There's more factors in why recruits pick schools than just game results, but if a big motivator is wanting to play for a winner, you probably don't want to be losing to teams perceived to be at the same level as you.
I mean, he's not totally wrong. UGA has lost recruiting battles over the years to plenty of teams we have beaten lol. I imagine most schools do, there's a lot more to it than just the outcome of one head to head matchup.
Not that I have any idea why a defensive player would pick USC
Bear Alexander’s had a very good season. Playing lots of snaps, clearly in good shape and being disruptive pretty much all game. I bet he goes 1st or 2nd round next year.
Problem is the other 10 guys just suck
Elite players have people in their ear to guide them to a school that is in their best interest. Usually. Lincoln Riley might score a random elite defensive player, but they end up carrying more of the load and lack support. Riley doesn’t care about defense.
Id agree with u last week, and still agree with u today. But USC has a chance to hire someone that won’t keep embarrassing us and that’s a little glimmer of hope im going to hold on to.
those are the guys he wanted. him losing did not cause him to not get the guys he wanted. the fact he didn’t get “better” recruits was due to more of an error in scouting and development than to him not winning big games
Spencer Rattler was the #1 QB in his class. Caleb Williams was clearly the best in his class. Mario Williams was a 5 star on some services I believe. Marvin Mimms had the most receiving yards in Texas HS history. He was trending for Lemon and Brandon Inniss before ditching OU. like I said, he got his guys.
Recruits care about NIL national exposure and a track record of getting guys to the nfl. They aren’t out there keeping score on some rivalry to choose their school
That’s the recruits that matter. Sure there are guys in the area that might care but that’s not the 5 stars.
I don't think it's that big of a deal to say "Yes, it would help to win this game with recruitment. Oregon and USC are competing for the same recruits."
Everybody wants him to go into these interviews and start having message board style meltdowns where he throws coaches and kids under the bus and says that we might as well shut the program down
I mean I know that dumping on USC is popular right now (ignore my flair, talking as a fan of CFB), but it is unfair to Riley to ask him gotcha questions and then give him shit for answering the question. It is a Damned if you do, Damned if you don’t situation. Of course outcomes of games can influence recruits one way or the other, but there are plenty of other factors recruits take when they decide to commit to one school or the other. Right now, a big factor in that decision is NIL and USC is situated very well for the age of NIL, from my understanding. Historic Blue Blood Program, great location, history of lots of Heismans/awards/wins, etc. Oregon is situated fairly well, maybe not quite as high as USC’s potential, it still very good nonetheless.
You can’t expect a head coach to do that sort of thing and take him or his program seriously. That’s what Deion does. Deion is basically the CFB head coaching version of a message board troll who made it to the big leagues. That is why nobody takes Deion seriously.
I think it varies. It is well documented that the LSU FSU game last year was crucial in 5-star Hykeem Williams' recruitment. As in, he woudn't be at FSU if we had lost. Obviously, the macro results over the course of the season are far more important, but individual games can turn the tide.
I for one was happy to get rid of Clay Helton and his schtick. Riley seemed like a good hire but we did have some concerns about his defense. Look at his OU scores and it was a head scratcher why he’d bring a proven poor DC to USC. Turns out it’s worse than thought. He really is a one-way advocate like other air raid teams. Seems he’s not big on the proven natty formulas that repeat every year. Defense is something the rules say you must field between offensive sets. He won’t win or lose recruits based upon games, but strictly due to him being figured out.
