[RowdyBrad]

Also I will add that the city of Eugene and some of the vocal fans are super liberal, so it seems that a large part of the bad mouthing is also directed at the leadership of your school and the founders, so they take shots at the school itself. I don't care either way, but some unjustly try to attack that and disguise it as football related.

Whether you are favored, or the underdog, there will always be people hating on the team which can get frustrating. Whether it is made up stuff, or legit issues. Best thing you can do as a base is stay humble and prove them wrong. Nothing speaks louder than the play on the field regarding sports. Oregon has learned this slowly and still struggles sometimes to speak with play in the big games against big schools. Until you can, the opposition will always run their mouths. It means your team is doing something right!

[Sly Fox]

First off, I love the State of Oregon. Yeah, the politics may be wonky particularly in Portland as RowdyBrad can likely attest. But from a landscape perspective, it makes my personal top ten. The PCH through Oregon may be the most beautiful drive in the USA. But I digress ...

I can understand the frustration of many Ducks fans who go from thinking just a few days agao they would be in the playoff to being relegated to the "also ran" NY6 game. I have lived the life through my Longhorn & Aggie sides of the family on a far too frequent basis. But I suspect that can change rather rapidly once they see KSalt in action. I just hope they don't try to steal our QB after seeing him in person.

For the record, I finally secured my flights. I was able to use to my once every 5 year exemption to extend my status with United and extra year which freed me up to use miles for this trip. Huzzah! I am anxious to meet up with many of the poster son here in Glendale.

[RowdyBrad]

Yes, I live in a Eugene suburb. I see Autzen everyday and the fans have definitely changed as success grew. That said, there is no other place in the world I would rather live as far as pure beauty. Less than an hour to great skiing, the ocean and great national forests. Heck, part of Stand By Me and Animal House was filmed here, can't beat that lol. Even though it is "The Valley of Sickness" and the worst pollen and allergen levels you'll find in the US.

Overall, fans have a healthy fear of Liberty and the 2007 Fiesta Bowl is a common talking point. Prepare for the best and anything less is a pleasant surprise. I know at this point that Bo and Tez will play as well as our linemen. I believe Bucky and Fergusen as well because they aren't draft eligible or will likely not declare. Franklin I am unsure of, I think he should come back another year and really blow away all the records as well as putting on another 10-15 pounds before being drafted. I think we may be without a DB or 2 but that should be about it.

I get the frustration from the Ducks, moreso in just never getting the "big teams" to play them and now this opportunity to have a top 10 out of conference matchup was lost. But disappointment fades and game readiness comes along. I have been watching game footage and definitely need to watch the QB and RB for Liberty. The secondary was, like mentioned here, very susceptible and if they don't really come in ready it will be very bad. Not only in wide open passing lanes, but also in big yardage AC with Tez and Franklin and our TE's.

[Liberty22]

Can someone reasonably explain why SOS isn’t fluid and change every week? It shouldn’t be predicted preseason and never change. It should be updated every week.

[RowdyBrad]

I believe it is fluid and changes through the season, it is just slowly changing for most teams. Preseason, the Ducks for instance were slated for a decent SOS, but with the California schools having such bad records it lowered it down. That is why they say you can only play your schedule. Had Cal, UCLA, USC and Utah had winning seasons or better their SOS would have been much better.

"This component is calculated by determining the cumulative won/loss records of the team's opponents and the cumulative won/loss records of the teams' opponents' opponents. The formula shall be weighted two-third (66 2/3%) for the opponent's record and one-third (33 1/3%) for the opponents' opponents record."

But it isn't quite that clear cut because obviously record itself, as far as opponents winning/losing, isn't the same level between divisions and conferences. So they add "Furthermore, several more factors may be added, such as the position of the team in the league, the strength of the team's division or conference, which games count in the formula and which do not (vital in the Bowl Championship Series"

But overall, it seems to be fluid and change as your opponents and THEIR opponents win or lose or get tougher. It likely includes a metric for taking SOR in to account or at least have some overlap.

"SOR: Strength of record - Reflects chance that an average Top 25 team would have team's record or better, given the schedule."

