[ballcoach15]

Ballcoach is one of a very small number of college football fans, that had Alabama in playoffs, for the past 2 months.

[thepostman]

Good job man! You recognized early on that nothing will ever trump the SEC bias. I'm happy for you...

[RowdyBrad]

Thanks for adding me to the forum. I am A 30+ year Duck fan looking forward to this game and choosing here to communicate versus the crazy Reddit forums.

I am looking forward to a good game. My son played for Montana State while they went to the FCS National Championship, so I have seen both sides of the big school/smaller school side.

A couple points, Bo Nix was planning on playing from the beginning, it was really a mis-quote that was out of context. He said he was excited for the bowl game and looking forward to finding out what bowl and against who, but said off hand I don't know, that he was processing what had just happened. Watching the video puts it in context, the media just wanted to make a story. His brother and several of the other NFL bound ducks are playing as well per the Coach but they will announce it themselves. I imagine virtually all will play given the team camaraderie.

Oregons best attributes are it's run defense and it's offensive play. Stylistically this match up seems to really go in Oregons favor. The major weakness is against elite wide receivers versus the injured secondary.

Oregon is directly behind Liberty in Turnover margin with Liberty having many more interceptions, but also many moire fumbles. Oregon gives very few turnovers, in particular interceptions with only 2 thrown by Bo and the 3rd bouncing off a receiver. This will be key if Oregon can cause fumbles and turnovers while keeping interceptions from happening.

Oregon rush defense is 11th in the country allowing fewer than 100 yards while liberty is 21st and giving up 111 yards per game. Liberty is rushing for 300 per game and currently oregon is under 200 per game, but the first 2/3 of the season Oregon was around top 10 in rushing yards and yards with a 50/50 offense before relying heavily on the passing lately. It will 100% come down to the ratio of stopping the run while imposing each teams run game.

Keys For Oregon - Stop the run including quarterback keepers. Dominate the line, offense and defensively. Get to the quarterback for pressure and sacks. Win turnover battle and cause fumbles.

Keys for Liberty - Sure tackle on short passes. Pass plays must stretch the defense and keep the secondary honest. If the passing plays are not successful, the defense will blitz all night. Dominate the line on both sides, especially on offense while running at will. If Oregon cannot stop the Liberty run, it will be a tight game and Liberty will control the clock and keep Oregons scoring opportunities to a minimum.

I am hoping for some fun discussions and to learn more about the Liberty program. Ultimately hoping for a competitive game with no injuries for any of the kids. There is some disappointment on the Ducks fanbase end that the Ducks didn't get a "more competitively ranked" matchup that could drive more eyes and attention, but ultimately they didn't win the big game so it is what it is.

[Cider Jim]

Ballcoach is one of a very small number of college football fans, that had Alabama in playoffs, for the past 2 months.

Ballcoach, did you ever NOT have Bama in your playoff bracket?

[ballah09]

Thanks for adding me to the forum. I am A 30+ year Duck fan looking forward to this game and choosing here to communicate versus the crazy Reddit forums.

I am looking forward to a good game. My son played for Montana State while they went to the FCS National Championship, so I have seen both sides of the big school/smaller school side.

A couple points, Bo Nix was planning on playing from the beginning, it was really a mis-quote that was out of context. He said he was excited for the bowl game and looking forward to finding out what bowl and against who, but said off hand I don't know, that he was processing what had just happened. Watching the video puts it in context, the media just wanted to make a story. His brother and several of the other NFL bound ducks are playing as well per the Coach but they will announce it themselves. I imagine virtually all will play given the team camaraderie.

Oregons best attributes are it's run defense and it's offensive play. Stylistically this match up seems to really go in Oregons favor. The major weakness is against elite wide receivers versus the injured secondary.

Oregon is directly behind Liberty in Turnover margin with Liberty having many more interceptions, but also many moire fumbles. Oregon gives very few turnovers, in particular interceptions with only 2 thrown by Bo and the 3rd bouncing off a receiver. This will be key if Oregon can cause fumbles and turnovers while keeping interceptions from happening.

Oregon rush defense is 11th in the country allowing fewer than 100 yards while liberty is 21st and giving up 111 yards per game. Liberty is rushing for 300 per game and currently oregon is under 200 per game, but the first 2/3 of the season Oregon was around top 10 in rushing yards and yards with a 50/50 offense before relying heavily on the passing lately. It will 100% come down to the ratio of stopping the run while imposing each teams run game.

Keys For Oregon - Stop the run including quarterback keepers. Dominate the line, offense and defensively. Get to the quarterback for pressure and sacks. Win turnover battle and cause fumbles.

Keys for Liberty - Sure tackle on short passes. Pass plays must stretch the defense and keep the secondary honest. If the passing plays are not successful, the defense will blitz all night. Dominate the line on both sides, especially on offense while running at will. If Oregon cannot stop the Liberty run, it will be a tight game and Liberty will control the clock and keep Oregons scoring opportunities to a minimum.

