Thanks for biting your tongue and not bombarding the petition with random, off-topic comments. Feel free to let it all out now.

Some thoughts I've been having:

• It's difficult to remain interested in NCAA football. (Specifically the Beavers (duh)).
• Feel like the Beavers are Microsoft, and the Ducks are Apple. Maybe not completely accurate since Microsoft had a good run. Beavs are Linux, Ducks are Apple? That's probably more accurate.
• Every time I try to be positive and think about improved recruiting, etc, it's tempered by this qualifier: the same staff will be coaching them.
• Mike Riley had a really bad press conference. He basically blamed Sean Mannion. He also looked completely befuddled and shot. He should retire.
• People keep mentioning Riley as the next AD. Do we really want his mindset at the top?
• ASU has looked damn good this year. 0-4 is a given.
• It's hard to look at the schedule and find a win, but you know the Beavers will improve as the season progresses and someone will overlook them. I'm now thinking 2 to 3 wins. Adjusted down from 7 (what the hell was I thinking???).
• I watched a lot of college football this weekend, and it just seems like everyone else makes the game look effortless. Beavs, even when they were "good", always looked on their heels and different than other teams. Something is just off.
• Cliff Kirkpatrick is blowing Riley. That's the only explanation for his delusion.
• Beaver fans aren't afraid to lose Riley; they're afraid we'll get a worse coach. I don't fear that. Should I? Can't the new coach be fired if he sucks? Isn't a shot at greatness worth the risk?

That's about it. If I can muster up a care in the world I'll do a writeup for the ASU game later in the week. Other hobbies are sounding better, though.

We, __________ (the undersigned), believe Danny Langsdorf must be relieved of his duties (as offensive coordinator) in order for the Oregon State Football program to move forward.

Further, we believe Mark Banker should be fired. Banker teaches corner backs to play off the line of scrimmage, and encourages them to face guard and play the man rather than turn their heads to play the ball when it's in the air. This has directly lead to dozens of pass interference calls that resulted in Beaver losses. Additionally, Mark Banker does not understand how to defend spread offenses.

Finally, we believe you, Bob Decarolis, made a grave error by essentially giving Mike Riley a lifetime contract. We do not believe any coach should be locked into long contracts where complacency is allowed to set in. Thus, this petition will be sent to President Ray so he can review your performance relative to our complaints.

Each signee will have the opportunity to expound upon this petition (in the comment area below) and explain what he or she plans to do if changes are not made. I ask that you read their words carefully. Personally, I will not be donating any monies to any Beaver related cause until change is enacted, and I will continue to encourage others to do the same.

Sincerely,

Angry (and the undersigned)

The comment areas have been filling up quickly, so this will likely get us to halftime, at which time I'll make a new post.

Sometimes I wake up on game day feeling optimistic…eh, maybe a little more today than mid-week, but not enough to change my pick.

Game note: It'll be nice to see Grant Enger start. This should have happened last season. If he has a good game, it'll be interesting to see if the media asks Riley why he didn't start last year (or this year over Ellis). When Andrews comes back, Enger's experience should relegate Ellis to the bench, which means it won't. Just an interesting side story to follow.

Go Beavs.

Saturday's game features two coaches at risk of losing both their teams and fan bases. Welcome to the Desperation Bowl, folks.

The Beavers have performed dreadfully under pressure and desperation. And while most fans consider this game winnable, I have doubt for one simple reason: The Beavers now have a mark on their backs; they are thee winnable game on every crappy team's schedule.

You know how the Ducks will get every decent team's best shot? Well, equally, the Beavers will get every crappy team's best shot. There's blood in the water. We already saw this play out versus Sacramento State, and we are going to see it again on Saturday (and vs WSU). Bad teams know they can get one of their few wins versus the Beavers. This has been happening for several years now. It's time we acknowledge and admit it.

So, how do the Beavers counter this? Well, my guess is they won't since they'll be blindsided and clueless that opponents see them in this light. In other words, mentally, the Beavers won't be prepared for their opponent's mindset. No shocker there.

