Way too early Bowl prediction: Utah vs Pitt (Sun Bowl).

[Utah]

Could be worse. Also, is the Vegas Bowl really Dec 16? That would suck. This is not the year to get that bowl. 

CBS’s predictions

[FtheY]

Agreed. Anything but the Vegas bowl please. Sun bowl is my next least favorite, but would be ok with it. 

It has TDS-P in the independence bowl. Did they get a tie in? Last I heard they were hosed on bowl games. 

[ladyinred]

They don’t need a tie in since they are obviously going to the playoffs this year. 

[FtheY]

Oh yeah, you’re right. Dumb question. That’s what happens when you have a Heisman candidate every year. 

[Tony (admin)]

I thought they already won the championship? Did I miss something?

[ladyinred]

I predict Holiday. No way Oregon improves that much in a single season. It sounds like Willie T is about as engaging as talking to a pencil. I have a hard time believing he’s going to change those brats’ ways up there at Nike U so quickly.

[St George Ute]

I’d love to see Utah in the Holiday Bowl. That would likely give us either Michigan, Penn St, Wisconsin, or Ohio St, and I’d be really happy with any of those. I know I’d make that trip.

[Skywalker11]

That “pencil” currently has the #1 recruiting class on scout 😉

http://www.scout.com/Season/2018-Football/ScoutTeamRankings

[ladyinred]

Cool story bro. Oregon always has highly rated classes, I’m still skeptical he can turn it into a 10 win season just yet. *shrug* 

[Skywalker11]

Oregon definitely won’t win 10 games this year, maybe 9 and that’d be including a bowl win. (I am predicting 8) but admittedly, part of that also has to do with not having to play USC this year while playing AZ at home after a 2 year hiatus. Thats basically a guaranteed win swapped for a guaranteed loss.

I point out that Taggart Currently has the #1 ’18 class, because I think your comment about Taggart being as engaging as a “Pencil” is pretty ill informed, the only pencil was Mark Helfrich, who had completely lost the locker room. Taggart is engaging with his players and recruits on a level I’ve never seen before. Oregon has always had top 20 classes, their best class was 11th under Chip Kelly, but top 5 is new territory for Oregon, and Taggart has accomplished that after a 4-8 season. That takes a lot of “Engaging” to accomplish.

as far as improving “that much” Oregon lost 3 games by 3 points each and each of those games were decided by poor coaching decisions. For example, Oregon lost to Nebraska by 3, Mark Helfrich (for whatever reason) chose to go for the 2 point conversion 5 times in that game, failing 4 of them. If oregon kicks 5 PAT’s, they win, or throwing a fade route to carrington on 1st down with 50 seconds left from the 3 yard line and 2 timeouts which resulted in an INT vs colorado to end the game. Just run the damn ball! The seahawks taught us that!

Now, if I am going to play the what if game in Oregons favor for 3 games, then I have no problem admitting that Oregon got lucky vs Utah, and probably should have lost. Oregon was not in the same stratosphere as Utah last season mentally, or physically, That being the case (in my world of “what ifs), Oregon was more realistically a 6-6 team last year, with a chance to go 7-6 with a bowl win.

I am fully confident that Taggart will not make those same coaching errors that lost Oregon those 3 games. Utah has lost a few games in the past because of coaching decisions as well and we can all agree that those decisions can change the perception on how good a team really is.

Oregon is probably 2 years out from getting back to “full throttle” but last season had less to do with lack of talent and more to do with a lost locker room. Which, is part of the reason why a guy like Carrington was so out of control off the field. I have no doubt that Carringtons shenanigans will be better managed under Whittingham.

That being said, I think you’ll be surprised how easy it is for Taggart to make last season look like ancient history.

[ladyinred]

I’m basing the comment about his personality on interviews I have heard. Don’t be so thin skinned about it my feathered friend, I’m not saying he’s a bad dude. Admittedly, Kyle W. also has a very dry personality, but he at least seems to try to show some humor. I’m sticking by the pencil comment. 

That’s super duper that he has the locker room fired up, but let’s see how they do. 

[Skywalker11]

thin skinned? I thought it was a pretty level headed response. You’re the one who appears to be getting rattled by my comments, My apologies. 

[ladyinred]

You are the one who wrote a 6 paragraph response to a pretty off the cuff comment. It would appear the ruffled feathers really are on your side. =)

Sorry I was a meanie about your coach. We should actually be thanking him for lending us Carrington for a few months.

[Stone]

He makes a valid point.

[ladyinred]

What is the valid point? That Taggart has a highly rated class? Do you think the name Oregon has something to do with that, or is it all him?

[Skywalker11]

Mark Helfrich took chip kellys team that had only lost 4 pac-12/10 games in 5 years to the playoffs and national title game. He could only follow that up with the 21st ranked class (only five 4 stars)

When Helfrich was fired about 7 months ago, It was a month and a half before signing day. Oregons class was ranked 72nd. In a month and a half with no other coach on his staff, Willie Taggarts class finished 16th (seven 4*’s) according to scout after the team had its worst season in the last 3 decades. This year, he already has thirteen 4*s this class which is double what Chip Kelly or Helfrich ever had in a single signing period. Over half of taggarts recruits have been from Florida or the south, so yes, I’d be willing to give Taggart (a Florida man) all the credit for that.

