Opening Statement

“Good evening, appreciate you guys waiting around. Certainly not the result we wanted. We felt good coming in, had a good week of practice and preparation. We had a really big goal trying to win our third (Pac-12 Championship) in a row but credit to them they earned the victory tonight. We found ourselves in third down situations and couldn’t convert them. And certainly the big turnover early with the interception for a touchdown, and we couldn’t capitalize on turnovers that we forced on them. We got down there and had a field goal miss and then went three-and-out after the other turnover.”

On reports of his future…

“I don’t know what you mean when you say someone’s offered (a job). I haven’t talked to anybody. Let’s not create narratives. As we sit here in this press conference, Oregon is working on some stuff for me and that’s what I have right now. That’s the extent of the conversation.”

On uncertainty surrounding his future…

“I would say if there’s something to report, I will report it. I always have. Over the years, because certain things are put out there or not. Every year our entire staff, whether behind the scenes, whether public or not, we’ve always had different people come for our people, including myself, and how the media treats it and how they choose to posture it, I have no control. As I just mentioned, that’s the extent of it.”

On if players were distracted by rumors…

“I don’t know what to tell you. I can tell you this, if I had any plans, if I had a decision to make or if I had something to report I would and I wouldn’t keep it one way or the other. OK? Do I expected people to come at me? Yeah, I do. It happens every single year. Is there anything else to report besides that? There’s nothing else to report besides that. When there ever is, if there ever is, I’ll make sure to get it to you as fast as I can.”

On if he would listen to another job offer…

“I’m not going to get into hypotheticals. We just finished off and we played and coached very poorly and I think you understand I have a job to do. I feel like we’re going in circles with the same answers. You’re going to get the same response.”

On if he thought about changing quarterbacks…

“We're playing well as an offense. We went in there thinking a certain game plan would give us the best chance and that's what we went with. So we stuck with that decision.”

Since we seemed to be stuck in the same nightmare last night, I will just link the original Fifth Quarter because it was virtually identical.

Fifth Quarter 2021: Utah

I guess I'm not the neutral journalist I am supposed to be. But for me that game was completely dispiriting. I don't even want to think about the game yet. But I just got a big batch of photos so I have to process them.

Two games, same result. Utah just better in every phase this year. We gotta lot of work to do.

Here we go people. Game kicks off in about 40 minutes. Huge implications. It's great the Ducks have themselves in position to go to the Rose Bowl but must Win the Day today!

Oklahoma coaching search: Mario Cristobal, Josh Heupel, Brent Venables top candidates to replace Lincoln Riley​

The Sooners were thrown into a whirlwind Sunday and now must scramble to replace their star coach​

[IMG alt=" Dennis Dodd
"]https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/r/2016/05/04/d660dee6-a5b1-45fd-bd82-775ee7744f42/thumbnail/80x80/07db7edab5f38b67ba448e6ea9e02755/dennisdodd.png[/IMG]

By Dennis Dodd

1 hr ago4 min read




USATSI
Oklahoma is going to be fine. Don't take my word for it. Tell it to a freaking out Sooner Nation. Lincoln Riley bolted on Sunday, leaving one of the jewel coaching jobs in the country for another in USC.
That's why OU athletic director Joe Castiglione is likely going to have a talented group of finalists compiled by Sunday night. Joe C is great to work for and OU is great to work at. The first order of business is to hire someone who can jump in and re-recruit quarterback Caleb Williams while completing the 2022 recruiting class.
That would suggest someone young and accomplished, preferably a sitting head coach.
Here are the best fits for the Sooners, which went from College Football Playoff contenders to top-two job in the coaching carousel in a span of less than 24 hours.

