As a public service, I called Gerry DiNardo this week. The former Notre Dame player and college head coach at LSU and Indiana has a wealth of knowledge. He’s a fascinating guy with a terrific story. His insight as an analyst on the Big Ten Network is rich and thoughtful.
DiNardo kept saying “Or-AH-GAHN” on TV this week when he was talking about the Oregon vs. Penn State football game.
Readers reached out to me, hoping I might gently guide DiNardo’s pronunciation. I remember the late basketball coach Rick Majerus struggling and calling it “Or-UH-GONE” while we were talking once. It’s tricky for some outsiders.
I tried, but Majerus never did quite get it. Whenever I saw him at a game, he’d see me and say, “Or-UH-GONE,” and then he’d look at me with hopeful eyes, and say, “How did I do?”
I’d say, “Perfect.”
I long believed it was my fault.
Stress on the first syllable. Middle vowel sounds softened. No rhyming with “GONE.”
The state’s name is phonetically presented as “ORE-uh-g’n” or “ORY-gun” all over the place. But I think that’s too technical and complicated. DiNardo’s a coach himself, so I tried to simplify it.
“Or-Gun,” I said to him.
“Or-AH-GAHN,” he shot back.
We needed to get rid of the hard “AH” in the middle of his pronunciation and take the emphasis off the final syllable. Not sure if I helped — we’ll see over time — but I told DiNardo to remember, “You’re not playing a piano, you’re playing an… organ.”
“Ohhhhhh, I can do that,” he said. “It’s going to be weird, but I’ve got it — Oregon.”
It was so perfect, I wish Majerus had been there to hear it.
I picked 13 college football games this week. I was 4-6 against the spread last week and 7-3 picking games, straight up.
2025 record vs. the spread: 23-20 (.535)
Overall record picking games, straight up: 28-15 (.651)
My Week 5 picks, thoughts, and predictions…