Oregon Football's Biggest Games in 2024 Ducks Dish Podcast

[Music] what's going on everyone thanks so much for tuning in to another episode of the Ducks is podcast I'm your host Max tus with scoop duck on three coming at you live on a Wednesday August 14th 2024 there is plenty to talk about for another awesome episode Oregon football is in the air football is in the air and you can't ask for much more than that joining me on today's episode of the Pod is scoop duck owner and publisher Justin Hopkins jhop how we doing today uh so far so good it's it's bright and early but we always have something to talk about and I appreciate that absolutely yeah it it is bright and early um apologies for the last minute notice for the viewers but tried to get it out there as quick as I could uh you can always watch the the live stream replayed but we know that people love being here on the live stream so uh appreciate those of you that are here I'm sure more people will trickle in as we go on Justin's Twitter J Hopkins SD my Twitter at mtoris Sports and then of course right here on the scoop Duck YouTube channel so if you guys are here leave us a comment in the live chat and throw some questions our way ask some questions and we'll try to get to them as best we can but um yeah without further Ado Justin let's kind of dive into the Pod a little bit we're g to be starting off today's discussion maybe get some fall Camp notes later but Oregon's biggest games in 2024 I think that there's obviously a little extra layer of excitement with Oregon heading to the Big 10 conference in 2024 you got two by weeks uh but some more travel of course on the schedule um so where do you want to start this thing off yeah I mean I guess chronological order would be the way to go but yeah I mean um how exciting right like I'm just I'm sitting here and it's like okay and and the cool part is you know I I imagine other people can uh you know empathize with this but I've been talking to friends about games and which games we might go to and meeting up and and getting tickets and stuff like that so you know kind of a kind of a cool story is that um I'll be able to go to the Idaho game this year I haven't made many of the Season openers uh but what we're efforting to do and and hopefully some duck fans appreciate this uh my grandma my grandma not my kids Grandma my grandma is 90 years old and so uh she actually lived in Springfield for 30 plus years uh right downtown Springfield anyways she hasn't been to a game in we'll call it two decades because that's probably as close as it's been and so we're going to surprise her and take her to the Idaho game and you know this is an effort she can't walk super far she can still walk but I mean stairs and stuff like that aren't going to be easy so um the cool part is I've been working with Folks at the University of Oregon that you know obviously do this all the time and help folks uh you know with disabilities or have wheelchairs or whatever the case might be and so um you know they've got it set up where you know she can park in the handicap Park they'll come get her in a golf cart if she needs it take her on up to receipt um you know she's got one of the Ada seats so she can you know walk right in and she doesn't do any stairs or anything so um it'll be great she'll still be sore you know but and yes it's Idaho and they're going to beat the breaks off of them but you know it will be like you know you have to imagine your 90 you don't get out of the house as much um taking her anywhere is um I mean like she's still like with it and and all that and everything like that but is going to be obviously very tiring driving her up going to the game um but I know that it will you know she'll be you know earto ear grinning the whole time and and should have all my kids there um plus some of their girlfriends and stuff like that so um that's just kind of something special for me and uh I know that she will uh really appreciate that so I'm looking forward to that probably more than anything because more than likely this will be her you know last chance to go to a duck game uh in person and she she watches every week my grandma she texts me every week hey honey what what channel is the game on what time is the game on she'll text me usually every Thursday or Friday morning like hey what time's the game on which channel so she loves her ducks and she loves to watch so this would be big for her that'll be a really fun experience for you guys I'm glad you're going to be able to do that that reminds me a little bit of of my mom not my grandma my mom text me probably kind of same deal every week like oh what what channels game on when are they when are they playing uh trying to tune in and then of course before Oregon landed on the Big 10 Network it was always a major effort to just watch the game so we're sharing logins and trying to figure out all all that business so I think it's probably safe to say Justin you got an extra layer of excitement for that game but maybe not one of the biggest games on Oregon's schedule we were just talking about this the other day let's stay in the state of Idaho and talk about Boise State as the Broncos come to town to play the Ducks on September 7th in Jee and that's a game that I think a lot of people maybe are overlooking a little bit because in this era of conference realignment and the power two people are saying power four but let's be real it's power two Boise state is kind of one that's lost in the