Daily briefing: On Oregon's growth in stature, Wisconsin's 'offense' and winning streaks
Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:
About pre-Phil Knight Oregon …
You want to know how far Oregon has come as a program? Oregon and Ohio State have played three times in the postseason, five times in the Horseshoe, and only once at Autzen Stadium — in 1967, which Ohio State won 30-0. Why such a large imbalance in favor of the Buckeyes? Because they could. Oregon, in the days before Phil Knight and modern TV money, used to be a team willing to play paycheck games. From 1961, Oregon’s first visit to Ohio Stadium, to their last one in 1987, the Ducks won more than six games in a season just twice. Ohio State was contracted to play at Autzen last season, but the pandemic intervened.
Wisconsin’s offensive offense
I can tell you where the longest week in America is being spent — the offensive meeting room at Wisconsin. A deep dive into the Badgers’ offensive numbers in that disastrous 16-10 home loss to Penn State explains why. The Badgers, typically a run-the-ball, run-the-clock team under coach Paul Chryst, took 95 snaps, 24 more than they averaged last season, made 30 first downs and scored 10 points. That’s what happens when drives of 17, 15 and 12 plays, all of which penetrated the Nittany Lions’ 10, end with two turnovers and a missed field goal. If quarterback Graham Mertz and pals don’t bounce back against Eastern Michigan — and the Eagles return 21 starters from a team that finished strong last season — then I can tell you where the longest two weeks in America will be spent. Wisconsin is off next week before playing Notre Dame in Chicago.
A lot of winning
It strikes me as odd how many of the top teams have winning streaks that stretch back to early last season. Not No. 1 Alabama, of course, which has won 15 in a row, tied for the third-longest under Nick Saban. The other teams all missed the 2020 College Football Playoff because of slow starts, but haven’t slowed down since. No. 4 Oklahoma (0-2 start last season) has won nine in a row; so has No. 5 Texas A&M, which lost to Alabama in Week Two last season. No. 10 Iowa (0-2) takes a seven-game winning streak to No. 9 Iowa State on Saturday. Don’t forget Ball State, which lost its opener last season and takes an eight-game winning streak into Penn State on Saturday.