffs, and it would be likely to happen a 4th no matter where he lands. Guys in the locker room won’t follow his type. He isn’t a proven winner at the college level and that makes his situation doubly sketchy.
      So thankful the Beavs passed on him and had principles to diagnose his disease to a locker room.

      Reply

      • Like I said before, it’ll all depend on where he lands this time. If it’s less of a get rich quick scheme and more of a get coached up to make the NFL destination he could probably be a draft pick. Let’s also not pretend that loyalty is even a factor in the NFL.

        Reply
  136. 6
    3

    The Heisman is to be awarded to “the outstanding college football player in the United States whose performance epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.”

    Caleb Williams won, by a large margin, notwithstanding his fingernail message for the Utah game. Notwithstanding his grandstanding after his injury in that game. And, notwithstanding how he looked against the Beavs.

    “The outstanding college football player”? Guess so, given the criteria………….Whadaya think?

    Me?……From what I saw, I liked Duggan better.

    Reply
    • 1

      Here’s the stats,

      Willams – 4,075 yards passing, 37 TDs 4 INTs, 372 yards rushing, 10 TDs QB Rating 167.9 2 Losses
      Duggan – 3,334 yards passing, 30 TDs 4 INTs, 404 yards rushing, 6 TDs QB Rating 167.9 1 Loss
      Stroud – 3,340 yards passing, 37 TDs 6 INTs, 74 yards rushing, 0 TDs QB Rating 176.2 1 Loss
      Bennett – 3,425 yards passing, 20 TDs 6 INTs, 184 yards rushing, 7 TDs QB Rating 154.6 No Losses

      Reply
      • 1

        For fun, here’s Nolan and Gebbia’s combined stats:

        2,229 yards passing, 61% completion rate; 15 TDs, 13 INTs.

        Comparing to what OC Smith got out of Browning in 2016-18, in 2016 when they finished 12-2 and #4 in the country, Browning had 3,430 yards, 43 TDs, 9 INTs…though Browning’s ’17 season was 19:5 TD:INT and ’18 was TD:INT was 16:10…Smith has said OSU needs better QB production (obviously), and I think his experience at UW is telling for what he’d probably like to get to. I think ’16 was a record setting year for their offense and I think they make the playoffs.

        Reply
    • 2
      2

      The Heisman isn’t really looking for their own designated criteria anyway. It is a popularity contest with a side dish of blue blood hype machines.

      Quarterbacks only award, and only allowed to be won by a qb from 15 predetermined blue bloods schools with big donors and ESPN approved tv revenue.

      Blake Corum and Bijan Robinson both would have been worthy of consideration based on numbers alone, but wrong position.

      Dugan was never going to win because he is from TCU.

      In order to define “most outstanding player in college football”, it would be helpful to know if they are looking for the player who elevates the entire team around him through leadership and performance, or simply the most productive player in all of football, or a leader of other 4* skill players, or the best player on the best team, or the best player on the team with the best record, or the qb on the team with best record, or the player who is most adored by the media on the team in the most desired tv market

      Reply
  138. 1

    Go Beavers WBB, @ UO today at 4 pm:

    “The usual clash of styles between the Ducks and Beavers is underscored this season, as Oregon (6-1) is averaging 84.9 points, moving at a fast pace and shooting 40% from three-point range. Oregon State (6-2) is averaging 71.9 points, while playing at a more deliberate pace in a half-court offense.”

    Reply
  139. 1

    Saw an oregon fan dropping a rumor that their 5 star QB commit Donte Moore, who has been visiting around lately, is visiting OSU?
    Not sure how reliable that is and doesnt make much sense given Chiles and OSU are solid. But interesting regardless.

    Reply
    • 7

      “In addition to his salary increase, Smith’s deal calls for a boost to the assistant coaches salary pool, from $4.25 million to $4.85 million. The pool will increase by $100,000 each year through 2028. The salary pool for the OSU support staff will also rise to $2.5 million, a $300,000 bump from 2022.”

      Excellent. Give Michalczik and Adams a raise.

      Reply
    • 4
      2

      Lincoln Riley, USC: $10M (estimated, private school)

      Kyle Whittingham, Utah: $6.2M

      Chip Kelly, UCLA: $5.75M

      Deion Sanders, Colorado: $5.5M

      Jonathan Smith, Oregon State: $4.85M

      Dan Lanning, Oregon: $4.7M

      Justin Wilcox, California: $4.625M

      Kalen DeBoer, Washington: $4.2M

      Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State: $3.85M

      Jedd Fisch, Arizona: $2.85M

      Jacob Dickert, Washington State: $2.7M

      Troy Taylor, Stanford: unknown (hired Saturday)

      Smith looks to be paid about where he should be vs the conference and good to see the assistants pool going up.

      Utah and the Washington schools getting good value. And, did Colorado HAVE to pay so much? Relative to the other Pac schools and his resume it would seem he is being overpaid.

      Reply

      • They already admitted that they don’t have the money for his salary yet but intend to get it from boosters after his snake oil sales pitch around the state.