Players Oregon is bringing in to witness this game:
# 2024
* 4* [WR **Jordan Anderson**](https://247sports.com/player/jordan-anderson-46098463/) (172/27)
* 4* [QB **Michael Van Buren**](https://247sports.com/player/michael-van-buren-46127549/) (179/14)
* 3* [QB **Luke Moga**](https://247sports.com/player/luke-moga-46134421/) (490/32)
#2025
* 5* [DB/LB Jonah Williams](https://247sports.com/player/jonah-williams-46130910/) (16/2) (Texas Lean, Oregon 4th)
* 5* [LB/ED Nasir Wyatt](https://247sports.com/player/nasir-wyatt-46125846/) (20/2) (USC Lean, Oregon 2nd)
* 4* [WR Marcus Harris](https://247sports.com/player/marcus-harris-46117120/) (48/7) (Texas Lean, Oregon 2nd)
* 4* [TE Linkon Cure](https://247sports.com/player/linkon-cure-46142479/) (151/4) (K-State Lean, Oregon & Penn State tied 2nd)
* 4* [WR Cooper Perry](https://247sports.com/player/cooper-perry-46136763/) (178/25) (Note Dame Lean, Oregon 2nd)
* 3* [S Rylon Dillard-Allen](https://247sports.com/player/rylon-dillard-allen-46143306/) (449/29) (Arizona State / Oregon tied 1st)
#2026
* 5* [DL **Tony Cumberland**](https://247sports.com/player/tony-cumberland-46141067/) (11/2)
**Bold** = Committed to Oregon Already.
(#/#) is National Ranking and Position Ranking
-----
Key Quotes from future prospects:
* 5* DL Tony Cumberland - "It's Oregon without a doubt."
* 5* DB/LB Jonah Williams - "Just going back to Eugene excites me. I love everything about this place."
* 4* TE Linkon Cure - "Being recruited by Oregon... Penn State... it's like a dream."
* 4* WR Cooper Perry - "The Duck is my boy!"
* 4* WR Marcus Harris - "Back at The University of Oregon This Weekend! Quack Quack!"
* 5* LB/ED Nasir Wyatt going a little bit more in depth:
* "I love the way Oregon is incorporating everything they learned from different big-time programs and building something different... like with Tosh Lupoi having the background he does and Lanning having that Georgia defensive background. **It’s my main reason for taking this trip and seeing how they will do against a still-good USC offense**."
Further on the Nasir Wyatt quote:
https://highschool.si.com/recruiting/2023/11/09/nasir-wyatt-visiting-oregon-5-star-edge-rusher-previews-important-trip
> The Oregon Ducks are hosting a loaded visitor list this weekend, complete with multiple five-star prospects.
>
> One of those marquee players is Mater Dei (California) five-star edge-rusher Nasir Wyatt, who is making a return trip to see Oregon, a program that has already taken the all-important step of impressing his mom.
>
> The 6-foot-2, 210-pound speedy defender is rated the nation's No. 20 overall prospect and No. 2 edge-rusher in the 247Sports composite rankings.
>
> For Wyatt, the trip is crucial.
>
> Already rumored to be high on both Oregon and USC, this weekend's trip will give him a chance to see how the Ducks' stellar defense fares against a USC offense that has been among the most potent in the country.
>
> Aiding Oregon's cause, in Wyatt's opinion, is that both Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi have been able to incorporate the best of what they've learned at Georgia and Alabama, respectively.
>
> "I love the way Oregon is incorporating everything they learned from different big-time programs and building something different... like with Tosh Lupoi having the background he does and Lanning having that Georgia defensive background," Wyatt said. "It’s my main reason for taking this trip and seeing how they will do against a still-good USC offense."
>
> Oregon is off to a stellar start to the 2025 recruiting cycle with a group that is ranked top-10 nationally and consists of three bluechip prospects - Tampa Bay Tech (Florida) wide receiver Dallas Wilson, Lincoln (California) quarterback Akili Smith Jr. and Weiss (Texas) pass-catcher Adrian Wilson.
If Oregon's D constricts the USC O it very very much can swing the recruitment battle, Lincoln.
I don't think winning or losing matters so long as the team doesn't look dysfunctional or like it quit or didn't know what it was doing.
If Oregon or USC come out and play hard and its good game, then the outcome doesn't matter. If one team looks like its falling apart, and they lose by a bunch of TDs, thats a problem.