shuffle a little bit but they're consistently one of the best group of five teams and they have a a great coaching staff they're always really well coached and a little thing that makes it exciting they have a former fivestar quarterback that's probably going to be their starter in USC transfer Malachi Nelson I got to see him a bunch of times when he was in high school out here in SoCal at Los Alamitos I think that obviously you look at the history of Oregon in Boise State and I think that that makes this one a little bit more exciting I think they played last in the Las Vegas Bowl um a couple years ago when when Troy Dy was was still on the Ducks that's the the kind of the memory that jogs for me but um luckily for the Ducks they have that one at home because Boise State and and those fans they always show up on that blue field and create a great environment I think we expect orgon to get that one done but I think a a relatively formidable challenge for the ducks early on in the schedule yeah um I agree with you I'm glad that one's in Eugene um you know not that they couldn't win in Boise it's just gonna make it a lot easier uh to play in Eugene and a couple things I think you know you've got a new coach uh at Boise State uh Andy Avalos is obviously no longer there and what you have to remember okay you're you're Oregon you're the number three ranked team in the AP poll everybody knows you're supposed to be good you're G to be good you're loaded on both sides of the ball so guess what that means you're getting everyone's best shot every week okay Idaho's gonna gonna do the best they can to come up with some trickery probably in the first quarter of course the game will get away from them and that's that's that Boise State's probably talented enough to kind of hang in there like maybe the ball bounces their way maybe Oregon starts sluggish um you know maybe they kind of catch Oregon off guard um and maybe at the end of the day okay at the end of the day maybe that game is 40 to 27 right I don't know I'm just saying maybe it's 40 to 27 which isn't quite the shellacking everybody's predicting I see everybody saying you know 55 to three and so dud it's not gonna be like that it's not going to be like that the thing I'll say is this uh under no circumstances should Boise State win this game but I think they have a much better shot than a lot of people imagine at keeping it closer than you think and what I'll say about that is that's actually a great thing for Oregon right you'll win the game you'll move on whether you win by 30 or you win by 10 you win the game and 10 weeks later when they're doing you know the bowl games and all that stuff nobody's gonna remember that you beat Boise State by 10 or 15 points as Boise State will probably be a top 25 team or top 20 team at that point anyways what they'll remember is that you won the game you beat a top 20 25 opponent and the best part is Dan Lanning will go in the locker room after that game and be like boys wake your asses up we can't slip like that against really good teams and so if that's the early wakeup call that Oregon gets and still wins the game I'll take it and and to that point Justin I don't think that we're going to learn very much about this Oregon team week one versus Idaho but week two like you were saying you know there's probably going to be some plays really like oh dang that like Boise State just did that or oh my God like what what was Oregon thinking there they weren't lined up right or they had some sloppy penalties or just some boneheaded plays early season stuff but all of that to say Boise state is typically a pretty quality team so I think you'll have a better sense of where Oregon is really at at the end of the week two game against the Broncos versus that week one game against the the vandals so I think it'll be like you said a win for Oregon more than likely we don't need to kind of belabor that point but I think it'll be a very solid tuneup game it it won't be quite what Georgia was in 2022 to start off the Dan Landing era but then again not really much is so Boise state is is one that I think catches both of our eyes early on in the season we don't want to go through every game Justin because the title is the biggest games of the year um we obviously know that Ohio state is probably the next big one um that we're all going to be talking about Oregon State that's the Rivalry game you can never you know every anything goes in rivalry game right as the saying goes that one's in Coralis but uh the Rivalry game will be earlier on in the year instead of after after Thanksgiving so I don't know if you had any thoughts there before we kind of jump ahead to the potential Game of the Year with Ohio State any of those games between now and then no I I totally did I just look at the schedule there's there's a lot of tests they're all winnable tests but again we you know Idaho is going to be a scrimmage they're going to walk through it they're not going to know they're really not going to know who they are after for that game Boise State you're going to have a better feel for who you are as a team what if you're able to impose your will on both sides of the ball if you're suspect in the secondary all the questions that we might have Oregon State like I just said about Boise state is going to come in and give you their best shot they absolutely freaking hate Oregon right now for leaving for the Big 10 and leaving them you know almost to die a slow death right now which