        Sanders will be a bit of a conference sideshow for a couple of seasons and then he will move on.

        Reply

        • But he’s being ‘paid’ 5 mil more now than what he was paid at his last gig, and, by his own admission, he doesn’t need money, so why offer so much? Just seems dumb, and desperate.

          Reply
  141. 2

    MBB playing on the road against Texas A&M. One of the previously injured players, Rochelin made an incredible block in his first minutes, but it’s a lot of the same old story, too many guys who can’t shoot. Pope seems to be the only one who can break down a defense. Down 20-14 with about seven minutes left in the half.

    Reply
  142. 2
    1

    Dam right signal. Had a defensive back visiting this weekend. Seems likely to be him? Also, turn mbb game on and hear, “this isn’t a prolific offense avg around 67 pts a game”. Then Pope makes a shot and they say it breaks a 4 min scoreless spell. Lol.

    Reply
  143. 4

    Safety Harlem Howard commits out of Florida. 16 offers but outside of the Beavs, only P5 schools were Louisville, vandy and Indiana. Def seems like he’ll need some time as he’s listed on 24/7 as 6’1″ and 165 lbs. Good to see the Florida pipeline going though!

    Reply
        • 9

          Yeah, you have to be pretty confident in the recruiting after the results so far.

          No more “reaching” when “turning over rocks” and looking for “diamonds in the rough.” They’re bringing in solid 3*+ guys, and as Angry said some time ago, get a team of LEGIT 3*s or better and you can win. That’s what’s happening.

          Most of the problems we used to complain about are gone. Now it’s “They’re 9-3 and should be 11-1.” The Beavers have running back depth, instead of relying entirely on one guy, they are back playing defense with attitude and swagger (but not getting dumb unsportsmanlike penalties), special teams have improved.They’re not embarrassing themselves in non-conference games, ending old losing streaks…..just need a QB and a kicker! That’s all! Ha!

          Reply

    • Do they weigh guys on visits? Wonder when the 247 info was updated. Alex Austin came in at 6’1” 169 pounds and was at 191 pounds this year.

      Reply
  147. 8

    4* LB Mason Tufaga entered the transfer portal today from Utah. Beavs were in his top 3 I believe back in 2022 class. Wonder if Bray will go after him again?

    Reply

  148. Time for a game week thread with some semblance of a FLA preview? I’ve pulled some info from their local media. That kind of source might be most informative given the flux of the FLA program?

    I’m curious if Martinez is going to play and hoping Gulbranson is throwing every day….

    Reply
    • 2

      Everything I’ve heard is that Martinez is ready to go but guess we’ll see for sure on Sat. My understanding is that Wright is out due to surgery…sounded like he would’ve played despite announcing his intention to go to the draft had it not been for the surgery. Otherwise Musgrave was only other player opting out.

      Reply

  149. Anyone have any idea how the team is looking scholarship wise? I know it’s very fluid with transfers and what not but just curious how close this class is to being done. Also know Smith likes to save a few spots for transfers and late qualifiers.

    Reply
  151. 4

    I get the impression that Texas QB transfer Hudson Card is one of the QBs we’re interested in at the moment.
    Probably not surprising to anybody, but I’ve seen his name pop up a few times recently

    Reply

  152. “RIP Mike Leach” is trending because Coach Bill Snyder of KSU tweeted out a RIP tweet, remembering Mike Leach.
    Then a few minutes later he tweeted out the equivalent of a “my bad” correction tweet. So Mike Leach is still alive, apparently.
    Oh, and Snyder never deleted the original message. Oops!
    ??—————————-
    Truly saddened by the death of a good friend and special man. Mike Leach will always remain special in my heart and the hearts of many. Not only a unique and talented coach, but one who taught life lessons to so many young men whose lives he changed for the better. Rest In Peace
    ————————
    I’m now told that Mike has not passed. Brings warmth to my heart. And I apologize deeply for my premature tweet. Please forgive me and continue your prayers for Mike and his family.

    https://twitter.com/CoachBillSnyder?t=s4yacPMe1arg4TSu7Hs2TA&s=09

    Reply
  155. 1
    1

    If those scholarship counts are right, Beavs have a lot of spots available. Maybe a third of the team will be new guys.

    Will be a challenge to get the team chemistry going next year with so many new guys.

    Reply
  158. 7

    RIP Mike Leach. A loss for the sport – literally a game-change when it comes to the passing game. On a somewhat more local front – glad Vegas didn’t pick MSU for the bowl – so the Beavers will be able to play on Saturday.

    Reply

  159. Chance Nolan posts on Twitter that he was entering the portal. Didn’t he already release a statement on this a week or 2 ago? I’m confused…or is this the new thing that we post more than once? Maybe not getting the interest he thought he would so this is a way to spark that interest? Or did someone else post his statement earlier and he never did? Clearly I’m missing something

    Reply
  160. 1

    I think Coach Smith mentioned he was leaving during a media session, but Chance hasnt really said anything publicly since his injury. Just him saying goodbye and also getting the word out that he’s available to other teams potentially.

    Reply

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