Let me be the first to wish you happy College Football Season. Lots of quack to get to today.
- We've seen plenty of UNM game previews from the UO perspective, but here's a look at one player on New Mexico's defense who should make quite an impact for the Lobos this season. Linebacker Carmen Messina patterns his game after his boyhood role model, Brian Urlacher.
- Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune expects it will be Oregon's defense that shines during Saturday's opener. His prediction: Oregon 45, New Mexico 13.
- ESPN's Ted Miller posted his Pac-10 predictions for week one. Mild surprises, perhaps, in his picks of a Washington win at BYU and Oregon State in an upset over no. 6 TCU. I think he gets at least one of those wrong.
- Rob Moseley writes that after an impressive championship run in 2009, the Ducks now become everyone's target in the Pac-10. Repeating as conference champs is no easy task, and Moseley gets some perspective from two of the handful of coaches who achieved it, for UO coach Mike Bellotti and legendary UW coach Don James.
- At the same time, Moseley suggests that much of the luster was lost from the 2009 title given the Rose Bowl loss and offseason issues. Those may have heightened the Ducks' resolve and made them tough to unseat as champions.
- Yesterday on the Dan Patrick radio show, Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt admitted that former Duck Jeremiah Masoli was going to be his starting QB. That was until the NCAA made a controversial decision to deny Masoli's eligibility to play for the Rebels this season. Still, Nutt is optimistic that Ole Miss is going to win its appeal tomorrow.
- It was a milestone win for the no. 18 Ducks volleyball squad last night, as Jim Moore got win number 100 as Oregon's coach. Last night's victim was Florida Gulf Coast in three games 25-18, 25-17, 25-14.
There should be plenty more to discuss today as we fritter away the moments until Saturday. Please share any good stuff you find on the world wide webs. Go Ducks!