Oregon vs Auburn National Championship Thread

[MFRDuckFan]

Off topic a bit but, can you guys imagine what Oregon could do for our reputation over the next two games? As well as the reputation of the PAC 10. Beat the best team in the sec this year for the natty. Then turn around and beat LSU next year.

That would go a long way to diminish the super SEC imo..

^ +1 ^

[dthomas=ddixon]

Off topic a bit but, can you guys imagine what Oregon could do for our reputation over the next two games? As well as the reputation of the PAC 10. Beat the best team in the sec this year for the natty. Then turn around and beat LSU next year.

That would go a long way to diminish the super SEC imo..

Never gonna happen. There would be a few honest analysts that would jump of the bandwagon but there's way too many ESPN puppets that just spout what corporate wants em to. The SEC is here to stay.

[Duck07]

Off topic a bit but, can you guys imagine what Oregon could do for our reputation over the next two games? As well as the reputation of the PAC 10. Beat the best team in the sec this year for the natty. Then turn around and beat LSU next year.

That would go a long way to rise the perception of the Pac 12 equal to the SEC imo..

Fixed

[AcctTiger]

A few things.

1. Stanford is better than anyone on Auburn's schedule. Auburn may have a deeper SOS but we've faced the best opponent.

2. Auburn has played only 4 road games this year, Oregon 6

3. Oregon's game at Tennessee was much tougher than any OOC game Auburn played and the Ducks won at Neyland by 35.

1. Stanford has a great team...I think LSU/Bama/Arkansas would all disagree with you.

2. We have play 5 road games this year...i dont think the BCS NC game being a "road" game will be a factor for either team.

3. I agree...any road game against an SEC opponent is tough...

Let's not cut corners now. You've played 4 road games and a neutral game.

As for Tennessee, obviously they were not a good opponent but it's never easy facing 100,000 fans on the road, especially when time zones and climate come into play.

Ok...4 road games and 1 "neutral" game....if road games indicate a more prepared team. Ill take our 6 wins against 5 top 25 teams.

Question for ya to compare. If you would have played Clemson, SC (first game), LSU or Georgia on the road, would you still have won. The Pac10 would have had to play AT LEAST one of those on the road, shich makes our schedule harder. You guys had 2 more games at home, and that is a big advantage. Had you played a split home and away schedule like we did, I believe you would have had at least one loss.

I agree it is a plus to play 8 games at home...specifically when 4 of those 8 are early and allow your team to develop and offensive identity. However, i disagree that you have a tougher schedule simply because you played more road games...if some of those games are not that tough...what does it matter where the game is played? I could argue we had a tougher schedule because we had to play in a conf championship game that we had nothing to gain from when you guys didnt...but im not...We had to go undefeated and win our conf. championship game to get to Glendale...there are pro's and con's of playing an SEC schedule...

We played 5 top teams and beat them 6 times...3 home, 2 away, 1 neutral. It is the quality of the opponents, not the quantity of road tests that prepare a team. The quality opponents we beat have prepared us to be successful in this game.

Since you asked...Ill play the "IF" game...IF we lost one of those games you indicated...it would have been to Clemson...simply because that game was early and we were just finding our identity as a team at that point. But i dont think we lose any of them particularly not the LSU or UGA games...

[SuperDuck]

A few things.

1. Stanford is better than anyone on Auburn's schedule. Auburn may have a deeper SOS but we've faced the best opponent.

2. Auburn has played only 4 road games this year, Oregon 6

3. Oregon's game at Tennessee was much tougher than any OOC game Auburn played and the Ducks won at Neyland by 35.

1. Stanford has a great team...I think LSU/Bama/Arkansas would all disagree with you.

2. We have play 5 road games this year...i dont think the BCS NC game being a "road" game will be a factor for either team.

3. I agree...any road game against an SEC opponent is tough...

Let's not cut corners now. You've played 4 road games and a neutral game.

As for Tennessee, obviously they were not a good opponent but it's never easy facing 100,000 fans on the road, especially when time zones and climate come into play.

Ok...4 road games and 1 "neutral" game....if road games indicate a more prepared team. Ill take our 6 wins against 5 top 25 teams.