I feel bad saying because I do support the program I don't want to see Oregon State go away by any means I don't I don't but I mean they're in trouble and so you know that you're going to go to cor Valas and you're going to have a hostile crowd you're going to have a team that wants nothing more then to beat you possibly hurt you uh you know hurt some of your players not maliciously I just mean they're going to come with some int pun you in the mouth yeah punch you in the mouth that's a good way to say it um so and then you know you're gonna hit the road for your first Big 10 game and play UCLA new head coach you know chip Kelly's not there anymore yeah the cover pretty bare but now you're on the road yes you're on the road in Corvalis but that doesn't really count this is a real Road game when you go to La uh and play uccla to open conference play so just the way some of those things set up um you know every week becomes an important kind of a navigation if you will we know you got to win the games but you're also you know you might need some style points along the way at certain points yeah that's I like what you said about UCLA because I'm planning to go to that game that one's going to be kind of suit in my backyard Pasad is a little bit of a hike but anytime the ducks come down to SoCal you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to be there so really excited to cover that game for scoop duck in person uh in September but I'm I'm a little bit higher I think on UCLA than maybe some other folks are not in terms of this is going to be an awesome team in 2024 they're going to shock a lot of people but it really does feel like there's a new energy around that program obviously from a recruiting standpoint we know that Chip Kelly didn't really like to recruit and now seeing deshun Foster kind of take this approach of hey there's a lot of talent here in SoCal maybe I'm not going to be able to go up against the likes of Oregon and and Alabama or um even Texas A&M those are some of the big programs that have come into Southern California lately but I can kind of get I don't want to say they are scraps but some some quality players that are in my backyard UCLA is recruiting right now how USC should be recruiting as far as emphasizing that local talent because that's really I think what we saw Pete Carroll do in the Heyday of the USC years he really just kind of put that fence around USC and said around La rather we're getting the best guys here and they're not doing that necessarily but I love what we're seeing from DeShaun Foster and that staff they're really attacking the recruiting Trail and and I'm excited to see what they can do I'm not sure what their quarterback is necessarily going to look like that's obviously where this thing starts you got some talented options with Ethan garbers Justin Martin and then Chase Griffin who was actually on UCLA's team the last time they uh I think they played in in Oregon a couple years ago and and he kind of gave them a little bit not of a scare but he played some quality snaps for the for for the Bruins so I think UCLA is going to be an interesting test like you said UCLA is recruiting like Oregon did uh six seven eight years ago and what I mean by that is they went in and said okay look we won't beat out USC for the top guys we know that we might compete with one every now and then but our bre and butter is going to be really just soaking up those those guys in that you know 175 to to 300 ranking range kind of the four stars and you know you you'd battle Washington former you maybe would battle Arizona here and there and stuff and that's what UCLA is doing you can build a roster like that I mean you can build a winnable roster if you can get some of those pieces develop them and uh you know then I would say you need to use the uh transfer portal you know to kind of bolster things up there but you're right it doesn't doesn't happen overnight you're not UCLA and say okay we're going to be a top 10 program overnight Chip Kelly didn't did not leave a lot in that cupboard so they have some work to do but I agree they'll be a formidable opponent for Oregon I think we'll get a good test and it's a road test because we know that so far Oregon hasn't been as good on the road as they are at home so you know that's a that's kind of a nice Breakin I guess if you will to see how you perform on the road um and and again again it should be a winnable game and I think that's a road game where you're a little bit more comfortable right you don't have to travel very far youve played at the Rose Bowl a number of times I don't think they've played at the Rose Bowl with with Dan Lanning just yet but but obviously um not a huge trip so I think that's uh that's kind of what we have to say about UCLA um I think Michigan State's an interesting one I don't want to talk about them too too much we know that that's another program that lost a lot of pieces but Jonathan Smith comes in and and Aiden Charles is kind of the talk of the Spartans as the former Oregon State quarterback follows Jonathan Smith out to East Lancing so let's let's get to the real game that everybody probably wants to hear about that Ohio State game on October 12th I'm looking at my flights as we speak need to book those like this week this weekend but this is Game of the Year material Justin right the Ohio State game with with the Buckeyes coming to Eugene the game that the Ducks wanted to get in 2020 but wildfires Co wasn't going to