I am not a buyer of UCLA, or Dorian T-R. He is a 5th year qb, he should be this good and an all-time record holder at UCLA. Separately, other than the disastrous Bowl game last year, Coach Smith has had the Beavers playing hard to the end, no matter the score, for several seasons. Good on him. Wayne Tinkle needs to observe and learn. Dave M
Finally, some respect for the BEST team in the PAC 12 John-UCLA! As coach Willingham said, they are athletic, fast and good length! Not only do they have the BEST QB and RB maybe in the nation but also have great receivers and a very talented offensive line. I also agree with you John that the D is the best in Chips era so will see in two weeks if they can win at Autzen playing a very good Oregon team.
UCLA D is NOT real strong. Even in their euphric wins (UW) they got torched when they should have been wrapping the game up. Surrendered over 200 yards passing on 80+% completions in the second half alone. Dont bet your house on that D.
Nonsense Stooges. It doesn’t sound like you actually watched the Washington game. If you had you would have seen that UCLA went into a shell prevent defense designed to just run down the clock and then the game. That’s exactly what happened. Chip is a genius and doesn’t care about points or spreads. He just wants to win the game
I watched that game and that's not what I saw. UW basically controlled the game starting midway through the 3d quarter and Chip knew it.
I'm glad UCLA won for a variety of reasons and I think they are a very good team, but they struggled down the stretch against what is frankly a mediocre UW team (with all of their injuries).
The Utah win was an excellent win against a very good team but Chip's defense was not the reason. 500 yards defense in that one.
In fact, in UCLA's first 4 games, against very very weak teams, UCLA gave up 1100 yards total. In the last 2 games, they've given up 910, which is near the bottom of the Conference.
UCLA has come a LONG way and this current run of theirs is impressive. They deserve to be listed/ranked as the best team in the league right now. They beat a hot Utah team and an even hotter (at the time) Washington team. But they did won those games at home in a less than half full stadium. They need to go on the road and prove that they can do it in a hostile (see full stadium) environment.
They have 1 quality win (Utah), and it's at home. Their first 4 games were home against FCS and G5 teams and on the road against one of the worst P5 teams in the country. UW is looking weaker and weaker with 0 quality wins. They've done what they need to, but really don't know much about them yet.
No. 6 - Luck? That is twice this season so far that the Beavs have pulled out a win in the final seconds, both on the road. The first was Fresno State with the extremely ballsy call to go for the TD with the Hammer with no time left rather than the easy FG to tie. The second, was the pass to Harrison who looks great when he is focused on catching the ball and not looking downfield too quick. These are both games that prior OSU teams lose. This is a monumental shift in direction for the program, which no doubt now has confidence. Now to just upgrade the average team talent and get a few 4s and maybe a 5 or two on the team, per UCLA or Washington. The Portal is the fast way to do that, just like Erickson made liberal use of JC transfers in 2000.
I have commented elsewhere that Chance has had a good run since taking over for Gebbia against Oregon and scoring the winning TD on a sneak. But he has always seem limited to me. He is not big and strong enough to run a lot, even though he is relatively quick. His arm is good, but not great. He tends to get a little panicky under pressure (I would too with 300 lb guys trying to hit me) and he is in his last year. Gulbranson looked great once he got over the "first start shakes". Those two 4th quarter passes were NFL worthy. He dropped the one to Bolden on a dime, over a double team. The Harrison TD was a bit underthrown, but still a beaut, again, against a double team. He gave his guy a chance. As a 35 year Vikings fan, it brought back memories of the miracle catch by Stefon Diggs to beat New Orleans. It was that d--n good. Gulbranson, a redshirt freshman, is the future. He needs to start. Whatever experience he gives up to Nolan, he gains back in raw athleticism
Agreed....the Beavers played well enough to beat the Trojans, but didn't. I thought careless QB play was a big part of the loss, two picks in the 4th quarter and 4 overall. This is Chance's Achilles Heal. He tends to throw it up for grabs when pressured. The final Trojan TD was a result of a bit of panic in the Beavers secondary. They lost contact with receivers, did not play with discipline. They should have won, but lost. Not luck. When the Beavs play to their full potential and do not make mistakes, they win. They just don't have much margin for error in the Pac 12 given their limited (3 star) talent.
You hit it on the head, Brian. No doubt that Chance has come a long way from his very first game and his maturity has helped OSU get to this point. BUT......that throw from Gulbranson in the corner of the end zone, in only his first full game of action, was absolutely beautiful!! I've heard that he is very accurate on his throws. In my opinion since they're playing WSU, I start Gulbranson over Chance--mainly because Gulbranson is healthy!
All I know is that I cannot stop watching that last play and crying and yelling, and I am not who one would call a Beav fan. That is football. I love it!
Maybe it just me, but pull back just two of those early interceptions and half of the dropped passes and things may look very different W-L wise. But that's water under the bridge. If it was a lucky play, so be it! How many times have the Beavs been on the other side of the luck? I'm embracing the wins and looking forward with hope.