[RowdyBrad]

Can someone reasonably explain why SOS isn’t fluid and change every week? It shouldn’t be predicted preseason and never change. It should be updated every week.

Here is a link to the weekly SOS rankings. You can see as they go up and down.

https://www.teamrankings.com/college-fo ... 2023-11-28

[Liberty22]

See that’s what I assumed too but why does the media etc still spout our SOS as 133 when that website says we’re 117? I just watched an interview where our OL coach talks about how our SOS was set at 133 preseason and that’s why it’s still that today. I’m genuinely confused. If Team Rankings has us at 117, why doesn’t that reflect on all media outlets, ESPN, CBS Sports, The Athletic, etc.

[flamehunter]

See that’s what I assumed too but why does the media etc still spout our SOS as 133 when that website says we’re 117? I just watched an interview where our OL coach talks about how our SOS was set at 133 preseason and that’s why it’s still that today. I’m genuinely confused. If Team Rankings has us at 117, why doesn’t that reflect on all media outlets, ESPN, CBS Sports, The Athletic, etc.

Unfortunately for us, the 133 SOS ranking fits their narrative better than the current ranking.

[RowdyBrad]

See that’s what I assumed too but why does the media etc still spout our SOS as 133 when that website says we’re 117? I just watched an interview where our OL coach talks about how our SOS was set at 133 preseason and that’s why it’s still that today. I’m genuinely confused. If Team Rankings has us at 117, why doesn’t that reflect on all media outlets, ESPN, CBS Sports, The Athletic, etc.

I imagine the narrative is based on "scheduled sos", although even that doesn't do a schedule justice because most are scheduled years ahead of time. Granted, it could have been assumed having no power 5 or "historically" higher ranked teams on the schedule could have been foreseen, but to a certain extent it is just a guess based on years passed.

Plus, there will always be a bias in certain conferences that just assume all the teams are tough (SEC) so just playing the middle rung teams is a HUGE boost to their internal SOS. Being that they rarely play decent teams outside the conference, they "trap" the SOS boost in their conference because it's largely fabricated.

That is why LSU boasts they have the toughest schedule, although they lost any tough games and were pounded by the strong teams. So, how is losing to a strong team a benefit when it should only calculate the games one to a certain extent. Being beaten badly by good teams doesn't make a team strong in and of itself.

[Ill flame]

See that’s what I assumed too but why does the media etc still spout our SOS as 133 when that website says we’re 117? I just watched an interview where our OL coach talks about how our SOS was set at 133 preseason and that’s why it’s still that today. I’m genuinely confused. If Team Rankings has us at 117, why doesn’t that reflect on all media outlets, ESPN, CBS Sports, The Athletic, etc.

FPI has our SOS at 133 and that's ESPNs metric so it's the one that gets used the most. It does change from week to week based on how teams on our schedule have played but FPI also uses previous seasons in their data so if you're a historically bad team (NMSU) or a FCS callup (JSU, SHSU) it drags down your FPI rankings. I think that's part of the reason the committee really doesn't use it very much. The head of the committee (I forget his name) mentioned that they considered our SOS to be slightly higher than 133 if I heard him correctly.

[paradox]

In other words, it doesn’t matter. They just wanted the best team. No disrespect to SMU because they lost their QB.

[JK37]

Boy, RowdyBrad is…ummm….Rowdy!

[rtb72]

Just got an email from Flames Club about the flight LU is charting and the hotel they are blocking off rooms for. It is MUCH cheaper to book on your own. The cost of flight is 1,250 per person and hotel is between 250 and 350. The team hotel is on the opposite side of Phoenix from the bowl venue (not sure why that is). The team hotel will be the official venue for the Flames Fest. I highly recommend you look for yourselves. My family is going for half that and we rented a car.

[Purple Haize]

Just got an email from Flames Club about the flight LU is charting and the hotel they are blocking off rooms for. It is MUCH cheaper to book on your own. The cost of flight is 1,250 per person and hotel is between 250 and 350. The team hotel is on the opposite side of Phoenix from the bowl venue (not sure why that is). The team hotel will be the official venue for the Flames Fest. I highly recommend you look for yourselves. My family is going for half that and we rented a car.