Question for ya to compare. If you would have played Clemson, SC (first game), LSU or Georgia on the road, would you still have won. The Pac10 would have had to play AT LEAST one of those on the road, shich makes our schedule harder. You guys had 2 more games at home, and that is a big advantage. Had you played a split home and away schedule like we did, I believe you would have had at least one loss.

I agree it is a plus to play 8 games at home...specifically when 4 of those 8 are early and allow your team to develop and offensive identity. However, i disagree that you have a tougher schedule simply because you played more road games...if some of those games are not that tough...what does it matter where the game is played? I could argue we had a tougher schedule because we had to play in a conf championship game that we had nothing to gain from when you guys didnt...but im not...We had to go undefeated and win our conf. championship game to get to Glendale...there are pro's and con's of playing an SEC schedule...

We played 6 top teams and beat them 7 times...4 home, 2 away, 1 neutral. It is the quality of the opponents, not the quantity of road tests that prepare a team. The quality opponents we beat have prepared us to be successful in this game.

Since you asked...Ill play the "IF" game...IF we lost one of those games you indicated...it would have been to Clemson...simply because that game was early and we were just finding our identity as a team at that point. But i dont think we lose any of them particularly not the LSU or UGA games...

I agree with you 100%. There's no doubt in my mind that Auburn had an overall tougher road to get here than Oregon did. Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, South Carolina (Twice), etc...Sheesh. However, some people may look at the Pac-10 as weak this year because there are only four Bowl teams and two ranked teams, but that would be an error in judgment, in my opinion. The reason I say that is because:

1. There were a few "good" teams that simply beat up on each other.

2. Arizona is actually a good team, but they just completely fell apart down the stretch.

3. USC is better than their record indicates, but, they too fell apart down the stretch. They got blown out at Oregon State, which was a complete fluke and then lost to Notre Dame after two receivers dropped passes that hit them right in the numbers, one for an obvious TD. They lost 2 other games, Stanford and Washington, on last second field goals. Their defense was awful, but they're a strong team offensively. They had no Bowl to play for and I think that affected them a lot more than they let on mentally. That and the fact that they're being led by a wimp (Kiffin).

4. Oregon State lost 2 tough games early to TCU and Boise State, both on the road. They also lost an OT game at Washington when they went for two and didn't get it. They lost one of their premier players, James Rodgers, midway through the season and that hurt them big time. They beat Louisville, a 6-6 Bowl team, but lost badly to lowly Washington State. That was a fluke. I don't know how else to describe it.

5. Arizona State was one of our toughest games of the year, but they were so inconsistent that they screwed themselves out of a Bowl. Three of their six losses were to Top-5 teams. They lost to us by 11, Stanford by 4 and at Wisconsin by 1, but then they turn around and get blown out by Cal on the road. Jeckyll and Hyde team. Outstanding defense!

I know that there've been some hard to explain games in the SEC this year too. Ol' Miss losing to Jacksonville State and Vanderbilt, Georgia losing at Colorado WITH A.J. Green, etc.

Anyway, as I said, there's no defending our schedule against yours. You guys had a tougher road, no doubt about it. I'm just saying to not underestimate the strength of the Pac-10 because some of those teams are better than their records indicate.

Fair enough?

[JTinKC]

I'm at this point not convinced with the idea that the SEC plays a tougher schedule just because of rankings and the fact they're in the SEC. At the beginning of the year the SEC is automatically crown king. For the most part they played teams that weren't that good this year. Alabama did schedule Peen St but they turned out to be horrible. When an SEC team loses to a preseason rnaked SEC opponent it doesn't have the same effect that it would if it was to an unranked one. How many SEC teams were ranked this at the beginning of the year? We had an example in the PAC 10 this year with Oregon St. Because they were losing to top quality opponents they were able to stick around the top 25. Also the PAC 10 is a brutal conference. Seems like any team is capable of beating another. If you look at who beat who there are only two clear cut top teams and everything else is a blur. Teams like Arizon St and Arizona who didn't turn out to be top notch teams were able to go out and compete well against highly ranked opponents. UCLA a PAC 10 bottom dweller was able to destroy Texas on the road. I just don't see the SEC dominace the same way as others because this year there's not enough evidence to show it. Yes Auburn didn't play more ranked opponents but were those ranking deserving? What does it tell you that LSU should have lost at home to a Tenn team that was destroyed by Oregon at home? I don't know but thats something to think about. Also think about how close Auburns games were compared to Oregon's. Yes we didn't play top ranked opponents but we destroyed almost all of them with our third strings getting a ton of playing time this year even against good teams. Just my thoughts on this idea.