I am hoping for some fun discussions and to learn more about the Liberty program. Ultimately hoping for a competitive game with no injuries for any of the kids. There is some disappointment on the Ducks fanbase end that the Ducks didn't get a "more competitively ranked" matchup that could drive more eyes and attention, but ultimately they didn't win the big game so it is what it is.

Welcome Brad! This is a total mismatch for us. Our best defensive player has been out most the season in Kendy Charles, so I don’t know if he’ll be available. We have trouble putting pressure on QB’s giving them all the time in the world to throw, exposing our secondary. Nix should have a field day as much as I hate to say it.

Offensively, I think we’ll put up points. We got one of the biggest OL in the nation. Salter is the real deal, which is why I think we will keep this game somewhat competitive.

[Kricket]

It's true. Quite bad matchup for us. ESPN's predictor gives us a 10% chance of winning. Does that sound high or low?

[Cider Jim]

Thanks for adding me to the forum. I am A 30+ year Duck fan looking forward to this game and choosing here to communicate...

Welcome, RowdyBrad. Most of us (except for Ballcoach) are pretty civil and friendly here and love talking college sports!

[RowdyBrad]

duplicate

[RowdyBrad]

Nice. I am not super familiar with Liberty yet, but my OCD says I will know them in and out by gametime. The Ducks and Nix in particular have a reputation as "short pass' and check downs with quick releases, but if given time he has a very accurate long ball and (if both play) a biletnikoff level wide receiver in Franklin and Tez had 1k yard as well. He can also run extremely well, so they tend to just go with what opportunity is best. I imagine they'll focus on stopping Liberty run game (attempting to) and focus on using the run to set up a "show" where Bo can display his passing attacks and possibly beat of JD for most total touchdowns and passing touchdowns. He is most likely not going to win the heisman, but it could make his draft/recognition go up if he somehow has a 6 touchdown half like he did against Arizona State. Oregon does average 300+ passing yards and is 2nd in the country.

I really prefer as a fan when the Ducks play against a heavy run attack offense. So far, when playing against a dominant run game team, the Ducks have kept yardage minimal and points near shutout levels. The defense is weakest in the secondary but if that isn't a concern, they fill the box and have so far had luck in the likes of Utah and Oregon State that were heavy run teams and strong run defenses, but Oregon kept them to 1 score while producing on offense. I sure hope the Ducks players that play include the linebacker and edge rushers.

[Purple Haize]

Most games, Oregon has the ugliest uniforms in college football.

You and I can agree on this, but the kids (and recruits) absolutely love it.

It's one of those signs that my time is passed and it is a younger world.

You've already proven yourself to be far more advanced than ballcoach!

Wow. Such a low bar back handed compliment!

[JK37]

It’s more likely one of our posters offends you, than you would offend any of us with your presence. Welcome!

I have a pretty thick skin, so sounds like we should be good.

Just a word of caution, like just about every school, we have a small subset of really poor fans. I apologize in advance.

Most of us would welcome you into our tailgate and have some good natured rivalry prodding. But there are some that are simply feral. And it's only gotten worse as we've had some success.

I’m from Morgantown. So I get it.

[AATL]

Connelly picks Oregon to win (38-25) with Liberty to cover.

[RowdyBrad]

Welcome Brad! This is a total mismatch for us. Our best defensive player has been out most the season in Kendy Charles, so I don’t know if he’ll be available. We have trouble putting pressure on QB’s giving them all the time in the world to throw, exposing our secondary. Nix should have a field day as much as I hate to say it.

Offensively, I think we’ll put up points. We got one of the biggest OL in the nation. Salter is the real deal, which is why I think we will keep this game somewhat competitive.

I hope so. A close competetive game would be a great way to fuel the offseason.

Oregon has a large OL at average of 6'5" and 313 and the average in the Pac12 is right around there. The Ducks OL is up for the Joe Moore award for the best OL in the country, along with 2 teams from the Pac 12 that have played the Ducks. The OSU Beavers have the #1 rated OL in the country at tackle I believe as well.

The Oregon defensive line averages about 305 as well with the edge rushers being in the 295 range.

Going to be an interesting matchup to see who has the edge, without same opponents it is hard to guage.

[Liberty22]

Connelly picks Oregon to win (38-25) with Liberty to cover.

A quality showing, if we don’t win the game, is a win in my book. I think this is arguably the toughest matchup the G5 champ has been given in the 10 years of this system.

[Ill flame]

Something crazy to think about. Not including our first bowl which was on CBSSN so we didnt have viewership numbers for it, this game should have more viewers than all of our other bowl games combined.