Oregons brand isn’t as self sustaining as you think it is, especially when it was just shipwrecked.

I mean, you can say “mean things”, call him a clown, a loser, a moron… I don’t care.. it’s the ill informed statements that needs corrected.

It’d be like me posting asinine comments about how Kyle Whittingham doesn’t know how to discipline his players, and he’s not a very good defensive minded coach… I mean, those aren’t necessarily “mean” words, but we both know they aren’t accurate, and I’d suspect you’d feel the need to correct those statements accordingly.

[ladyinred]

Fair points. I don’t think it’s asinine or ill-informed though to think that brands can be advantage in recruiting, that Oregon has developed one, and it’s not as trashed from last year as you seem to think.

And I defy you to listen to some of the media days interviews and NOT come to the conclusion that the guy has the most stale-sounding personality of them all. Then again, Jim Mora sounds like a blast to be around but we know how that translates to winning the past several years…

Anyway, thanks for the debate. Good luck to your team this season except one game.

[Skywalker11]

No, you’re definitely right. Taggart hates the media, I think its safe to say a lot of coaches do and I can’t argue that Taggart is anything else than a boring interview. Maybe I took it the wrong way, but I took the original comment as “Taggart won’t improve Oregon that much because he has no personality” But I think the personality he has in the locker room and the personality he portrays on ESPN aren’t just different, but are polar opposites. As someone who pays a lot of attention to Oregon football, I have seen a lot this fall to jump to that conclusion (Ill admit I was skeptical when he was first hired.) As a current SLC resident I also try to follow Utah as much as possible. Utah has an amazing staff and I am looking forward to Utah having an OC that will last more than 2 seasons.

Anyway, back to my point, a lot of the recruits that signed late with Taggart in ’17 and so far the verbals in ’18 all keep saying the same thing that Taggart is just like another player in the locker room, he talks about the same stuff, he listens to the same music, etc… I think that’s what makes him a players coach and a perfect fit to repair what was destroyed last season.

Defending Taggarts personality however, doesn’t necessarily equal immediate success on the field, The original bowl prediction posted by the OP is absurd, Oregon is not going to the Holiday bowl, and I am defnitely not saying you’re wrong that Utah will make the Holiday bowl, in fact, if I were a betting man, I’d put my money on Utah before Oregon this season.

[ladyinred]

I was saying Taggart’s personality = pencil, and casting doubt on Oregon’s predicted turnaround, all in a sloppily formulated statement not expecting to be confronted by an Oregon fan on a Utah fan site. =)

Anyway, Utah’s staff is good but also not above reproach. Something needs to be done about this whole November issue.. If they get the Holiday Bowl, I would consider that a wild success for this year. They could also easily not reach bowl eligibility. Sigh.

[Skywalker11]

I am a loafer, read a lot but don’t comment too much. I frequent cougarboard as well, but that causes a lot more headaches.

[Stone]

The valid point is that the coach must be reasonably engaging to have a recruiting class ranked number 1. Sure, Oregon has a strong program that is to the point that recruits are signing in large part because of the program, but if Taggart was really awful, there would be a drop-off in the recruiting. Recruits aren’t oblivious to the coach. To be the top-ranked recruiting class (even if just projected at this point) is pretty remarkable even for Oregon.

 

[St George Ute]

Yes, for 2018, so far… 😀

Kids these days and their incessant need for “swag” and “bling”. It’s no wonder many of them choose Nike U. Can’t say I blame them though. There are some serious perks there at UO. NFL level (or better) facilities, great staff, new uniforms and gear every year. Utah is doing a decent job of mixing up the uni combos from week to week, keeping the kids happy, but they’ll never have the kind of resources Phil Knight provides.

[Skywalker11]

Utah doesn’t need “swag” to sell to kids, they have their own identity and methods, which no one can argue it doesn’t work.

[Rick]

Way to early to be judging recruiting classes.

[Skywalker11]

I am not judging the recruiting class, I am judging the coaches engagement.

The ranking is merely an indirect measure of that

[Rick]

The dude rebuilt two programs with much less talent and money.  I suspect Oregon will be pretty good and it is one of the 3 losses I have pinned on the Utes this season.  The others being USC and Washington which should put us at 2nd place in the south.

[Skywalker11]

considering the last 2 seasons, thats the only game I don’t feel comfortable picking.

[PlainsUte]

Pac-12 Championship game, then ?

C’mon, I’m all in on the Troy Taylor bandwagon!!

[Rick]

This guy’s expectations of Oklahoma are ridiculously low.  Almost laughable.  

[Anonymous]

Zero cred.

Any moron who continues to push the 2SEC teams to a FOUR team playoff has severe “head in ass” disease. This far advancement of the disease makes it incurable, which makes moronic opinions irrelevant.

[St George Ute]

I see 1 SEC, 1 ACC, 1 B1G, and 1 PAC12

[Anonymous]

Oops I read Florida instead of Florida St.