[JTinKC]

Let me clarifiy * They played OOC teams that weren't that good.

[AcctTiger]

1. Stanford has a great team...I think LSU/Bama/Arkansas would all disagree with you.

2. We have play 5 road games this year...i dont think the BCS NC game being a "road" game will be a factor for either team.

3. I agree...any road game against an SEC opponent is tough...

Let's not cut corners now. You've played 4 road games and a neutral game.

As for Tennessee, obviously they were not a good opponent but it's never easy facing 100,000 fans on the road, especially when time zones and climate come into play.

Ok...4 road games and 1 "neutral" game....if road games indicate a more prepared team. Ill take our 6 wins against 5 top 25 teams.

Question for ya to compare. If you would have played Clemson, SC (first game), LSU or Georgia on the road, would you still have won. The Pac10 would have had to play AT LEAST one of those on the road, shich makes our schedule harder. You guys had 2 more games at home, and that is a big advantage. Had you played a split home and away schedule like we did, I believe you would have had at least one loss.

I agree it is a plus to play 8 games at home...specifically when 4 of those 8 are early and allow your team to develop and offensive identity. However, i disagree that you have a tougher schedule simply because you played more road games...if some of those games are not that tough...what does it matter where the game is played? I could argue we had a tougher schedule because we had to play in a conf championship game that we had nothing to gain from when you guys didnt...but im not...We had to go undefeated and win our conf. championship game to get to Glendale...there are pro's and con's of playing an SEC schedule...

We played 6 top teams and beat them 7 times...4 home, 2 away, 1 neutral. It is the quality of the opponents, not the quantity of road tests that prepare a team. The quality opponents we beat have prepared us to be successful in this game.

Since you asked...Ill play the "IF" game...IF we lost one of those games you indicated...it would have been to Clemson...simply because that game was early and we were just finding our identity as a team at that point. But i dont think we lose any of them particularly not the LSU or UGA games...

I agree with you 100%. There's no doubt in my mind that Auburn had an overall tougher road to get here than Oregon did. Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, South Carolina (Twice), etc...Sheesh. However, some people may look at the Pac-10 as weak this year because there are only four Bowl teams and two ranked teams, but that would be an error in judgment, in my opinion. The reason I say that is because:

1. There were a few "good" teams that simply beat up on each other.

2. Arizona is actually a good team, but they just completely fell apart down the stretch.

3. USC is better than their record indicates, but, they too fell apart down the stretch. They got blown out at Oregon State, which was a complete fluke and then lost to Notre Dame after two receivers dropped passes that hit them right in the numbers, one for an obvious TD. They lost 2 other games, Stanford and Washington, on last second field goals. Their defense was awful, but they're a strong team offensively. They had no Bowl to play for and I think that affected them a lot more than they let on mentally. That and the fact that they're being led by a wimp (Kiffin).

4. Oregon State lost 2 tough games early to TCU and Boise State, both on the road. They also lost an OT game at Washington when they went for two and didn't get it. They lost one of their premier players, James Rodgers, midway through the season and that hurt them big time. They beat Louisville, a 6-6 Bowl team, but lost badly to lowly Washington State. That was a fluke. I don't know how else to describe it.

5. Arizona State was one of our toughest games of the year, but they were so inconsistent that they screwed themselves out of a Bowl. Three of their six losses were to Top-5 teams. They lost to us by 11, Stanford by 4 and at Wisconsin by 1, but then they turn around and get blown out by Cal on the road. Jeckyll and Hyde team. Outstanding defense!

I know that there've been some hard to explain games in the SEC this year too. Ol' Miss losing to Jacksonville State and Vanderbilt, Georgia losing at Colorado WITH A.J. Green, etc.