2019 vs Georgia southern: no viewership numbers
2020 vs coastal carolina: 2.62 million
2021 vs eastern Michigan: 1.23 million
2022 vs toledo: 1.47 million
Total: 5.32 million

In the CFP era only one NY6 bowl has had less than 5 million viewers and that was last years cotton bowl with Tulane vs USC. The average for NY6 games is around 13 million.

[Chippy]

With a month to go, I wonder what that does for getting Schlitter and Charles back - our best O-lineman and our best D-lineman?

[AATL]

Welcome, Duck visitors! I have a ton of respect for the Oregon program and thought Dan Lanning was a home run hire when Cristobal left. I think Oregon is among the best teams in the country this year and really viewed them in the upper-tier of title contenders. You have a scary bunch in Eugene! Some basic Liberty notes to get your started since you popped in looking for info:

Liberty is a young school (founded in 1971) with about 15k on campus, but they have big athletic goals and punch well above their weight in funding and facilities. They have two alum on active NFL rosters: Malik Willis (QB-TEN) and Demario Douglas (WR-NE). They transitioned to FBS as an independent in 2018 and hired Hugh Freeze for the 2019 season, who went 34-16 (signature wins over Arkansas, BYU, VT) and landed the Flames in the 17-20 range of the AP poll a handful of times before leaving for Auburn this past offseason. Jamey Chadwell took over this year facing a move from Indy to CUSA and some challenges; the entire previous staff departed along with about 50% of the roster, including some starters who are now seeing significant playing time at P5 programs.

The offense carried the team this year, putting up 515 yards/40+ points per game and leading the country with 303 rushing yards per game. It's a spread-option scheme with some unique triple option elements and some RPO. They lean heavily on a beefy, talented offensive line (led by future NFL-er X'Zauvea Gadlin) and a mix of athletes (dive backs, like human bowling ball Quinton Cooley and Billy Lucas) and speed backs/slot guys (Aaron Bedgood, Vaughn Blue) in the backfield. Kaidon Salter (QB) is a Top-50, dual-threat recruit who transferred from Tennessee his freshman year after some off-field issues. He saw intermittent time last year in a bizarre QB carousel, but something clicked with the new staff and he's put up some video game highlights and a top 5 QBR. His favorite target (and roommate) is CJ Daniels (WR, 47 REC for 988 Yards at 21 yards a pop). Liberty is near the top of the country in yards per pass attempt; they want to put LBs in conflict and aren't afraid to take shots when they hesitate or overcommit to the run.

The Liberty defense lost a ton of experience through the portal in the offseason and came into the year as the more significant question mark. They've had bright moments, but struggle to generate much pressure. They don't blitz much, but are pretty multiple and have been opportunistic in generating turnovers. Brylan Green (Safety) leads the team with 5 INTs, and the DBs (Singleton, Hodge) have been pleasant surprises despite being bit undersized.

Safe to say, Oregon is a significant step up in competition. LU ended up with a statistically weak SoS this year (and the next several) after they had to ditch 8ish games a year from now-'26 to facilitate the move from Indy to a conference; most of the P5 matchups vanished. Looking forward to this game!

[Kricket]

This is an example of what practically every Oregon fan on their board sounds like:

https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2023/1 ... utType=amp

They’re a good team, but the fan base is a bit haughty. We won’t struggle for motivation in this game. In some ways it’s nice to be the underdog again. This team hasn’t really experienced that all year.

[Purple Haize]

This is an example of what practically every Oregon fan on their board sounds like:

https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2023/1 ... utType=amp

They’re a good team, but the fan base is a bit haughty. We won’t struggle for motivation in this game. In some ways it’s nice to be the underdog again. This team hasn’t really experienced that all year.

You’d think they would be happy to play LU. They get an easy win and an opportunity to showcase their NFL talent. Not sure why they are complaining

[Kricket]

This is an example of what practically every Oregon fan on their board sounds like:

https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2023/1 ... utType=amp

They’re a good team, but the fan base is a bit haughty. We won’t struggle for motivation in this game. In some ways it’s nice to be the underdog again. This team hasn’t really experienced that all year.

You’d think they would be happy to play LU. They get an easy win and an opportunity to showcase their NFL talent. Not sure why they are complaining

I get that they went from thinking they were going to the CFP to playing nobodies like us. I just don’t think their fan base has handled it with any level of class.

At the same time hopefully their team overlooks us and we can knock them off.

[Ill flame]

This is an example of what practically every Oregon fan on their board sounds like:

https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2023/1 ... utType=amp

They’re a good team, but the fan base is a bit haughty. We won’t struggle for motivation in this game. In some ways it’s nice to be the underdog again. This team hasn’t really experienced that all year.