With the Beavers new scoreboard and the stadium completion next year they can now start every game with Mike Parker's call on the last second touchdown in the Stanford game for the next 25 yrs..."Touchdown Beaversssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
UCLA strong defensively? Really? I guess its the PAC. There might be zero above average defenses in this conference. UW torched UCLA in the second half of their bad game with UCLA. uins are certainly good and I understand ANYTHING happening in LA is a really big deal for any media types. but UCLA like Oregon and others have some pretty shakey performances on their resume's. But they are and LA school
Utah has been overrated all year. Tough team, but the offense has been lacking. Rising is not nearly the QB the media made him out to be. Look for another USC win.
I agree with you assessment on Utah, but I think USC is also MUCH more vulnerable than is thought by said media. This is a toss up game. Only thing that would surprise me is if one team blows the other off the field. I personally think the 2 best teams in the PAC are enjoying a bye week.
Yeah, they have a ceiling with their talent, in spite of good development, particularly at the skill positions on offense. And Ludwig's play calling still trends toward pedestrian. Even their defense doesn't seem to be what it used to be. Not sure if that coincides with Scalley being promoted or not.
Sticking it to UW and Utah in successive weeks is impressive to me though
It's fortunate we don't have to wait super long to get a real answer.
If they go into Autzen and win, they are the clear #1 in the P12 this year.
If Oregon wins that, I think we probably see USC and Oregon in Vegas ... I think.. By then we'll know who won USC at Utah also though.
Utah still has a path here, especially if they get help from Oregon (beating UCLA) since they go to Autzen and mostly control their own destiny to Vegas for the time being still.
Fun race down the stretch
Meanwhile, my Huskies need a defense. Any defense. It's painful to watch that side of their team right now... I was in person in Tempe and it was just ... ugh..meh..bleh..
The statistic that impressed me in the Oregon game was the low number of penalty yards assessed against the Ducks. I believe Lanning and staff are going to do great things with the program.
I for one can't wait to see USC@ Utah, then UCLA @ Oregon.
This should give you a good idea of who will be playing for the league title.
John, give us your way too early predictions on who will play the pac title game!!
How about Texas on Saturday! Wow!
I saw it, but I am not a believer in Texas. I need to see more.
Exactly how I feel about USC. Haha.
Them too!!
That said, if any of the top PAC teams win out, I think they should be in the CFP.
I am not a buyer of UCLA, or Dorian T-R. He is a 5th year qb, he should be this good and an all-time record holder at UCLA. Separately, other than the disastrous Bowl game last year, Coach Smith has had the Beavers playing hard to the end, no matter the score, for several seasons. Good on him. Wayne Tinkle needs to observe and learn. Dave M
Doubt the Bruins at your own peril
If the Bruins hand it to the ducks, are you buying?
Yes sir
Finally, some respect for the BEST team in the PAC 12 John-UCLA! As coach Willingham said, they are athletic, fast and good length! Not only do they have the BEST QB and RB maybe in the nation but also have great receivers and a very talented offensive line. I also agree with you John that the D is the best in Chips era so will see in two weeks if they can win at Autzen playing a very good Oregon team.
UCLA D is NOT real strong. Even in their euphric wins (UW) they got torched when they should have been wrapping the game up. Surrendered over 200 yards passing on 80+% completions in the second half alone. Dont bet your house on that D.
Nonsense Stooges. It doesn’t sound like you actually watched the Washington game. If you had you would have seen that UCLA went into a shell prevent defense designed to just run down the clock and then the game. That’s exactly what happened. Chip is a genius and doesn’t care about points or spreads. He just wants to win the game
I watched that game and that's not what I saw. UW basically controlled the game starting midway through the 3d quarter and Chip knew it.
I'm glad UCLA won for a variety of reasons and I think they are a very good team, but they struggled down the stretch against what is frankly a mediocre UW team (with all of their injuries).
The Utah win was an excellent win against a very good team but Chip's defense was not the reason. 500 yards defense in that one.
In fact, in UCLA's first 4 games, against very very weak teams, UCLA gave up 1100 yards total. In the last 2 games, they've given up 910, which is near the bottom of the Conference.
UCLA has come a LONG way and this current run of theirs is impressive. They deserve to be listed/ranked as the best team in the league right now. They beat a hot Utah team and an even hotter (at the time) Washington team. But they did won those games at home in a less than half full stadium. They need to go on the road and prove that they can do it in a hostile (see full stadium) environment.
They have 1 quality win (Utah), and it's at home. Their first 4 games were home against FCS and G5 teams and on the road against one of the worst P5 teams in the country. UW is looking weaker and weaker with 0 quality wins. They've done what they need to, but really don't know much about them yet.
I'm just saying UCLA would have lost to South Alabama and Utah last year. (at least)
No. 6 - Luck? That is twice this season so far that the Beavs have pulled out a win in the final seconds, both on the road. The first was Fresno State with the extremely ballsy call to go for the TD with the Hammer with no time left rather than the easy FG to tie. The second, was the pass to Harrison who looks great when he is focused on catching the ball and not looking downfield too quick. These are both games that prior OSU teams lose. This is a monumental shift in direction for the program, which no doubt now has confidence. Now to just upgrade the average team talent and get a few 4s and maybe a 5 or two on the team, per UCLA or Washington. The Portal is the fast way to do that, just like Erickson made liberal use of JC transfers in 2000.