happen so now the Buckey come in presumably led by Will Howard at quarterback the Kansas State quarterback transfer Ryan dayve not on the hot seat but there's a lot of speculation around him I guess as far as just this program doesn't lose to Michigan and if you're not beating Michigan people are going to be asking questions but Ohio State absolutely loaded we got a great game the last time these two teams met in Columbus I was there one of my favorite games probably my favorite game I've ever covered as far as Oregon goes but these teams have a great chance to both be five and0 undefeated coming into this game and that's really gonna determine I think what Oregon's gon to be capable of big picture down the line in 2024 well let me play and I'm looking up something here to make my point let me play uh devil's advocate here do I think Ryan day gets fired uh uh at the end of this year probably not but I do believe that his seat is warm and let's let's just think about this okay assumptions it's assumption time you play Oregon October 12th and if you're Ohio State you lose right okay maybe you lose by three maybe you lose by 10 who knows whatever you lose the game right what if in some way you go uh about a month and a half later the end of November and you play Michigan and you lose that game too okay then you really start to look at okay maybe Ryan Day seat does get a little bit warmer they might be really good and beat everybody else along the way and that's fine but if you lose to Ohio State or excuse me Oregon and you lose to Michigan uh that might make things really interesting for Ohio State and you know the big knock there has been the lack of physicality from that program from that team under Ryan day's leadership and to the point I mean we watched Oregon with Mario crystall Go in there and Bully them around off the ball I mean Oregon absolutely bullied Ohio State off the ball and that's what Michigan's been able to do with Jim Harbaugh and while they've had world class receivers which we definitely know uh you know and and really good quarterback play they still have yet to you know kind of maybe get over the hump under Ryan day so um yeah I don't know it'd be crazy to me to fire Ryan day but also it's not unreal realistic to think that you know they could lose to Oregon and they could lose to Michigan and then things would get really interesting there as for this game um no doubt going to be one of the Bigg probably the biggest atmospheres ever experienced in Austin Stadium um I don't need to talk about ticket prices because anybody who's anyone has seen that ticket prices are absolutely insane there's no place to stay already in Eugene whether it's a hotel or an Airbnb unless you want to spend $600 $700 a night for you know the the Motel 6 Roach Coach Motel um just it's unbelievable you got to expect ESPN game days coming um I don't know at the end of the day I I I don't need to Hype up this game it's just G to be a fun one I hope that we get I hope that we get the game that we're expecting right I hope that it's a back and forth game and I hope that it comes down to a field goal or a last minute play or you know something like USC Texas that we can all re you know relate to um one of those just um iconic games um I don't know that's what I have to say it's easily the biggest game of the year I I won't go on everybody knows that we don't need to Hype it up and uh it's GNA be uh it's gonna be really hard to wait till October 12th I can tell you that one of the things that comes to mind Justin that I don't know I'll ever be able to get over when it comes to Oregon in Ohio State Oregon went into Columbus and beat the Buckey with Anthony Brown I can't believe that they had a hell of a day on the ground but still just when you look at some of the other plays we've seen from Anthony Brown they needed him to to be relatively on that day and he was but now three years later you have a Heisman Contender running the show and and that's not the case that Oregon found themselves in last year and that kind of helps us transition to Scott's comment here where he says I think the Ohio State versus organ game comes down to who has better quarterback play that day your thoughts every other position group matches up all down to which quarterback performs and I I would think that that's probably a pretty reasonable take because we know that both teams are going to be monsters at the line of scrimmage Ohio State's offensive line I think was a big point of criticism last year for the Buckeyes and Oregon brought in Matt Bedford to kind of help Shore up things along the offensive line they have both of their bookend tackles back and the Johnny Cornelius and Josh connly so I think they should be solid there I think what this could potentially come down to and it's related to quarterback play how much is this Oregon secondary improved because even though they won that game against Ohio state three years ago the last time they played they got kind of torched in the passing game and they put up a lot of yards and that's really going to tell us where this secondary is at can Jabar Muhammad go step for step with some of these other Ohio State wide receivers and and how is that depth if if somebody gets dinged up or needs a spell is there any kind of a drop off that's I think the game right now where we can really Envision these transfers showing up in a big way and and really kind of earning their keep if you will like hey this is this is the game