Josh Heupel, Tennessee coach: Knoxville would melt down if Heupel pulled a Lane Kiffin and left after one season, but Heupel is still beloved in Norman, having quarterbacked the last Oklahoma national championship team in 2000. He cut his coaching teeth as the Sooners' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach helping develop Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford. However, Heupel was eventually fired by Bob Stoops in 2014 and replaced by Riley. There is believed to be some bad blood stemming from that move, and given Stoops is serving as interim coach, that could be a hiccup. That firing set Heupel on his course to UCF where he succeeded before eventually making it to the SEC and suddenly becoming a hot commodity again. The Volunteers went 4-4 in SEC play this year, but all of their losses were to teams ranked at the time of kickoff.
Brent Venables, Clemson defensive coordinator: You've read Venables' name in this space before, but this might be the one job that could spurn veteran away from Clemson despite him previously turning down interest from several schools. Venables was Stoops' defensive coordinator from 1999 to 2011 and also has a championship ring from the 2000 season. He is only 50. With Clemson "slipping" to 9-3 this season, it might be time for Venables to bounce.
Mario Cristobal, Oregon coach: You have to call the Pac-12's best coach whose trajectory is pointing way up. Cristobal's name already has surfaced at Florida and LSU. He had the Ducks in the playoff hunt for most of the season and still owns one of the most significant wins of 2021 (at Ohio State). Cristobal recruits like a madman and is responsible for taking some big-time talent out of Southern California. A third consecutive Pac-12 title is possible this week.

Joe Moorhead, Oregon offensive coordinator: After you call Moorhead's boss, you call him. Dealing with injuries, Moorhead helped keep the Ducks offense upright. Oklahoma likes to go fast and score points. That's what made Moorhead famous. His record at Mississippi State (14-12) wasn't sterling, but that job never appeared to be a comfortable fit.
Dave Aranda, Baylor coach: Aranda is supposed to sign an extension at some point soon after Saturday's Big 12 Championship Game. But does Riley's departure change the math for a Big 12 Coach of the Year candidate?
Mark Stoops, Kentucky coach: Bob's brother makes sense. What Mark has accomplished in the brutal SEC is admirable (58-53 in nine seasons). Mark has a defensive sensibility like his brother. It would be interesting to see what kind of offensive players he could bring with OU transitioning to the SEC.

Luke Fickell, Cincinnati coach: Another call you've got to make if you're Castiglione. Fickell has the Bearcats one win away from a CFP berth. He is more of a developmental coach, which might hinder him on the recruiting trail, but how do you not contact the favorite to become the national coach of the year? There's talk that Fickell is planning to stay at Cincinnati, but as a midwest guy, Oklahoma may be more attractive as an option than USC ever would have been.
Matt Campbell, Iowa State coach: Who knows how much Campbell was involved at USC? You have to think Campbell might be motivated to leave after the best team he's had at Iowa State has gone 7-5 to date. One question: Could Campbell keep those big-time West Coast quarterbacks at home?
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss coach: Look, everything is on the table. Kiffin left Tennessee after one year. Why not leave Ole Miss after two? Kiffin coached and recruited in Southern California, so he could potentially retain some of the recruits that Riley might swipe. Bonus: Lane would be staying in the SEC. Eventually.

Wake Forest Independence Bowl, WSU 2003

And now, the 2021 Pac 12 Championship Game.

But none of those other Oregon teams was as heartless as this one.

This is 2 years in a row with Mario’s players where there isn’t consistent good OL play. I realize there are several other issues but thought OL would be a strength with Mario’s background and recruiting

With Riley coming in....does MC try to pick up Williams and add him to his staff again?

It would help the Ducks and hurt USC (if Riley wants to keep him).

Don't know how he would fit in with the current staff but the guy can recruit.

Good lord… a lot of folks I know havin a full blowin meltdown about MC and the Miami deal… I just don’t see it.. go there and be gone in 3 yrs.. stay here and win..and win…etc

Going to Auburn...