I assumed this was from their student paper or something considering the quality and lack of professionalism in the writing. I was surprised to look up the author and see it was a grown man with a mustache and everything that writes for a living. Oh well I guess it's one of those situations where if they don't laugh they're gonna cry about not making the CFP. I'm hoping before too long the complaining will be from people being tired of seeing us in the CFP so frequently.

[Cider Jim]

Even #4 ranked Alabama played an FCS school toward the end of the year, and they clobbered the UT-Chattanooga Mocs from the Southern Conference. LU had an all FBS schedule.

[prototype]

Thanks for adding me to the forum. I am A 30+ year Duck fan looking forward to this game and choosing here to communicate versus the crazy Reddit forums.

I am looking forward to a good game. My son played for Montana State while they went to the FCS National Championship, so I have seen both sides of the big school/smaller school side.

A couple points, Bo Nix was planning on playing from the beginning, it was really a mis-quote that was out of context. He said he was excited for the bowl game and looking forward to finding out what bowl and against who, but said off hand I don't know, that he was processing what had just happened. Watching the video puts it in context, the media just wanted to make a story. His brother and several of the other NFL bound ducks are playing as well per the Coach but they will announce it themselves. I imagine virtually all will play given the team camaraderie.

Oregons best attributes are it's run defense and it's offensive play. Stylistically this match up seems to really go in Oregons favor. The major weakness is against elite wide receivers versus the injured secondary.

Oregon is directly behind Liberty in Turnover margin with Liberty having many more interceptions, but also many moire fumbles. Oregon gives very few turnovers, in particular interceptions with only 2 thrown by Bo and the 3rd bouncing off a receiver. This will be key if Oregon can cause fumbles and turnovers while keeping interceptions from happening.

Oregon rush defense is 11th in the country allowing fewer than 100 yards while liberty is 21st and giving up 111 yards per game. Liberty is rushing for 300 per game and currently oregon is under 200 per game, but the first 2/3 of the season Oregon was around top 10 in rushing yards and yards with a 50/50 offense before relying heavily on the passing lately. It will 100% come down to the ratio of stopping the run while imposing each teams run game.

Keys For Oregon - Stop the run including quarterback keepers. Dominate the line, offense and defensively. Get to the quarterback for pressure and sacks. Win turnover battle and cause fumbles.

Keys for Liberty - Sure tackle on short passes. Pass plays must stretch the defense and keep the secondary honest. If the passing plays are not successful, the defense will blitz all night. Dominate the line on both sides, especially on offense while running at will. If Oregon cannot stop the Liberty run, it will be a tight game and Liberty will control the clock and keep Oregons scoring opportunities to a minimum.

I am hoping for some fun discussions and to learn more about the Liberty program. Ultimately hoping for a competitive game with no injuries for any of the kids. There is some disappointment on the Ducks fanbase end that the Ducks didn't get a "more competitively ranked" matchup that could drive more eyes and attention, but ultimately they didn't win the big game so it is what it is.

welcome Brad!!! Thx for joining the discussion. We definitely have our work cut out for us, but love that we are playing you guys.

[JK37]

Even #4 ranked Alabama played an FCS school toward the end of the year, and they clobbered the UT-Chattanooga Mocs from the Southern Conference. LU had an all FBS schedule.

Do FCS games even factor against SOS?

[RowdyBrad]

Even #4 ranked Alabama played an FCS school toward the end of the year, and they clobbered the UT-Chattanooga Mocs from the Southern Conference. LU had an all FBS schedule.

Do FCS games even factor against SOS?

SEC is the worst regarding this. They only play 8 conference games now, meaning it is automatically 1 less loss per team in conference. Add in that most of the SEC schools will not play another top school in a home and home situation, but instead opt for a late season bye week and an FCS school. Most will have 1 FCS school at minimum and 2 FBS teams in the lowest levels possible.

There are rare exception like Georgia steeping up last year to whoop the Ducks, but usually it will be a Home game or Neutral site.

I believe SOS and FPI take in to account only FBS. So it may help their SOS if they play 5 harder teams and 3 FCS, because they drop the FCS and the average strength goes up.

Oregonlive is just the online Oregonian newspaper. It is in Portland and has nothing to do with Eugene or the Ducks. BUT, lots of newer Duck fans are asshats. They have never felt the sting of not getting 6 wins or reaching a bowl game, or the thrill of actually cracking the top 25. Oregon has only been an "elite" program since 2007 or so with a big upswing since 1998 to 2003. So young people have only known winning and that brings a lot of bandwagon folks and loudmouths with no real vested interest in the team.

For perspective, these newer fans call for people to get fired if the Ducks fail to reach the national championship with 11+ wins on the season. It's insane. For the most part Duck fans, especially older or long time fans, are relatively humble and friendly. This bowl selection just rubbed some the wrong way not so much that your team didn't deserve a bowl, but because they think the Ducks were penalized for playing the #2 team twice and should have had a better (more even or higher ranked) matchup.