that we brought you in for you know we we have two two minutes left we need a touchdown or two minutes left we need to stop go out there and show us why we brought you here and I think that we're going to see some plays throughout that game like oh yeah that's why Landing in the ducks went all in on the portal and took this Uber aggressive approach which I might add Justin Ohio State took as well they brought in Chip Kelly to run that offense they brought in Caleb DS quinnan Judkins both of these teams are about as all in as you're going to see yeah and I I like Scott's point it's definitely gonna come down uh quarterback play is going to be a big part of it right which quarterback can manage a game I guess if you will I don't think either quarterback has to win the game uh on their own I I just think they need to manage a game and so my bigger point and it does relate to quarterback play who wins the turnover battle like that right there 100% is the game I mean can Oregon steal a possession you know can they make sure that they don't fumble the ball or throw an interception or whatever because I think I think turnovers are going to be the key factor there and that's cliche to say but I think you look at the way these teams are matched up both should be able to run the ball you know botht should be able to kind of sustain the line of scrimmage at least you hope Oregon can and and they should um I think it's going to come down to I mean will Howard's kind of the question mark right I mean everybody feels pretty good about Dylan Gabriel he's on almost every you know early Heisman list you know every quarterback list I mean he's on all the award watch list and will Howard's just kind of like okay you get to be the guy at Ohio State so we know Chip Kelly can do some great things with quarterbacks uh as he's proven in the past and at Oregon um but you know that's going to be a crazy environment and will that rattle will Howard at all again I think this one comes down to turnovers yeah you got to win the turnover battle in basically any game but really in a game like this especially before we go any further want to give a quick shout out to one of our sponsors here on the duck dish podcast and that is Rancho Grill in Springfield not sure what you guys' plans are for dinner but head on over to Rancho at 1537 Mohawk Boulevard try out their homemade tortillas they got great food a great environment and they will take care of you say what's up to my guy Ruben and let him know that Max Torres sent you Justin we got about 10 more minutes it looks like on today's show so we're not going to be able to get to necessarily every game but I think the next one that uh that pops out to me a little bit we can hit on is that Purdue game which comes right after the Ohio State game and we've got some comments here this one's from Adam Purdue could be interesting though they got quite a few transfers don't believe in Hudson card that's from Adam and then zom says Purdue is on a short week after OSU and I think that's really where this one comes into play for me Justin I feel like it's a little cliche to call it a trap game maybe not cliche but you know basic uh but I think that's a it's a good point and Oregon does have that short week because they play Purdue on a Friday and I think that this is a game that kind of strikes me all right you're on the road Landing teams have to my in my opinion they have up on the road better than the crystal ball teams have if you're just comparing Landing to his predecessor that's great but win or lose there's going to be some emotional highs and lows in that Ohio State game and I think that uh I'm not predicting Oregon come out slow but at the same time it wouldn't really surprise me because that that just with a game that big and then having to travel all the way across the country on a short week you got to be on your p's and q's I mean so here's a Purdue yeah I could kind of see see it maybe they don't win in the fashion you'd expect similar to Boise State right maybe it's a a 10-point win instead of a 28o win because that's the problem everybody assumes that Oregon is the number three team in the country and should beat Everybody by 55 points that's not how this is going to go I mean this is a better conference these are better teams that's not going to happen if you're to Oregon you're you got one job and it's basically to make sure you go one and0 that week it doesn't matter if you win by one point 10 points 20 points you just want to win the damn game so that I I hate that false expectation that we see you know projected scores or whatever the betting line is or you know whatever Oregon should win by 15 points according to betters or whatever I don't care just win the damn game so Purdue uh you beat the game just because in the interest of time I have this question and we can answer it or we can maybe get some feedback from our viewers sure which which game do you view is bigger after that November 2nd at Michigan or November 30th hosting Washington at home I mean Michigan's going to be the better of the two teams but we both know what's at stake when Washington uh comes to town to Oregon playing in an orber okay that's going to be tough I think they're going to be a little better than most of us expect but you look at those two games and it's like okay pick which one you think is going to be the tougher game of those two kind of a tossup for me I'm I'm glad you uh you posed that question Justin because I I did