So, there was a lot of talk a year ago about Urban Meyer to USC - given the new AD relationship with Meyer and their desperate need to be elite that talk made some sense.

A year later USC is 4-0, recruiting well and all seems copacetic... but the word is that the AD is waiting for a stumble -- but the plan is not currently Meyer they will target but another coach with whom the AD also had a strong relationship - Luke Fickell.

The timing is going to suck for SC because I think Fickell will get a lot of interest from some schools. Keep an eye on what he does this off season...

Sounds like some news is coming from him soon but not sure exactly what he will be saying at this point. We'll see.

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It’s on front page of Oregonian sports

Jonathan Flowe just posted a commit tweet, but has it back down at the moment

EUGENE, Ore. – The University of Oregon men’s basketball team announced the addition of a nonconference game against San Francisco to the 2020-21 schedule.

Oregon (4-1, 1-0 Pac-12) will host the Dons Thursday at 5 p.m. at Matthew Knight Arena in a game that will be televised by Pac-12 Network.

USF (5-3) claimed one of the biggest upsets of the 2020-21 college season when they knocked off then-No. 4 Virginia 61-60 Nov. 27 at the Bubbleville event in Uncasville, Conn. In its last game, USF lost at the buzzer at California on Sunday, 72-70. The Ducks are 8-2 all-time versus San Francisco. The last meeting was a 100-82 Oregon win on Nov. 24, 2013.

I wrote a paper on this engagement for a military history class at West Point. One of the turning points of the war in this theater of operations.

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We met up with Coach last night to go over the class. This one was pretty short vs. usual for LOI day, this one about 16 minutes.

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Oregon Class of 2021 signee list

Anti-NCAA decisions will be reviewed.

The court does not typically take a case to affirm the lower court, but it happens.

Thought I would put this here.

• #21

At the moment, the insiders at Auburn would tell you that the leader is Billy Napier - and he would be a fantastic hire for them. Mario's current Buyout is $8 mil and if the reports of a new contract are true, I expect that buyout to go over $10mil.

The biggest issue right now that Oregon has to deal with - and yet an issue over which Oregon has absolutely zero control - is the conference. Right now the Pac-12 is looking very bad nationally. Will Mario go to Auburn? That remains to be seen. I know that there is interest and his contract salary is actually insulting. I know that bonuses make up a lot, but when your base salary is just $2 mil, that is extremely low.

We will see. I hear Auburn wants to move quickly and they have already spoken to agents. I also know that there are meetings going on today to discuss the future. Auburn is not going to wait long for responses from top candidates and they would not have fired Malzahn if they were not reasonably sure that they had one of their top two targets locked in. The question is, which order does the AUBURN AD have? I hear Napier is their #1 guy, but that could be wrong.

Will recruiting become an auction?

This is just a rumor but it's from Kentucky people in the know. Apparently UK is planning to offer Moorhead their OC job. I got a call from some UK beat writers yesterday and told them I didn't think there was any way he would take a lateral after one season. But who knows, that is the word on their street.

An injury and apparently is good to go tomorrow night.

Right here:

The Oregon women’s basketball team continued its impressive start to the 2020-21 season on Sunday afternoon with a dominant 79-59 win over No. 15 Oregon State in Gill Coliseum.

The No. 8 Ducks improved to 5-0 overall for the third straight year and 3-0 to open conference play with the program’s biggest win over the Beavers since a 20-point victory on Feb. 6, 2010.

The win is Oregon’s 24th straight dating back to last season, extending the program record and the nation’s longest active winning streak.

“I thought defensively we were really on point tonight and I thought our kids did a heck of a job,” said head coach Kelly Graves. “This was a really good victory. The Beavers don’t lose like this very often here at home.

“I’m really, really pleased. My first couple of years here we had some ugly outcomes, and this was sweet. My staff did an awesome job getting us prepared tonight and I thought we were ready mentally as well as physically.”

How it Happened: Junior Taylor Mikesell got off to a fast start in her first career game against the Beavers, going 4-of-6 from three-point range in the first quarter to score 12 of Oregon’s first 21 points. Freshman Te-Hina Paopao answered an OSU bucket with a pull-up jumper late in the period to make it 18-11, and Mikesell got the shooter’s bounce on a triple as time expired to give the Ducks a 10-point advantage.

