I hope everyone had a great holiday. After a long break, it's time to focus on the Rose Bowl. There are a ton of links out there, so lets get to it.
- The Register Guard had a 20 page preview of the Rose Bowl over the weekend. Most of the pieces can be found here. I didn't get to read them all, but they should keep you busy for a few hours.
- Looking at the matchups for this game, I really think it's gonna come down to the play of the Oregon defense, and it sounds like Nick Aliotti is ready. Aliotti has taken more criticism than he deserves, but he's proved all the doubters wrong this season, with a defense that is (according to good metrics) tops in the Pac-10, and this defense is the real reason the Ducks are headed to the Rose Bowl. Moseley has a few more notes on how the Ducks are preparing for Pryor and the OSU run defense.
- Rob Moseley also has a piece on the recruiting year that laid the groundwork for this season, the 2007 recruiting class. It was one of the best in Oregon history with DJ Davis, Jeff Maehl, Will Tukuafu, and many others.
- George Schroeder has a column on Chip Kelly, Urban Meyer, and coaching college football. While Meyer will be coming back, his health problems could happen to any coach, due to the stress and speed of the job. However, most coaches can't slow down, Kelly included.
- Schroeder also had a piece on Mike Bellotti, and how he was the bridge between the Rose Bowls. That's a bit unfair, he did win an outright Pac-10 title in 2001. But Bellotti stepped down when everything was there for the taking. That doesn't happen often in college football.
- If you're gonna be down in Pasadena for the Rose Bowl, here's a list of fan events.
- Lastly, in a little non-Rose Bowl news, the men's basketball team plays their last non-conference game tonight against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Yes, they're a real school. They have not won a game this season.
That's all for now, as always, leave any other links or comments below. After the jump are a few videos of the Ducks and their visit to Disneyland.
Chip Kelly Disneyland Interview
Jeremiah Masoli Disneyland Interview
Day 1 Highlights
Rose Bowl Ceremony