want to try to get to at least one of those games so now we can kind of tackle both of them here as we as we go on here in the show uh man defending national champions and defending Runner UPS I mean has that that can't happen very often that a team gets to play both of those teams in the same year on their conference schedule um but but to your point Michigan I think is a school that I'm uh a little bit I'm I'm coming around on them a little bit more but I really want to see what they're going to be able to do at quarterback we know they're going to be really formidable at the dline which uh Damon says here Michigan game will be very interesting our dline versus their o line will be the matchup uh we talked about Mason Graham on yesterday's podcast uh as as he's a just monster in the trenches so I think even though Michigan expected to have some sort of drop off you got to believe that their fans are damn happy that that game's in Michigan and then for for Washington I think that Oregon fans could win that they could win that game by four touchdowns or they could win it by a point or an inch not that you can win by an inch but you get my point here they just want to win that game at absolutely all costs and the fact that it comes at the end of the regular season schedule is is pretty tough but fortunately for the Ducks they do have their second bye that uh week before when they would normally play Oregon State after Thanksgiving giv so I think that's something that goes in their favor um Jed fish is a really good coach I think we just have to to call it like it is I don't think that expectations are nearly as high at Washington as they are at Oregon but he's turned around far worse off programs looking at Arizona his his last spot so I'm I'm not trying to Hype up Washington but similar and even more so to what I said about the Oregon State game all bets are off when it comes to rivalry games and organ fans want to win that game at all costs as I bet the players do as well yeah I mean it's Washington they're going to come to Eugene ready to play um they're GNA come with everything they've got more than likely Washington won't have the stakes on the line that Oregon will at that point in the season obviously we're at the end of season depending on how things fall for Oregon you're you know maybe looking to get into the the Big 10 championship game you're maybe looking to increase your bowl game whatever the case might be Washington's going to be in a little different boat I would assume um and then Michigan becomes unique in the fact that okay maybe they're better than we expect like everybody's hyping up Ohio State and Oregon in the Big 10 and then calling Michigan a notch below I agree with that but the thing is like I mean what if Michigan you know is able to make it a game against Oregon and then they later on go on and beat Ohio State then you kind of have this weird you know three three team Race there at the end with Oregon Ohio State and Michigan so um yeah I don't know I guess the good news is those games are later in the season so the unknowns are Washington has Jed fish they no longer have like you know four first round wide receivers and I'm exaggerating but Washington had you know Elite offensive talent that Oregon was not matched up well for that isn't there anymore um and now you've got Washington with a new head coach and you've got Michigan with a new coach although he was interim coach for a couple games there you got unknowns and so it'll be nice to see maybe like somewhere late September or October maybe get kind of a calibration for where those two teams are at then we can revisit this but it's an interesting question to ask now because you know Ann Arbor playing at Michigan 100,000 people plus is gonna be something the I think that's the the difference for me is you're playing at Michigan and you get Washington at home and I think that to me is a difference in why Michigan's the tougher of the two games you can never underestimate home field advantage and I think that goes for just about any team in the Big 10 that's on that upper upper tier and of course we know how heated and intense these rivalry games get with with the Ducks and the Huskies but uh Justin I know we got to get you out of here and uh get things rolling so just wanted to get any final remarks for you before we uh sign off no just hopefully when you guys hop on I have no idea how many on today maybe we're low on numbers but keep commenting keep asking questions keep popping in Max will keep putting your stuff up there so we can see what you're saying uh you know we want more of that we want more interaction uh on the show don't just sit here and listen to us sound like two idiots all the time go ahead and and say your peace as well so but thank you guys for the support again absolutely love it when you guys show up and getting to interact with the fans is one of the funnest parts of the job but if you want to find more of that guy Justin Hopkins you can follow him on Twitter SLX J Hopkins SD if you want to find more of me you can follow me on any social media platform at M tourist Sports subscribe to the scoop duck on three YouTube channel as we continue to grow our community over here and come see us at scoop duck.com for the best in Oregon football and recruiting subscribe today and share the show with your friends family and other duck fans but until next time thank you guys so much for tuning in to another episode of the Ducks dish podcast