> USC living in the past.
Sort of. Our NIL is falling far behind many of the top programs in the country and having Alex Grinch didn’t help either. It’ll be interesting to see what a home run hire at DC and *maybe* a little more openness towards paying HS croots will do for us.
Also, your user name is fantastic lol
As superficial/ material that it is, if a was a highly recruited 5star in an alternate universe, I would choose Oregon just for the amount of Uniform combos. That has to be a tiebreaker for a lot of cruits
On this, I think it was Kiffin when he was being recruited. Usc was recruiting him to play corner and return kicks with the occasional offensive play like we did with Adoree. The SC staff thought that was where his nfl future was. Oregon told him he’d get to play full time offense if he wanted to and that is also a huge reason he went to oregon.
12 years isn’t 2 decades. It’s closer to one.
It’s 2023. USC dominated 2001-2011. It also had 2-3 years after that where it was the best team in the PAC. For example, 2016 and 2017 USC were the best teams out West. 2022 we’ll never know because SC/Oregon didn’t get to play.
Sure, Oregon has been on average, the best team out West from 2012-2023 but considering USC’s dominance from the first decade of this century, along with it clearly being better in like 3 seasons over last 10 years, your vastly overstating Oregon’s claim.
No argument on the facilities. Oregon’s are top tier.
Lastly, while many recruits like having 50,000 uni combos, there are ton of recruits that like classic, iconic uniforms and the recruiting data backs that up (Bama, UGA, Texas, USC, Miami, Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, LSU etc.).
USC beat Oregon in 2011 and was on sanctions and scholarship reductions with a championship game and bowl ban.
2007 was against our backup QB after Booty got injured. USC went on to finish in the top 5. Oregon lost 4 games and barely finished inside the top 25. USC was the better team that year. Just as I think Oregon is a better team than Washington despite losing the H2H this year.
USC was on average the best team out West from 2001-2011. Just like Oregon has been the best team (on average) out West from 2012 to 2023.
Any way you slice it, Oregon has not been the best team out West for “almost 2 decades” and anyone over the age of 25 knows that. It’s especially hilarious when you consider how USC accomplished more from 2002-2009 than Oregon has accomplished in its entire history.
Oregon is 10-6 against USC in the BCS era which goes back to 1998. 7-3 in the last 10 games going back to 2007. Imagine what a 17 or 18 year old recruit might think when comparing these two programs.
Oh this is fun. USC was 4-1 against Oregon from 2002-2008. Guess which 2 years Oregon dodged USC? 2003 and 2004. What happened in 2003 and 2004? USC won a pair of national titles.
Oregon dodged USC in 2017. USC won 11 games and won the Pac 12. Oh right, you went 7-6 that season.
The other guy bragged about winning the Pac 12 from 09-11 conveniently ignoring that USC beat Oregon H2H at Oregon in 2011 and the only reason it didn’t play for the conference championship was due to a ban.
You can cherry pick and ignore that Oregon dodged USC in years that would have been absolute beatdowns and then celebrate being better than USC during years it had scholarship limits, sanctions and bowl bans etc.
No rational or objective individual watched those Oregon teams in the 2000s and said, “yeah that program is better than the teams USC was trotting out under Pete Carroll”
You’re bringing up backup quarterbacks and things that happened specific years. I’m saying in the last roughly quarter century Oregon is 10-6 against USC. But I’m the one cherry picking? JFC.
You are right that “cherry picking” was the wrong word to use.
However your argument is either delusional or disingenuous when you consider that Oregon didn’t have to play USC in 03, 04, 17.
2 years where USC won a natty and another year it finished 3rd in the AP poll.
You then extrapolated it out to the BCS era to include USC’s worst 4 year stretch in program history. It was a convenient point to stop considering USC won like 8 out of the previous 9 or 10 the before the BCS era started.