Not out of Lynchburg it ain’t. Flights are between 1200 and 2k right now. I’m going to get rid of my room in Glendale and book one of the LU block. Probably the Plaza. It’s about the same price.
It’s really not that bad of a deal when you add in the direct flight from Lynchburg (very nice perk No layovers no red eyes!) And transportation covered. Heck the transportation alone is worth a couple hundred bucks. If the flight was leaving earlier we definitely would have jumped at the chance.
As it is we are driving to Charlotte on the 27th to catch WVU whoop up on UNC. Spend the night and fly out the next morning. Then return on the red eye after the game. In the meantime we might do a GC tour and/or a hot air balloon thing. Bonus points - Mt second favorite steak restaurant is in Scottsdale so we shall dine there. ,

If you don’t stay at the Team Hotel @rtb72 how can you finally say you’ve met The Great Potentate?

[rtb72]

Just got an email from Flames Club about the flight LU is charting and the hotel they are blocking off rooms for. It is MUCH cheaper to book on your own. The cost of flight is 1,250 per person and hotel is between 250 and 350. The team hotel is on the opposite side of Phoenix from the bowl venue (not sure why that is). The team hotel will be the official venue for the Flames Fest. I highly recommend you look for yourselves. My family is going for half that and we rented a car.

Not out of Lynchburg it ain’t. Flights are between 1200 and 2k right now. I’m going to get rid of my room in Glendale and book one of the LU block. Probably the Plaza. It’s about the same price.
It’s really not that bad of a deal when you add in the direct flight from Lynchburg (very nice perk No layovers no red eyes!) And transportation covered. Heck the transportation alone is worth a couple hundred bucks. If the flight was leaving earlier we definitely would have jumped at the chance.
As it is we are driving to Charlotte on the 27th to catch WVU whoop up on UNC. Spend the night and fly out the next morning. Then return on the red eye after the game. In the meantime we might do a GC tour and/or a hot air balloon thing. Bonus points - Mt second favorite steak restaurant is in Scottsdale so we shall dine there. ,

If you don’t stay at the Team Hotel @rtb72 how can you finally say you’ve met The Great Potentate?

Hahahaha....I'll be at all the events at the team hotel and the new year's party. I just like being able to walk across the street to stadium. Plus...there's a top golf right across the street too. I can get in some driving practice. I'm sure I'll see you....I mean, want there be a glow of light surrounding your presence?

As for the tickets....2k is crazy high. I guess that deal is better for a lot of folks. We were fortunate enough to hit some deals I suppose. Safe travels and see you there!!!

[Purple Haize]

Just got an email from Flames Club about the flight LU is charting and the hotel they are blocking off rooms for. It is MUCH cheaper to book on your own. The cost of flight is 1,250 per person and hotel is between 250 and 350. The team hotel is on the opposite side of Phoenix from the bowl venue (not sure why that is). The team hotel will be the official venue for the Flames Fest. I highly recommend you look for yourselves. My family is going for half that and we rented a car.

Not out of Lynchburg it ain’t. Flights are between 1200 and 2k right now. I’m going to get rid of my room in Glendale and book one of the LU block. Probably the Plaza. It’s about the same price.
It’s really not that bad of a deal when you add in the direct flight from Lynchburg (very nice perk No layovers no red eyes!) And transportation covered. Heck the transportation alone is worth a couple hundred bucks. If the flight was leaving earlier we definitely would have jumped at the chance.
As it is we are driving to Charlotte on the 27th to catch WVU whoop up on UNC. Spend the night and fly out the next morning. Then return on the red eye after the game. In the meantime we might do a GC tour and/or a hot air balloon thing. Bonus points - Mt second favorite steak restaurant is in Scottsdale so we shall dine there. ,

If you don’t stay at the Team Hotel @rtb72 how can you finally say you’ve met The Great Potentate?

Hahahaha....I'll be at all the events at the team hotel and the new year's party. I just like being able to walk across the street to stadium. Plus...there's a top golf right across the street too. I can get in some driving practice. I'm sure I'll see you....I mean, want there be a glow of light surrounding your presence?

As for the tickets....2k is crazy high. I guess that deal is better for a lot of folks. We were fortunate enough to hit some deals I suppose. Safe travels and see you there!!!