I have commented elsewhere that Chance has had a good run since taking over for Gebbia against Oregon and scoring the winning TD on a sneak. But he has always seem limited to me. He is not big and strong enough to run a lot, even though he is relatively quick. His arm is good, but not great. He tends to get a little panicky under pressure (I would too with 300 lb guys trying to hit me) and he is in his last year. Gulbranson looked great once he got over the "first start shakes". Those two 4th quarter passes were NFL worthy. He dropped the one to Bolden on a dime, over a double team. The Harrison TD was a bit underthrown, but still a beaut, again, against a double team. He gave his guy a chance. As a 35 year Vikings fan, it brought back memories of the miracle catch by Stefon Diggs to beat New Orleans. It was that d--n good. Gulbranson, a redshirt freshman, is the future. He needs to start. Whatever experience he gives up to Nolan, he gains back in raw athleticism
USC loss was ... bad luck? Or they just got beat. I think you make your own luck.
Agreed....the Beavers played well enough to beat the Trojans, but didn't. I thought careless QB play was a big part of the loss, two picks in the 4th quarter and 4 overall. This is Chance's Achilles Heal. He tends to throw it up for grabs when pressured. The final Trojan TD was a result of a bit of panic in the Beavers secondary. They lost contact with receivers, did not play with discipline. They should have won, but lost. Not luck. When the Beavs play to their full potential and do not make mistakes, they win. They just don't have much margin for error in the Pac 12 given their limited (3 star) talent.
You hit it on the head, Brian. No doubt that Chance has come a long way from his very first game and his maturity has helped OSU get to this point. BUT......that throw from Gulbranson in the corner of the end zone, in only his first full game of action, was absolutely beautiful!! I've heard that he is very accurate on his throws. In my opinion since they're playing WSU, I start Gulbranson over Chance--mainly because Gulbranson is healthy!
GO BEAVS!!!!
I think Arizona is the better football job. They always manage to come out on top.
All I know is that I cannot stop watching that last play and crying and yelling, and I am not who one would call a Beav fan. That is football. I love it!
Colorado is a graveyard for coaches, take the Arizona State job.
Maybe it just me, but pull back just two of those early interceptions and half of the dropped passes and things may look very different W-L wise. But that's water under the bridge. If it was a lucky play, so be it! How many times have the Beavs been on the other side of the luck? I'm embracing the wins and looking forward with hope.
My bodacious, outrageous, audacious and ostentatious way-too-early selections for the college football playoff:
1. Ohio State
2. Georgia
3. Oklahoma State
4. UCLA
If all of those teams win out, UCLA should be above OK State.
Canzano deleted my comment. He is so childish that he won't allow comments from anyone who doesn't pay his ransom.
With the Beavers new scoreboard and the stadium completion next year they can now start every game with Mike Parker's call on the last second touchdown in the Stanford game for the next 25 yrs..."Touchdown Beaversssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
UCLA strong defensively? Really? I guess its the PAC. There might be zero above average defenses in this conference. UW torched UCLA in the second half of their bad game with UCLA. uins are certainly good and I understand ANYTHING happening in LA is a really big deal for any media types. but UCLA like Oregon and others have some pretty shakey performances on their resume's. But they are and LA school
Utah has been overrated all year. Tough team, but the offense has been lacking. Rising is not nearly the QB the media made him out to be. Look for another USC win.
I agree with you assessment on Utah, but I think USC is also MUCH more vulnerable than is thought by said media. This is a toss up game. Only thing that would surprise me is if one team blows the other off the field. I personally think the 2 best teams in the PAC are enjoying a bye week.
Yeah, they have a ceiling with their talent, in spite of good development, particularly at the skill positions on offense. And Ludwig's play calling still trends toward pedestrian. Even their defense doesn't seem to be what it used to be. Not sure if that coincides with Scalley being promoted or not.
My bold prediction is Oregon beats UCLA in Autzen
...and then Chip gets revenge in a rematch in Vegas
I'm not sure what to think about UCLA
Sticking it to UW and Utah in successive weeks is impressive to me though
It's fortunate we don't have to wait super long to get a real answer.
If they go into Autzen and win, they are the clear #1 in the P12 this year.
If Oregon wins that, I think we probably see USC and Oregon in Vegas ... I think.. By then we'll know who won USC at Utah also though.
Utah still has a path here, especially if they get help from Oregon (beating UCLA) since they go to Autzen and mostly control their own destiny to Vegas for the time being still.
Fun race down the stretch
Meanwhile, my Huskies need a defense. Any defense. It's painful to watch that side of their team right now... I was in person in Tempe and it was just ... ugh..meh..bleh..
The statistic that impressed me in the Oregon game was the low number of penalty yards assessed against the Ducks. I believe Lanning and staff are going to do great things with the program.
Glad to help!