However, emotionally they have an edge. The return of James Rodgers (and Joe Halahuni) should fire up the fans, and that will translate onto the field, for a little while at least. I'm not convinced emotions win games, though. In fact, I'd say emotions tend to lead to irrational or distracting behavior that's counter-productive.

In terms of football matchups, I think the Beavers advantage is at wide receiver. The UCLA corners tend to play off the ball, so quick passes with run-after-catch could be effective, especially given the Beavers speed at the position. However, I can also see the Bruin corners showing that look to bait Mannion and then jumping the route. Dare I predict the UCLA secondary returns an INT for a TD? Hmm not quite, but watch out for it. Additionally, will Langsdorf even have the awareness to take advantage of soft corners? It's hard to have faith in that.

The Beavers run game is shot. Jordan Jenkins isn't a legit Pac-12 back. Ward has shown nothing. Clear advantage to UCLA's run game and their defensive line here. The Bruins issue is at QB, but the Beavers aren't much better there. UCLA is also considering using their mobile, redshirt frosh QB. Ruh roh.

I think the Beavers can ride the emotional high for a quarter or two, but in the end the lack of preparation and mental fortitude once again prove the bane of this team's existence. The Beavers simply don't have tough players. They don't have leaders. They've assumed the identity of their coach. As bad as Neuheisel is, he has more passion and intensity, and thus I give him the edge. The Bruins secondary will bait Mannion and his slow delivery into several interceptions, and their run game will produce just enough.

Until the Beavers show me discipline and mental fortitude, I cannot predict a win. The Bruins come to Reser confidently believing "Hey, we can win this game" while the Beavers are hoping for the best while thinking "we don't want to screw it up and choke again", and that difference in mentally is all it takes to determine an outcome.

20-17, UCLA.

Until the Beavs lose a couple conference games, their season is alive. That makes almost every game from this point onward a "must win". Given the injuries, overall youth, and in-season transition to a freshman QB, I can't reasonably expect much. My 7-5 prediction looks too optimistic at this point. Downward revision may be in order, but I'll wait until after the weekend.

UCLA is in more turmoil than the Beavs. But, I think they feel this is one game they can win. Beavs now have the bottom feeder mark on their back, same as WSU for the past few years. Even bad teams (see Sac State) are licking their chops. Speaking of Sac State, they were trounced by Weber State 49-17.

So this is it. Beavs must win the game or they're officially the new cellar dwellers. If they win the game, confidence will improve and they suddenly have momentum. It's a huge game, even though on paper it just looks like a couple glorified high school squads going at it.

Macro issues right now: Texas et al to the Pac-16. My buddy texted me last night saying it's a done deal. I haven't seen that anywhere else, though. Frankly, I'm apathetic about the issue. Texas is clearly a horrible institution to deal with, so no matter the (increased) revenue or conference they decide on, they're a cancer that will bring it down. None of the four proposed universities have anything to do with the west coast. At least Utah and Colorado had similar sensibilities. The pod system means the original eight won't be reunited. Mentally, I'm preparing to check out of college football. The "pay for play" voice keeps getting louder, the number of teams that can compete for meaningful bowls is getting smaller, and the overall feeling of sickness is higher than ever. Why encourage or support this corruption? The answer is probably: "so I can feel superior and brag to some meat head that my school is better." That's a me issue. There are more productive ways to feel good about myself.

Some other random thoughts about expansion:

A positive is that it'll force the Beavs to live in this century. When Texas comes to Reser and sees Randy the Logger, Longhorn boards will light up with laughter and the AD might finally realize how lame we are. The cons are obvious. Small, rural schools never do well in powerful, money hungry conferences. Beavs won't carry their weight, and Texas and Oklahoma will wonder why they're subsidizing Oregon State and Washington State. Beaver fans will wonder why Dust Bowl squads were allowed to invade their conference and put that kind of pressure on them.

Of course, I am willing to give it a year or two before deciding, but expansion appears to be nothing more than exponential acceleration toward an inevitable end.