Oh, I’ll have an aura for sure! Of course you’ll have to introduce yourself as RTB or I’ll think you are some type of weirdo like @JK37
It seems like flights out of Baltimore are the best option We got $650 out of Charlotte. But heck I was checking out with some $600 tickets and by the time I checked out they were gone and now at $900!, I look at it this way, for the cost of flying out of Lynchburg we can fly out of Charlotte , hit The Mayo Bowl and STIL save money!
I did see they had outlet malls, Gil’s River Casino and Resort out by State Farm Stadium but I prefer Scottsdale. Although I should check to see if there’s a hockey game out there
I do wish that charter was going out earlier though. It would save money on rental car and parking

[LU 57]

We are flying out of BWI. Frontier sticker prices are not realistic but we did end up at about $600 per after all of the junk fees. And its direct. Only problem is we have to drive to BWI, yuk...

[JK37]

WHAT DID I DO?!???!!

[Purple Haize]

We are flying out of BWI. Frontier sticker prices are not realistic but we did end up at about $600 per after all of the junk fees. And its direct. Only problem is we have to drive to BWI, yuk...

Going out of Charlotte on a reputable airline for $650ish is nice for us. Better than BWI. Ha

[RowdyBrad]

I am not attending, but right now cheap flights from Eugene for the game run 315 bucks. Granted this is a budget flight and you have to stay in town for a week, so overall cost would be higher. But regular flights are 450-650 round trip.

I like the prestige of a new years game, but the logistics of a bowl game on New Years day and the travel is crazy.

When my son played for Nevada and they played in the Arizona Bowl, it was on January 9th on U of A campus. I never realized how dead a campus gets during winter break when they have bowl games, all the restaurants were closed down as well as any social events. That time period makes enjoying the trip and bowl games very hard at some places. Hopefully this time the community is open and you all can enjoy the entire trip. Oh, watch out for the Havolinas!

[Purple Haize]

I am not attending, but right now cheap flights from Eugene for the game run 315 bucks. Granted this is a budget flight and you have to stay in town for a week, so overall cost would be higher. But regular flights are 450-650 round trip.

I like the prestige of a new years game, but the logistics of a bowl game on New Years day and the travel is crazy.

When my son played for Nevada and they played in the Arizona Bowl, it was on January 9th on U of A campus. I never realized how dead a campus gets during winter break when they have bowl games, all the restaurants were closed down as well as any social events. That time period makes enjoying the trip and bowl games very hard at some places. Hopefully this time the community is open and you all can enjoy the entire trip. Oh, watch out for the Havolinas!

What? You’re not going? I’m not sure we can even be friends anymore!

[RowdyBrad]

I have found that I am best served complaining to the TV and sitting alone second guessing every play called!

[Humble_Opinion]

You're a good egg Brad. Nice to have you around.

Right before the selection show, I told my wife I'd love to end up in a NY6 bowl with anyone except Oregon. Looks like I jinxed us. There's no doubt that Oregon will have more size and athleticism in general across the board. LU's best chance to compete, let alone win will require a little bit of help from Oregon by them maybe overlooking us, or having an off night. LU's scheme offensively has worked wonders this year. If Salter has a good night and we can get the run game going a bit, I suspect the game could be closer. Time will tell though. I just hope we have a decent showing at the end of the day.

[RowdyBrad]

I kind of want the same. Obviously, I want the Oregon team to be slightly ahead when the final time runs out, but I don't hope for a blowout. It is a no win situation for the Ducks, in that if they win the narrative will be all about a "g5 team" or "low sos" like you have been dealing with already. If the Ducks lose, well you can only imagine what that would do on our end. Ultimately, a close game where both teams are competitive and if the Ducks manage to get ahead they then play backups when they can and get kids playing time in the Bowl. They are allowed to travel the full team, so there are kids that have not suited up all year that get to go to the bowl from both teams and it means a ton to get in the game.

Injury free, competitive and some great plays from both sides would make for a great game AND prove that LU is to be taken seriously moving forward. Kind of like Boise State in 2007.

[LU Grad 11]

Flight and Airbnb booked! Looking forward to Phoenix. Anybody have some recommendations for things to do and/or places to eat? Go Flames!