Others are talking and acting in absolutes on both sides of this as if they have talked directly to Cristobal and he has told them anything concrete. So here is what I know:

- Anyone in media (or other fan sites) who insinuates that Mario Cristobal or his family has told them directly anything about his future plans is being disingenuous. It just did not happen. What they speak of are generalities that we all know such as:
- The family absolutely loves Oregon and the atmosphere. Eugene is a fairly quiet, college town and great place to raise a family.
- Mario obviously is also from Miami and went to college there. He has great memories of growing up and playing there. Most of his family are still there (he has a brother who is a police officer in the area and clearly his mom still lives there).
- Neither of these things are proof of a decision either way.
- Miami has not fired Manny Diaz
- Miami does not have an athletic director in place.
- There has yet to be discussion of a contract and I don't believe anything would be said until Saturday.

There are some impediments to taking the Miami job if it were to be open:

- Their facilities and support system are pathetic and are going to take a LONG time to get up to where Oregon is at the moment
- Mario has shown time and time again that his own compensation is not his main concern. So not only would Miami have to offer him a buttload of money, they would have to add a lot of money to the assistant coaching pool
- Boosters control the roost down there and that is NOT something that is appealing. People can talk trash about Phil Knight from the outside all they want, but the elite boosters at Oregon do NOT get involved in the football part of the gig. They let coaches coach.

What to think about:

- Don't get too worked up about no extension being signed yet; the extension/new contract has been in the works for quite some time. The market has changed and I imagine that a deal structure has also likely changed.
- I saw some ridiculous comment that Phil Knight would just 'recognize Miami is his home and let him go' Uh, no. First of all, that's not how this works at all. Technically, boosters cannot dictate how much a coach makes. Do they do it? Absolutely. So if anyone thinks the Duck athletic department let's Cristobal walk for some nonsense nostalgic reasoning, they are just not very smart. Business is business and Knight will do what it takes to keep Oregon near the top.
- If Miami does fire Diaz this weekend, that might not be a great sign for Oregon retaining Cristobal. They would be absolutely insane to do so this late in the cycle without someone already in place.
- I can guarantee you Oregon will do everything within their power to keep Mario Cristobal at Oregon
- The Ducks are FAR closer to being a national champion than Miami. The Hurricanes had a good stretch of football, but have been a disaster for over a decade. Even with Florida and Florida State in down cycles, they have struggled to get elite talent and coach it up. This matters to someone like Mario as Miami is a major major rebuild in both talent and culture.

We make our predictions here:

Oregon got blown out a couple of weeks ago in Salt Lake City as we all know. But the thing is, no two games will play out the same between two teams that should be fairly equal. I am going to go with Anthony Brown the Good showing up this time. I was looking at the drive charts and it was just a few plays that stopped some critical drives for the Ducks. Those can be corrected and the whole game is different.

So here goes. Oregon wins and goes on to the Rose Bowl. The final score

Oregon 33 - Utah 30

The coaching changes in the PAC 12 are likely to create even more intense competition in a conference known for eating it's own. Isn't it about time for the PAC 12 to goes to an eight game schedule like the the SEC and others? It seems like the PAC 12 is simply putting itself behind the eight ball year after year because we actually have more parity than some of the other conferences.

Lots of highly ranked players still in play.

Oregon is losing a great one… in more ways than one. Our bench is deep, but this is a big loss.

Login to view embedded media

Login to view embedded media

During his latest interview when asked about Akron...and he replied with the patented “Coach Talk”...
He said all his thoughts and energy’s were directed at helping this team win its next game...on “Saturday”🤣👍😜
Now I totally get that it certainly happens...but my first thought is he’s got Sat on his mind...which of course is his announcement of becoming the next HC @ Akron!🤔😉😜

AB was the best player on the field yesterday! Can’t argue with facts….. Was he perfect….nope, but very good!
Most of us have gone on and on about his lack of a deep ball or his off target throws but man give the dude is due. He was a stud yesterday!!

Perhaps the biggest signee in this year’s freshman class, South African Mine De Klerk is unable to fly to the US due to the Omicron variant quarantine banning flights from South Africa. Mine is a shot put /discuss international junior’s star. She has won a U20 ( teenager) World Championship this year as an 18 year old. Mine did not enroll in the fall, but planned to arrive in time for winter term and the indoor track season. As far as I know she is healthy and safe in South Africa. I imagine that they’ll save a spot for her on the team LOL!