He’s #1 on many lists right now. Mannion is making some lists, too, but he’d have to maintain his current pace, and that isn’t likely with the better competition upcoming. Conversely, Mariota has a pretty easy path. UCLA and/or Stanford might keep him in check, but otherwise I don’t see much resistance.

This is not Beaver related except that the race might come down to the final week. Meaning, the only thing between Mariota and the Heisman (and possibly another National Championship appearance) might be the Beavs’ D.

It’s obviously too early to say, but it’s not too early to want to puke while thinking about it.

The bigger issue here is that the “gap” between OSU and Oregon is more like a giant canyon. What is more troubling is that Beaver fans are resigned to it. They used to get angry, jealous, etc. Now they mope dejectedly about Phil Knight, money, Disney, facilities, etc, and accept it. I remember as recently as the Dennis Dixon era, the majority of Beaver fans were convinced the Ducks ran a gimmick offense that would fade. Now they say things like “they’re on another level” and sound defeated. While it is true that the Ducks are on another level, it’s also kind of sad Beaver fans accept it. If you’re one of these people, I’d love to hear the thought process.

But yeah, since the 2008 Civil War I have heard Oregon penciled in as a automatic loss every year. Does nobody else stop to think this is unusual? It’s only 5 years, but where’s the end? Years pass by fast. 5 years will be 15 before you know it. Does Oregon State ever beat Oregon again?

There’s no conclusion to tonight’s observations. I just sense there’s an elephant in the room (i.e. I haven’t read anything in the mainstream about Beaver fans changing how they view/rationalize the Ducks). I’m just acknowledging the culmination, and subsequent paradigm shift, that might hit climax November 29th.

Brent Vanaderveen should get the mopup time, rather than Cody Vaz.

Vaz will be gone in a few months. Vanderveen, we are told, is the future QB. Mannion might leave early. So what is the logic in putting Vaz in blowouts? He has experience already, so they don’t need to groom a backup, they need to groom a future starter. Now that the schedule becomes difficult, the opportunity to get Vanderveen time has passed. Riley overlooking another (logical) opportunity. Watch how this hurts down the line.

Also, regarding the improved defense: I think a lot of it has to do with putting the right personnel on the field. Once Mageo took over for Skotte things got better. Nelson and Martin were splitting time early on, and once that ended things picked up. Martin and Skotte stinking were mentioned here the day they signed. Yet it took Riley years to evaluate the talent. Also, they didn’t scrimmage in Fall camp. I think this killed them game 1 and was so obvious. But yeah, the more games/hits the better they get. This is just logical. So the better personnel along with more hits is why I think the D has gotten better, and I expect even more improvement. I’m not saying these guys are the ’85 Bears, just that they’re about where I expected now (bad D1 rather than HS level). They still won’t stop the mobile QBs or fast teams. There are ways to do that without talent, but Banker won’t tweak his scheme. He’s convinced it works versus every opponent. Just like Riley was convinced Skotte was the answer. These guys are mules.

Bob D: if you read this site, I’m officially making myself available as a consultant and/or talent evaluator.

I remember playing Monopoly as a kid, and the Community Chest cards would always read, “such and such error” in the other guy’s favor. The Cougs’ botched punt felt like that, only in reverse. i.e. [bad] luck of my life, luck o’ the Beavs, etc, IN REVERSE. Pretty amazing. Anyway, I do feel like something clicked at that moment. The play calling became genius, the defense clamped down, …everything clicked. Everything. And even though we can say “well, it was just the Cougs, and they aren’t very good”, I feel like I saw something. A USC 2006 type moment. Maybe I am losing it, as some naysayers here suggested. But I expect a string of victories after that performance. The team has to be feeling great, and that’s infectious and contagious. Hell, even I have Beaver fever (puke). Yeah, there were things I didn’t like: run game, Riley smiling on the sidelines, 3 quarters of anemic football, etc. But big picture, that 4th quarter performance can propel.

Cal is one of the easier games on the schedule, so it’s just a matter of staying focused and not looking ahead to Stanford.

Speaking of which, Stanford’s most impressive win has been Washington. People are chirping that OSU will win a game we don’t expect–could be Stanford. That QB is a bit overrated, and as Harbaugh’s players leave the program…I expect Shaw gets exposed/there is more decline coming.

To me, the worst upcoming matchups are Arizona State and Oregon. Both teams are fast all over with mobile QBs who can also throw. Every other team is beatable so long as the offense stays healthy. I’m on a bit of a high from last week, so take this with a grain of salt, but I think Cal, Stanford, and USC are wins. Arizona State a loss. Washington 50/50. Oregon a loss.

Regarding Cal, the QB is promising, but I don’t worry much about pocket passers. They’re also beat up everywhere on D, so I expect OSU’s offense to overwhelm them. The only way Cal wins is if Goff dismantles the secondary, but I think that window of opportunity is quickly closing, as Reynolds and Nelson both tighten up. The secondary has been slowly improving.

The game is at Cal and a late start, both of which work against the Beavs, so I’ll keep it reasonable.

Oregon State 38, Cal 20