1. Recruiting strategy (and results) must improve. We've been witnessing, on the field, the failure of the hidden gem approach. For example, a DE can't come into the program at 224 pounds and be asked to gain 60lbs and move to DT. Too much can go wrong (bad weight, can't keep weight on, loses agility, etc). We as fans get on the player when he stinks, but really too much is being asked of him. A perfect example of this is Kevin Frahm. I said this earlier in the year, but the fact that most of these "gems" don't see the field until their junior or senior year is a sign the approach is flawed. Fans need to realize that any coach in the conference could find gems if he was willing to invest five years of development. Most coaches realize the strategy is flawed, and most coaches go to better bowl games than Mike Riley. Does Mike finally address the elephant in the room? According to some rumors, he is making headway on the recruiting trail (with the help of Gundy), but I haven't really seen it come to fruition. In fact, this week we've seen the head-scratching recruitments of Blake Harrah and Desmond Collins, so it looks like rumors are just that, and it's more of the same.

2. Will the current batch of offensive linemen have their starting roles challenged, or will they be handed the starting jobs based on experience? It is a must that, based on on-the-field performance, they have their starting jobs yanked. Riley is extremely frustrating in this regard, starting experienced garbage over unproven talent time and time again. By the halfway mark sometimes he figures it out, but this year he did not. And then fans wonder why we have slow starts. Depth is one reason, but not having the right players on the field until game five is another. My fear is that next year the walk-ons (who are all juniors) will go into camp as the favorites to win their positions, and that is simply inexcusable. I do not want to waste another season sifting through garbage players from lazy recruiting classes. We did this with Pankey, and we're doing it with the basketball team. That is not fair; we are all getting older and wasting seasons begging for seniors to graduate does nobody any good.

3. Image crisis, new uniforms, cohesive logo. I wrote about this over a year ago. You can read it here and here. Sadly, image is important (almost everything). These things matter. How would you feel going on a job interview or a date in a t-shirt and shorts? The reality is that if you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you play better. A marketable, thought out, cohesive identity is a must. An all black matte and/or glossy helmet without the cartoon beaver would go a long way towards that. Remove the cartoon beaver from the center of the field. And finally, Benny Beaver needs an extreme make over. I suggest everyone write Bobby D on their own and express concern. I'm going to do my part and draft a petition to get ride of that cartoon beaver. Look for it in the coming days.

4. Game day atmosphere must improve. Saturdays at Reser…suck. The chainsaw, the bad PA announcer, the fact you can't bring noise into the stadium, the septuagenarians who prefer quiet sitting to raucous cheering or booing, that our mascot is boring and looks more like a rat than a beaver, that our mascot doesn't crowd surf, do anything interesting, or have any identity, that the ads on the Dam Cam show Dairy Farmers of America ads, etc etc etc. These are all major problems. The Civil War had an amazing, palpable atmosphere, but OSU fans have a deep-seated belief that the Civil War is the only game that matters. This isn't 1935. Fans need to get creative and create their tradition–heck, I suggest we start brainstorming right here. How can we make the experience as Reser better? Where is the creativity in this fan base? This problem is mostly on us.

5. Riley must play Quizz, Wheaton, etc in spring and fall ball. Stop pampering these players and coaching scared. If they get hurt so be it, but a major reason the Beavers come out of the gate slow is the players are unprepared in spring and fall ball. Can you expect a LB to tackle when he hasn't done so in almost a year? Riley rarely allows tackling and pampers his stars because of depth chart concerns, which as always goes back to his poor recruiting. He has an extra month or so to recruit this year. Get depth, Mike, and either have confidence in the backup or don't give him a free education.

6. The university must hire a sports psychologist. These players have their heads screwed on backwards because of all the illogical coaching mistakes; compound this with their bad offer sheets when being recruited and you have fragile players. I call this USC reject syndrome. It's a real thing.

A few other points I consider important, but not absolute musts at this point are getting more players involved in games, specifically at the RB position. Quizz receiving 99% of the carries is an absolute joke. Also, did the Beavers start conditioning themselves for the Ducks in week 12? Why weren't they conditioned to the max earlier? I saw them run out of steam at  TCU, Washington, etc. Yet, they waited months to do anything about it?