Oregon State (3-2, 1-2 Pac-12) took a timeout quickly in the second quarter after a three by Jaz Shelley made it 24-11. The Beavers cut the deficit to 10 with less than five minutes before halftime, but a pair of three-pointers by Paopao and another by Mikesell pushed Oregon’s lead to 38-22. Paopao hit her third triple of the half to make it a 19-point lead, and she converted a lay-in off a Taylor Chavez steal in the final seconds of the period to send the Ducks into the locker room with a 45-24 lead.

The Ducks finished the first half on a 13-2 run while holding Oregon State without a field goal for the final four minutes of the second quarter.

“I was really proud of the first two-and-a-half quarters especially,” said Graves. “That first half we really came out offensively, defensively and on the boards and we did a lot of really, really good things.”

Mikesell and Taylor Chavez combined for nine points early in the third quarter to extend Oregon’s lead to 26, and a turnaround jumper by Sedona Prince – back after missing last Sunday’s game with an injury – made it a 29-point game with 3:30 left in the period. Oregon State cut the deficit to 24 points before Paopao beat the buzzer on a contested jumper.

Paopao and Mikesell scored Oregon’s first three baskets of the fourth quarter before Graves gave his bench some extended time on the floor. Oregon State got within 18 points before a lay-in by Angela Dugalic pushed the Ducks’ lead back to at least 20 for good.

Who Stood Out: Paopao and Mikesell continued to impress early in their Oregon careers, with Paopao scoring a career-best 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. Mikesell went 5-of-8 from deep and 8-of-12 overall for 21 points, while Chavez and Nyara Sabally finished with eight points apiece. Six different Ducks dished out at least three assists – including six by Chavez to match a career-high – as Oregon assisted on 25 of its 31 total field goals, and the Ducks finished an impressive 12-of-24 from three-point range.

“I think we showed a little bit of our versatility,” said Graves. “We were able to do a little bit inside when we wanted to and obviously we shot it well. I keep saying this, but this is probably one of the best shooting teams – if not the best shooting team – that I’ve ever had.”

What it Means: Oregon’s returners and coaches stressed all week to the team’s newcomers the importance of starting fast and maintaining a high level of energy in the first of two rivalry showdowns with OSU, and it was clear that message was received from the opening tip. Led by Paopao and Mikesell, the new-look Ducks cruised to victory in their first top-25 matchup of the season while holding their third straight opponent to less than 60 points to kick off conference play.

Notable: Oregon won its 21st straight conference game and 11th straight road game, both the third-longest active streaks in the nation … The Ducks beat OSU in back-to-back games in Corvallis for the first time since 2007 … At least 10 different Ducks scored for the fifth straight game to open the season, while 12 players grabbed at least one rebound.

Up Next: The Ducks will head up to Seattle next weekend to face Washington on Saturday before going to Pullman to play Washington State on Monday, December 21.

When does Scalley begin to get looks as a head coach or given his tenure at Utah and the fact he played there, is he the heir to the HC job when Whittingham finally steps down? Scalley’s done a great job with their defense and has been their recruiting coordinator for a number of years now. I kinda like Utah’s tenacity that they show when they play.

What is the story with Dollar... thought he would see some PT this year. Since Verdell seems to be hurt (?) why not though him out there also?

So, there is a lot to cover, but here is the synopsis:

Mario: Oregon working very hard to keep him. There are some conflicting reports, some inside the complex are worried, but those are lower level people who don't have the knowledge of Mullens and upper brass. It could get interesting if Auburn offers stupid money.

Joe Moorhead: I just don't see him taking a lateral move. Should Mario move on, Joe will get an interview and I think if he leaves, it is because Cristobal left - and he probably goes to Auburn in that scenario. In other words, I sincerely doubt he is the OC at Kentucky next season.

Aaron Feld: Unfortunately, I think the odds of his departure are significantly higher than the others. He has a relationship with Shane Beamer and I think he either goes to South Carolina or if Mario leaves, he follows along. In other words, I think from everything I hear he will be leaving Oregon this offseason.

Good news: I also mentioned that there could be some good news. I think Jonathan Flowe taes the spot vacated by the departure of Burkhalter. He had some work to do to make qualification standards. I do not expect him to sign this week due to the initial counter rules, but I expect he will commit and sign in February.