I agree about Sark having a lot to learn, but I would give him time to do so. Obviously Helfrich did not learn a thing in his second season at Oregon. Let's see what Sark can do. There can be no question that his team will have some great players on it. Can he get them to produce? If so, they will be dominant for years to come. If not, he will be out of a job within three years.
Ohio State was just a better team up front. I could tell in the first 10 minutes who was going to win that game. OSU was controlling the line of scrimmage. Meyer has done a great job at recruiting and especially coaching the big uglies for the short amount of time that he's been at OSU. They looked much faster and sharper off their blocks than they did earlier in the season against Virginia Tech.
What I have to say is this. You are NOT a graduate of USC. Don't hand me any caca about following Sark for his entire career. You are also a coward. You look for excuses to disappear when Oregon goes into it's usual year end tail spin. You claim that you are too busy to post, but we all know that this is not true. I am going to call you out when I think I have a wager that will simply destroy you. You will never take the wager, because that is the way you operate. One last thing. I have forgotten more about sports wagering than you will ever know. I can afford a loss that would put you financially on the streets. If you know so much and wager so well, how come you are still a slave to your job? Now enough about personalities. You are upset because I correctly predicted Oregon's demise two years ago. You bragged about how great the Oregon team was, and how they would win a title. I told you that Oregon did not have that little extra needed to do so. Last season I really thought that Oregon could go all the way, and said so. I was wrong. But I did learn something about Oregon. They simply do not have what it takes to win a NC. They do not have the attitude of a champion. Obviously Ohio State and Urban Meyer did.
Now as far as Sark goes, I will give him two years to end up in the playoffs for the NC. If he fails to do that with the talent he has, then it is time for him to go. USC has more talent than any other Pac 12 team including Oregon (who will lose at least two games this season), but must learn how to win on a weekly basis, something they did not do last season. Sark said it was because of the restricted roster he had. Well he does not have that problem this season. It will just get better for him next season. Let's see how it goes before we start running our mouth about who is and is not a good HC. If USC does not get to the playoffs in the next two seasons, you will see me leading the call for a new HC. Why you will not do the same at Oregon, which obviously will never win a NC with Helfrich, is beyond me. What is he going to do now that most, if not all of Chip Kelly's recruits are gone?
Mack, I've been saying it in here for years. The NC is made for the elite, which is reserved for only about 10 schools in the country give or take. Nothing should be taken away from teams for not being able to win a national championship. For me and for most fans and coaches, conference titles come first. That's what butters the bread and keeps coaches their jobs and brings in the fans. The one thing I do like about the Final Four is at least the possibility that the non-traditional power schools have a better chance of getting there than they had before. But 8 teams would still be better...
I believe that I mentioned at one time that the Duck OL had used 10 different starters by year's end. Consequently, there were too many guys in Mariota's
face too often. No time for him to do all of his checkdowms with his receivers that were originally down a notch or two on the depth chart. Mariota was still
able to hit some of his receivers in pretty tight coverage and a RS freshman dropped an easy catch way downfield probably because he was a freshman. Not
the best day for good things to happen when the walking wounded numbers start to mount up.
Stanford in the news:
Early Commit: TE Kaden Smith to Stanford
It has been expected for a few months that Stanford would win out for the nation's No. 2-ranked tight end, Kaden Smith. On Saturday, that is exactly what happened when David Shaw and staff picked up a second ESPN Junior 300 verbal following the late March commitment of quarterback K.J. Costello.
Significance of impact: This is a big win for Stanford. Not only is Smith the top tight end target on the board, but he also hails from the state of Texas, where the Cardinal have pulled key players in recent years. Smith and Costello set the table for a significant offensive class for Shaw and staff.
What he brings: The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Smith has an ideal frame and exceptional ball skills for the tight end position. The No. 50-ranked prospect overall possesses terrific feel for the position, especially as a route runner and when timing to catch the ball at its highest point. A physical player, Smith plays through contact and snatches the ball out of the air with defenders draped on him. Though Smith is a very good stalk blocker (downfield blocking of defensive backs), he needs to continue to develop as an in-line blocker, which will be key as he works to become a complete player.
Strength of commitment: Rock solid. Smith has been thorough in the process. He made a unofficial visits to Stanford, Alabama, Texas A&M and even Texas to ensure he was ready to make a commitment to the university farthest from home. On those unofficial visits, the 2016 Under Armour All-America Game selection sat down with coaches and spent time in the locker rooms with the current players in the programs to assess his overall fit.
Percent chance of the commit holding: 99 percent
Biggest threat: Alabama. The Crimson Tide have to be mentioned as Nick Saban isn’t likely to give up without a fight. With that said, the only thing that could affect Smith’s recruitment is a coaching change in Palo Alto.
For those who fell short, who is next on their board? For Alabama, the top two tight ends on the board have gone elsewhere in Smith and Florida State verbal Isaac Nauata. Look for No. 134 Cary Angeline and No. 290 Nick Eubanks to be in the next group of tight ends that the Crimson Tide turns up the heat on.
Early Commit: TE Kaden Smith to Stanford
It has been expected for a few months that Stanford would win out for the nation's No. 2-ranked tight end, Kaden Smith. On Saturday, that is exactly what happened when David Shaw and staff picked up a second ESPN Junior 300 verbal following the late March commitment of quarterback K.J. Costello.
Significance of impact: This is a big win for Stanford. Not only is Smith the top tight end target on the board, but he also hails from the state of Texas, where the Cardinal have pulled key players in recent years. Smith and Costello set the table for a significant offensive class for Shaw and staff.
What he brings: The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Smith has an ideal frame and exceptional ball skills for the tight end position. The No. 50-ranked prospect overall possesses terrific feel for the position, especially as a route runner and when timing to catch the ball at its highest point. A physical player, Smith plays through contact and snatches the ball out of the air with defenders draped on him. Though Smith is a very good stalk blocker (downfield blocking of defensive backs), he needs to continue to develop as an in-line blocker, which will be key as he works to become a complete player.
Strength of commitment: Rock solid. Smith has been thorough in the process. He made a unofficial visits to Stanford, Alabama, Texas A&M and even Texas to ensure he was ready to make a commitment to the university farthest from home. On those unofficial visits, the 2016 Under Armour All-America Game selection sat down with coaches and spent time in the locker rooms with the current players in the programs to assess his overall fit.
Percent chance of the commit holding: 99 percent
Biggest threat: Alabama. The Crimson Tide have to be mentioned as Nick Saban isn’t likely to give up without a fight. With that said, the only thing that could affect Smith’s recruitment is a coaching change in Palo Alto.
For those who fell short, who is next on their board? For Alabama, the top two tight ends on the board have gone elsewhere in Smith and Florida State verbal Isaac Nauata. Look for No. 134 Cary Angeline and No. 290 Nick Eubanks to be in the next group of tight ends that the Crimson Tide turns up the heat on.
Bottom line for all of you Oregon homers: Oregon has NEVER won a NC in football, and will NEVER win one. Period. End of statement. Oregon simply does not have what it takes mentally to do so. They do not have the swagger or the confidence in themselves. They think that football is just one big party. Mark my words, Oregon is NOT a NC caliber team.
As long as we are on the subject of Stanford, I'd like to add to the above recruiting report that every time I see some movement on their roster or future roster that involves a tight end, I have to take pause and recall what they were able to do with 3 good ones not very long ago and Andrew Luck running their offense. Their 3rd down efficiency was very high and their red zone offense was also very effective.