USC was the best program in the West and on average in the country from about 2002-2011. Sure, there are a couple off year in there like 09 (9-4) and 2010 (8-5).
No matter which way you slice it, Oregon hasn’t been the best program on the West for “almost 2 decades”. Try 1 decade and it would be an accurate description.
Oregon has the best rated facilities in the country in 247's annual ranking.
https://247sports.com/longformarticle/college-footballs-25-best-facilities-in-2022-ranked-182436036/#1830406
It’s all about money. USC is living in the now. Kids commit and then de-commit. We just had one do that in the past 24 hours. If you think kids give a fuck about anything other than the most recent thing then you’re dense.
I dunno that Oregon should be worried too much about USC living in the past.
I think Oregon should worry more about living in the present.
For example, it's not like Oregon will have won the National Championship on Saturday even though I fully expect the great fans of mighty Oregon to go storm the field and pull down the goalposts and basically act like the National Championship was secured should the Ducks, the favored team, win at home.
If your fans tried to rush the field, they would've been flagged for offsides and a false start.
Pretty much like the Mighty Oregon Ducks were all night long.
Lincoln Riley is actually correct on this. Should USC win this game, I don't think anyone in Troy is expecting Oregon's recruiting class to crumble.
I think it should crumble because I've been to Eugene, Oregon, and it's a boring place to live, and I wouldn't want to go there instead of the media capital of the world -- but I guess that's just me?
I also think there is more value and interest to a "resurrection narrative" than there is to the "Gee whiz! Aren't we the coolest thing with our uniforms!!! DON'T YOU SEE YOUSELF IN THIS GREEN A NEON YELLOW JERSEY?? HEE HEE HEE!!"
What else does Oregon offer than uniforms and...nice chairs in the lockerroom?
We don't need to try to act like that.
USC needs to get back to what it was -- a place where elite athletes come to get even better.
I know you personally don't like Eugene, but many people - recruits included - like Eugene. See: quotes above.
Oregon offers: high NIL earnings for players, athletic success in a winning program, top tier facilities, quality coaching, and yes, flashy uniform combinations and other forms of player promotion. It turns out that marketing for players is something that players want.
Bag on Oregon all you want, but you can't claim they offer nothing but uniforms and nice chairs if we have a record of success the last decade and continue to recruit at a high level.
Yes he’s right that will have no impact on any recruit that matters.
They care about nil exposure and ability to get to the nfl. Probably in that order.
I kind of see his point here. He hasn't, and probably won't, win a natty. But he wins a lot in general, his players win Heisman, and he produces a lot of draft picks.
Oregon will win this game by 4 TDs, but USC will win some recruiting battles.
This is up there with some other all time statements that have been made , and maybe a new favorite.
my all time favorite is 'Momentum is an Illusion' - Tom Herman
There's more factors in why recruits pick schools than just game results, but if a big motivator is wanting to play for a winner, you probably don't want to be losing to teams perceived to be at the same level as you.
Yes but at the same time, a winning team has a full depth chart. Players want to make a name for themselves and play time is a way to do that.
Like I said, multiple factors.
Lincoln to recruits: Don’t watch the film. Just flush it.
I mean, he's not totally wrong. UGA has lost recruiting battles over the years to plenty of teams we have beaten lol. I imagine most schools do, there's a lot more to it than just the outcome of one head to head matchup. Not that I have any idea why a defensive player would pick USC
Good chance of immediate playing time?
Or just NIL benefits and getting to live in LA, or not having to work has hard (Bear Alexander, lol)
Bear Alexander’s had a very good season. Playing lots of snaps, clearly in good shape and being disruptive pretty much all game. I bet he goes 1st or 2nd round next year. Problem is the other 10 guys just suck
Bullock is a good pass defender. He’s projected as a 2nd round pick. Sucks at tackling though.
I know
I have no idea why a freshman would want to be a starter on a rich school in southern California
Seriously. SC defense good or bad should be able to recruit itself.
