Finally, we're on the backside of I Hate Washington Week. Just 48 hours from now many of us will be heading over to Autzen for our pre-game rituals. If you haven't kicked a dog yet, it's time to man up and give a pooch the boot. And because most of you enjoy discussing beer, I'll share this... Went for sushi last night with a buddy from out of town. We ask the waitress for a couple bottles of Ninkasi. She returns with the most appropriately named beer ever for IHW Week...and it's my new favorite brew: Total Domination IPA. A good omen.
- Bud Withers didn't always work in Seattle, and today he's posted a fantastic perspective on Oregon's long, and sometimes laughable, rise to the top of college football. He's exactly right...the football world is spellbound by Oregon, and they don't know the half of it.
- Withers' colleague Bob Candotta knows most of his readers don't want to hear about Oregon right now, but the job has to be done. Bob scouts the no. 1 ranked Ducks with Ken Goe from The Oregonian.
- A little tidbit from ESPN - Oregon will reach an interesting milestone if they score 50 or more Saturday. If?
- UW's Keith Price is getting his first start under the most difficult of circumstances. We know this about Price: he hasn't played much, he smiles a lot, he keeps a football in his bed, and he's been to Autzen before on a recruiting visit.
- Oregon's conditioning is starting to become legendary. Gary Horowitz of the Statesman Journal digs in to find out how that happened.
- Rob Moseley with more on Kenjon Barner's return to full speed at practice.
- The latest recruit tracker is up. The Ducks are hosting eight recruits for the UW game Saturday, so perhaps we're due for some more commitments. For excellent UO recruiting insights, I recommend you follow @Prehmmr on Twitter.
- A little hoops news... Oregon's women put on a hyper-speed display of their own last night, beating Willamette 121-41 in Mac Court. The Willamette men's and women's teams were both scheduled for games in Eugene as a way to commemorate the venue's storied history and the transition to Matthew Knight Arena.
Okay, time to go find a picture of Ryan Appleby. You can do your part by sharing any fresh quack in the comments today. Go Ducks!