There are so many problems, but these are the ones I'd like to see addressed and with conviction. Next year we call for heads if the lunacy continues. Deal?

This was one of those games where the final score wasn't indicative of how close the game was. The defense did some positive things. At times they looked like Cal, getting in the backfield and stymieing the option. But, Oregon is relentless and won't take no for an answer, much like the guy who walks into a bar and asks a hundred different girls to sleep with him. Eventually one will say yes. Well, eventually Oregon broke some big runs.

The Beavers played their tails off. It was refreshing to see, but also frustrating, because if they had played that hard all year they'd most likely be going to the Alamo Bowl.

Regarding the coaching staff, there were some terrible gaffes. Riley should have called a timeout with 50 seconds left in the first half. Possessions matter versus Oregon. It's possible Poyer gets a big return and sets up points. I'd like to see a reporter ask Riley why he didn't call timeout. I suspect it's because he was afraid Oregon would change their mind and go for the TD, or he feared a penalty that would give Oregon a first down. He coached scared. Will someone in the media ask a difficult question please? The calls to kick field goals were weak. I understand that Riley knew Katz could not make the plays on 4th downs, but you still have to try to make that play if you want to win the game. At the time I thought, "not the worst thing, since it cuts it to two scores", but at the same time another voice was saying "field goals will not win this game." Riley got caught up in the game and situation. Before the game kicked off he knew field goals would not win it. He was lured by the temptation of the two score game. He should have used his unemotional, pregame reasoning. He's been coaching long enough to know better.

Danny Langsdorf has become a liability. The Ducks knew what plays were coming based off tendencies (i.e. watching film) and formations. He needs to go. Based on how many WRs the Beavers have recruited, I think he might be handed his walking papers. How many years does a kidney get you? It's another difficult question that needs to be addressed. Media, dare you ask it?

That must have been the fifth game this year where the telecasters commented on how poor the line looked. Too much has been asked of Cav. He needs some talent with which to work. Offensive line is the last place to skimp scholarships. The special teams have been so solid this year, but how do you not prepare for a fake in that situation versus a team that's probably only second to Boise State in trick plays and the standard for aggressive play?

Banker had the best game of all the coaches. The score doesn't support that statement, but the phantom PI call blurred what was a good defensive performance. It was encouraging to see tackles for a loss and disciplined play (at times). Has he figured it out, finally, and now just needs the team speed to execute better? On the flip side, his body of work has been so poor of late that maybe it's time to let him go? His contract expires after next season so he'll definitely get one more shot.

I don't have an issue with the Ducks going to the title game because they are the best team in the country and earned that distinction on the field. The Beavers are content just thinking about the big game or being involved with other teams associated with big games. At some point the program needs to take a step and be the team in the spotlight, not the competitive opponent big name schools schedule for an easy yet respectable win. TCU used Oregon State as a stepping stone, as others have in the past.

Finally, it's hard to be excited about 2011 with Ryan "Dirk Diggler" Katz at the helm. His football IQ is low, probably in the 30 or 40s. Can this be corrected in the off-season? Evidence suggests QBs under Riley improve, but that doesn't make me feel good about what I saw, nor does it make me feel confident about next season. My biggest hope from this season is that everyone from fans to coaches to the AD now realizes the importance of confidence and psychology in sports. If lessons like that are learned then the season wasn't a total wash.

Who's up early watching Gameday? I was about 50 minutes late to the party, but what I see so far is a lot of Duck fans in attendance for this game. The campus looks awesome behind the set. Can anyone fill me in on the first 50 minutes? Any compliments for the good guys?

I'm curious if you're all going to watch the game today. I've heard a lot of Beaver fans say they won't watch due to the Beavs having no shot and the Gameday coup/duck love. Eh, that's a crappy mentality. If the Beavers win they're going to the Alamo or Holiday Bowl.  Wouldn't it be ironic if they went to their best bowl game in one of their worst recent years?

And just think, if the Beavers go down in defeat, the basketball team plays later today so we get to see an easy victo–. ;)

Load up on the gin and any other feel-good materials you may need.