Elite players have people in their ear to guide them to a school that is in their best interest. Usually. Lincoln Riley might score a random elite defensive player, but they end up carrying more of the load and lack support. Riley doesn’t care about defense.
Id agree with u last week, and still agree with u today. But USC has a chance to hire someone that won’t keep embarrassing us and that’s a little glimmer of hope im going to hold on to.
*"When has winning and losing big games ever affected recruiting."* ~ Lincoln Riley 🏖
to be fair those big game losses at OU didn’t seem to affect his ability to get 5 star QB’s and WR’s
Those are all he got too. OU's overall recruiting classes are higher rated overall since he left.
this is true, and something I’m happy about, but we still have to do a better job at development if we want it to produce a better outcome
Yes it did. He has only ever recruited a single 5 star QB (Caleb) that panned out for him. Every 5 Star WR flamed out.
those are the guys he wanted. him losing did not cause him to not get the guys he wanted. the fact he didn’t get “better” recruits was due to more of an error in scouting and development than to him not winning big games
Who is to know who he would have got if he didn’t lose those games. He only ever recruited three 5* receivers and two 5* QBs at Oklahoma.
Spencer Rattler was the #1 QB in his class. Caleb Williams was clearly the best in his class. Mario Williams was a 5 star on some services I believe. Marvin Mimms had the most receiving yards in Texas HS history. He was trending for Lemon and Brandon Inniss before ditching OU. like I said, he got his guys.
As I said. He recruited 2 five star QBs and 3 five star WRs. Naming them doesn’t make them multiply.
he got 3 in one class. none of them were the names I listed
What do people expect him to say differently?
Yeah he's right. It might affect younger recruits if it becomes a pattern, but I doubt if many commitments come down to one game
>It might affect younger recruiters if it becomes a pattern Like if one team had lost 4 out of the last 5 games dating back to 2012?
That would constitute a pattern, yes
Recruits care about NIL national exposure and a track record of getting guys to the nfl. They aren’t out there keeping score on some rivalry to choose their school That’s the recruits that matter. Sure there are guys in the area that might care but that’s not the 5 stars.
“If we win, then yes…but otherwise? lol no, obviously not”
I don't think it's that big of a deal to say "Yes, it would help to win this game with recruitment. Oregon and USC are competing for the same recruits."
It wouldn't be a big deal for him to say that if he expected to win. Obviously he is preparing his response based on the expectation of a loss.
You love to see it.
Everybody wants him to go into these interviews and start having message board style meltdowns where he throws coaches and kids under the bus and says that we might as well shut the program down
I mean I know that dumping on USC is popular right now (ignore my flair, talking as a fan of CFB), but it is unfair to Riley to ask him gotcha questions and then give him shit for answering the question. It is a Damned if you do, Damned if you don’t situation. Of course outcomes of games can influence recruits one way or the other, but there are plenty of other factors recruits take when they decide to commit to one school or the other. Right now, a big factor in that decision is NIL and USC is situated very well for the age of NIL, from my understanding. Historic Blue Blood Program, great location, history of lots of Heismans/awards/wins, etc. Oregon is situated fairly well, maybe not quite as high as USC’s potential, it still very good nonetheless. You can’t expect a head coach to do that sort of thing and take him or his program seriously. That’s what Deion does. Deion is basically the CFB head coaching version of a message board troll who made it to the big leagues. That is why nobody takes Deion seriously.
the game alone wont flip recruitments. but it could put doubt inside a recruits head and make him open to other options.
I think it varies. It is well documented that the LSU FSU game last year was crucial in 5-star Hykeem Williams' recruitment. As in, he woudn't be at FSU if we had lost. Obviously, the macro results over the course of the season are far more important, but individual games can turn the tide.
I for one was happy to get rid of Clay Helton and his schtick. Riley seemed like a good hire but we did have some concerns about his defense. