Auburn 22, Oregon 19

If you thought this game (which had an over/under of 75) would feature 41 total points, a game winning field goal, 2 goal line stops, and the same number of turnovers as touchdowns, you should consider quitting your day job and betting sports for a living. This game wasn't the shootout predicted by the experts, but it was just as exciting.

And the big difference was Auburn's defense. Their line was able to come up with some huge plays, like a safety, like a goal-line stand, like pressure that resulted in an interception, and so on.

I think Auburn's rigorous SEC schedule prepared them for such a tight contest. In that league, especially in their division, you have to be able to win tough games against good opponents. Repeatedly.

Oregon averaged a 30.9 point margin of victory this season. Auburn averaged an 18.2 margin, which was inflated by a few blowout wins. The Tigers played 5 games decided by 7 points or less. Oregon played in 1 such game. That might make Oregon sound better, but in hindsight, it makes Auburn seem more capable of winning close games. At the very least, they came in with more experience in them.

It's not that Oregon choked in this close game, just that Auburn didn't play with anxiety in that last drive.

This is the 5th straight BCS title for the SEC, and their 7th overall. Don't forget, Auburn went 13-0 in 2004 and were excluded from the BCS title game, so it's almost like #8 for the SEC.

It was a great end to another interesting and thrilling season. Auburn's schedule was full of instant classics, and they deserve their Championship. There were a few loose ends, with an undefeated TCU team floating around. "Power conferences" like the Big East and ACC downright sucked this season. And radical realignment of all conferences seems to be on the horizon.

Ultimately, I'm happy that the stupid, jersey changing team from Eugene has one set of apparel they'll probably never don again.

This guy must feel like an idiot.



Although he's probably felt like an idiot before.

-The Commodore

Oregon vs. Auburn Preview

So after all these shitty bowls we finally get to the one that matter. There is no argument that these are the two best teams, and there is also no doubt that the scoreboard is going to light up tonight.

The over/under of this game is sitting right around 75 points. Let me repeat that, the over/under is 75!!!! That's crazy, and should make for a hell of a show tonight. Both these teams like to run a very fast paced offense, and after such a long layoff the difference could be whoever shakes off the rust faster.

We can't talk about this game without talking about the best player in college football... Cam Newton. Newton has rushed for 1,409 yards and 20 touchdowns but was just as good with his arm, finishing as the nation's top-rated passer with 28 TDs and six interceptions.

I believe that Oregon has the better all around team in my opinion. Darron
Thomas has had a hell of a year at QB with 28 TDs and only 7 INTs, and they have the best running back in the country in LaMichael James, who has 1682 yards rushing with 21 TDs.

Most of the time I pick the team with the best player. In this game that would be Cam Newton, but Auburn has had to comeback in a lot of games this year, and if they let Oregon come out to an early lead I could see them running away from Auburn.

Ducks win 38-27
Player of the Game: LaMichael James
Game starts at 8:30pm on ESPN

Jeremiah Masoli Dismissed From Oregon

Today Oregon dismissed Jeremiah Masoli from the football team to end a tumultuous offseason run for the Ducks. The former Heisman hopeful was already serving a season-long suspension for his involvement in a fraternity-house burglary. He'd blown it, and promised to do better. And while carrying that fragile opportunity, Masoli was cited by police this week for possession of marijuana, driving with a suspended license, and failure to stop at a driveway or sidewalk. What a fucking idiot. It was already very nice of Oregon for suspending him a year for breaking into a fraternity house and robbing everyone, but for him not to take the situation seriously really is stupid.

Chip Kelly and Oregon has a giant uphill battle to go through, but the first thing they need to take care of is their tarnished identity.

Izzo To Oregon?

When I read this I got so mad I nearly had to leave work. Well, that doesn't take a lot, but still this is complete bullshit.

There are some reports saying that Oregon is going to throw all the money it can at Izzo to get him to leave Michigan St. Sorry, not gonna happen. This guy is a God at MSU. He puts this team in the Final 4 every year. He might just be the best coach in college basketball, so there is 0% chance that the Michigan St. is going to just let him walk.

I fucking hate stories like this, because you know their isn't a shed of truth to them. So, if you see this story on your TV, just change the station, because trust me it ain't happening.

Go STATE.

Oregon Is The Cincy of Football

Well if people have been following the Oregon offseason pretty much everyone has been arrested and kicked off the team. This is a trend they didn't need after LaGarrett Blount decided he was going to beat up everyone on the field.

Incident after incident
The Ducks seemed to rally around first-year head coach Chip Kelly after Blount's highly publicized punch and subsequent suspension that caused him to sit out 10 games. LaMichael James filled in for Blount, earning the title of Pacific-10 Conference offensive freshman of the year, and he and Jeremiah Masoli led Oregon to a 10-3 record.

The postseason trouble began Jan. 24, when members of a Eugene fraternity filed a police report accusing Masoli and wide receiver Garrett Embry of stealing two laptop computers and a guitar from their house. Embry has since been kicked off the team, and his father on Wednesday declined to comment.

On the night of the alleged theft, Oregon kickers Rob Beard and Mike Bowlin were injured in an apparently unrelated brawl. Beard later was charged with assaulting a woman. Defensive end Matt Simms was charged with assault in an alleged Jan. 30 retaliation.

The bad news didn't end there. James was arrested and spent two nights in jail on charges including strangulation, stemming from an alleged altercation Feb. 15 with a woman who said she was his girlfriend.

Four days later Kelly held a news conference to declare the incidents unacceptable, and events turned from troubling to absurd. About 14 hours later, linebacker Kiko Alonso was cited for DUII.

Shortly afterward receiver Jamere Holland posted a message on his Facebook page blasting Kelly for kicking Alonso off the team. Kelly hadn't actually cut Alonso, just suspended him for the 2010 season. But the coach announced that for his latest act of disobedience, Holland was history. Bowlin withdrew from the program and Simms was kicked off the team.

Meanwhile, James was required to wear an electronic-monitoring bracelet and stay away from his alleged victim, meaning he couldn't attend class. He will enter a plea agreement Friday that includes a batterer's intervention program and other punishment, according to a law-enforcement source, which could help him preserve his academic eligibility. More

Jesus Christ! This sounds like the worst people of all time huh? I didn't think Oregon was like that but what the fuck. The most ridiculous thing about all of this is that all of these players are extremely important. Masoli did great things for Oregon last year in helping them go a surprising 10-3. And James had a great year filling in for Blount, but it looks like Chip Kelly has his work cut out for him. If I were him, I would accept having a dirty program and ignore all of this.

Oregon Coach Gives Fan Money Back

This is one of the better stories I have read in awhile...

The story starts in Boise, Idaho, where on Sept. 3, Oregon lost its season opener to Boise State -- and star running back LeGarrette Blount lost his temper and responded to an apparent taunt from Boise State's Byron Hout with a punch. The 19-8 loss was disappointing for Oregon, which started the season with BCS bowl aspirations. The punch and Blount's behavior afterward, in which he had to be restrained from approaching fans in the stands, led the team to suspend him for the season. Seminary, an Oregon alumnus from the Portland area, attended the game in Boise. According to the Web site everydayshouldbesaturday.com, he was so unhappy with what he saw, he sent Ducks coach Chip Kelly an e-mail, with an attached invoice for $439 in travel expenses.

"The product on the field Thursday night is not something I was at all proud of, and I feel as though I'm entitled to my money back for the trip," he wrote, according to the Web site. According to the Web site, Kelly replied to Seminary's e-mail with a question: "What is your address?"

Sure enough, a check for $439, apparently signed by Kelly, arrived in Seminary's mailbox, according to the Web site. Seminary was so impressed by the gesture, he returned the check to Kelly with a thank-you note, rather than cashing it.

"As a sales guy, it's really hard to shut me up," Seminary said, according to the Web site. "When I received that check, I was literally speechless (ESPN)."

This if fucking awesome by Oregon's coach. He knew they sucked, and he was embarrassed, so he took responsibility (not that I think he had to), then to make the story better the guy sends the check back. So now I am thinking I should send this guy an email and ask for the 50 bucks DP and I lost on that game...

Oregon Suspends Blount for Season

The Oregon Ducks suspended LeGarrette Blount for the remainder of the '09 season (and any bowl games), for punching Boise State's Byron Hout after Oregon's 19-8 loss Thursday night. Blount rushed for 1,002 yards and 17 TDs in 2008, but the Ducks acted quickly to discipline him, probably trying to beat the NCAA to the punch (pun intended).

I gotta give credit to Oregon. They do a lot to market their team nationally (See: billboards of Joey Harrington in Times Square, and the endless parade of alternate jerseys/helmets), and this incident was a nasty black eye for their program. It came on a Thursday night, giving SportsCenter and sports radio an entire day to talk about it, leading up to the opening weekend of college football action.

But Oregon nipped this in the bud. They didn't hesitate, and didn't worry about losing production.

-The Commodore