Anyway, as I said, there's no defending our schedule against yours. You guys had a tougher road, no doubt about it. I'm just saying to not underestimate the strength of the Pac-10 because some of those teams are better than their records indicate.

Fair enough?

Not underestimating the Pac10 at all. There are good teams in the Pac10 and I know you guys will be a tough opponent...

I could make alot of the same arguements you made about teams such as Georgia/Florida/Kentucky...specifically the mention of teams beating each other up weekly...

My opinion (and everyones got one): The SEC is the strongest conference (this year) and we will benefit greatly from being tested weekly.

[NCDucks09]

Matt Brock on this morning's sports radio show 95.5 FM 'The Game', former UO DE and NFL DE, broke it down quite nicely. He said the mental psychology is that SEC players are just better football players, that there is something more intimidating and special about them than any other kind of football player, but that this is a MYTH! He said he remembered being in awe of SEC guys when he went to the senior bowl and such things, but that when you get on the field and play against them, it's just two men going at it in the trenches. Nothing special, he bleeds just like you bleed. Matt Brock didn't win any awards, but went on to have a great career in the NFL, but he says some Auburn offensive lineman was all 'everything', won a ton of awards, but never even played a snap on a NFL team. So basically, don't buy into the SEC propaganda machine. Oregon has a legit shot at winning this game, so does Auburn. It will be a great game.

Further, the guys who get paid to predict the outcome/result of the game and have millions of dollars at stake on betting odds have Oregon as an early, albeit small, favorites by 2.5 points over Auburn. The SEC propaganda machine who get paid to sell advertising and promotions in SEC country are the ones saying Auburn is super superior. You do the math, or should I say politics on this one.

[BisonDucks]

I really don't give a s*** about the SEC vs. Pac conversation. Football is about matchups and there are enough advantages for both teams that it's a pick'm.

[Destroyer77]

Did you guys know that the BCS boogieman exists ONLY because of arguments such as this last 4 page thread?

I'm relishing this underdog role! I think Oregon comes out using nuclear weapons, much like we did when we were gonna get "bulldozed" by Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl of 2001.... except this time we have even more of an arsenal!

[SuperDuck]

I haven't seen anything negative here except from one new guy. It's hard to tell which side he's on, honestly.

I think everyone is going to stand up for their team no matter what. I haven't seen anyone being unreasonable here.

I'll be glad when the practices start, though. That way they'll be reports coming out of each camp and there'll actually be something NEW to talk about.

It's all good, at least until a week before the game. Then I'll start trash talkin' a little.

[SahalieFallsClearLake]

which is pretty limited I admit. I'm at the University of Iowa and a UO alum (I bring up the 95 rose bowl because I watched it). Iowa had a real bad year, so I needed a break from the UI message boards. Our star receiver was arrested today for running a drug house (yuk).

I'm 100% for the Ducks and loathe the SEC. I'm trying to keep my expectations in check and I'm also hoping someone will explain why I should be even more confident. I didn't get to see the Cal game but my dad mentioned Cal's size giving Oregon trouble. Was he right? Why was the Cal game close?

Go Ducks (Puddles rules!)

[Tom22ndState]

Hello Duck fans,

I was directed to a video archive of the Ducks and I was curious if there was a particular game this season you believe best exemplifies your defensive line's quickness and pressure? Additionally I would enjoy a specific game in which your offense really gassed a defense by lateral running.

From what I've seen so far you have some scary fast backs. And the offense is a points making machine. You defense looks formidible as well, especially in the secondary. Well, thanks in advance for any thoughts. I look forward to a great, injury free game.

[UofO8]

Example 1: Watch the Tennessee game. Tennessee was definitely young and had not yet gelled, but the Ducks also did not have a good idea what game plan and formations Dooley was going to use. Once we figured it out it was good night prince.

Example 2: Oregon St, Stanford and USC are all pretty good examples of lateral running. The UCLA game is our best example of tempo, however.

All should be available on ESPN3 since they were all ABC/ESPN games.

I honestly think the UCLA game was our best this season. Pretty much executed to perfection that entire game.