What do you do if you’re a smoker dying of lung cancer?

Ask the Oregon State Beavers and they’ll likely tell you to light one up and take a drag.

A team that, since 2006, has gotten drubbed in OOC games by Penn State, Boise State, and Cincinnati (twice), is now looking to add to that momentum by inking deals with TCU, Boise State, Wisconsin, and BYU over the next two years.

Good or bad?

I have to say, I like the devil-may-care scheduling. To be fearless and believe you can play with the big boys is the first step in that self-fulfilling prophecy ringing true.

My question is this: do the Beavers actually believe they can win these games or are they just intriguing money grabs? Using history as an indicator, it’s hard to believe Riley & friends believe they’re going to come out of these games looking good, especially if they’re on ESPN/prime time (a slot they only thrive in versus familiar PAC-10 foes).

I know fans will be jacked up for these games, at least until they kickoff (and the drubbing begins!). That’s when we’ll hear the complaints that Bob D should have scheduled Montana, Idaho, Portland State, or a directional vocational school…just like the SEC does. It’s a valid argument, but if you believe it then make it now. Personally I think it’s interesting that the Beavers are taking this uber-aggressive approach. They haven’t been able to deliver the fanbase a BCS game for some time, and some of these games (see TCU) will have that feel. Even if it doesn’t make college football sense as defined by the SEC, it’s exciting, right?

Perusing the net, I’m once again embarrassed to be a Beaver fan.

That my brethren are cheering the suspension of Masoli only shows that they tremble and quake at the mere presence of the man who shredded consecutive Rose Bowl bids. Hey, I’m scared of Masoli as well–he is dangerous, borderline unstoppable in the spread offense. That being said, when the Ducks come to Corn Valley next season I’d like a crack at them with their best players. To be the best you must beat the best, and for that reason I’d like to see the Ducks at full strength. You can’t have a changing of the guard if one of said guards isn’t there to change out.

Now, let’s not confuse what I am saying here with legal matters. Masoli is guilty and should be kicked off the team permanently. Same with James–Kelly was both inconsistent and lenient, and this favoritism will lead to deeper problems for him down the road. But as a Beaver fan I should not want players kicked off the team. If I do, it only shows that I’m deathly afraid of this opponent. What the reaction should be is this: “What they did is illegal, and therefore they should not be afforded the privilege of playing football under scholarships paid for by Oregon residents, but this really sucks because I’d love to beat these guys at full strength next December.”  Instead, Beaver fans are ecstatic that they now have a chance at winning the Civil War while also taking the low road and reveling in the current Duck misery. It screams (classless) little brother, and frankly, I’m tired of playing that role, which is present in every athletic and academic endeavor the university pursues.

If the Beavers do win the Civil War this coming season, the feat will be tarnished in these eyes. Until the Beavers beat the best they’ll play second fiddle, and that’s a chair the old, tattered Beaver fan who lived through “28 years” is content sitting in, but the new generation of fan is coming on and we have higher expectations of what Corvallis can and should be. This is not your mom and dad’s generation you old, dying farts. Stop cheering on felonies because it’s beneficial to your inferior football team and instead criticize your own team so it’s better based on merit and mettle rather than an opponent’s attrition.

You might ask: what’s the big deal about a backup punter transferring, Angry?

Well, I will tell you.

I saw Allen punt in person a handful of times, and he was light-years better than Johnny Hekker. We’re talking punts that went above the stadium, ala an NFL leg. His only downside was consistency.

It begs the question: why would Riley spend so much time developing an equally inconsistent punter with a worse leg in Johnny Hekker? Anyone who watched pregame kicking could see Allen was the man.

I’ll be curious to follow Allen’s career at Louisiana Tech. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t make the NFL, where as Johnny Hekker has no shot. To me this is as egotistical as Mike Riley gets. He wants to have a “great story” and “uncover a gem”…a high school QB turned punter. If Riley can get him to be all-conference by senior year it will continue his reputation as a talent evaluator. The problem with that logic is that any coach could turn an average athlete into an all-conference punter if given four years. Most don’t do it because it’s a large investment with little payoff. Hekker was a liability last year. Do not mention the Sun Bowl or any false positive statistics–he was a liability and has been a liability since he joined the team. Riley has not once used the one interesting facet of Hekker: his ability to throw on a fake punt.

The bottom line is that Ryan Allen was the man for this job and because of egotistical stubbornness Mike Riley let him walk. Another questionable decision. These are really beginning to add up. Little roster tweaks like this are a big deal. Riley puts practically zero emphasis on special teams and other than lucking into Alexis Serna it’s come back to bite him (e.g. Civil War, Stanford 2008, etc). The program is worse off today.

In other news, Moevao was denied an additional year. I don’t think any of us can make a good argument against that decision and it’s what we all expected. Personally, I’m glad to see the reigns handed over to a player with more upside.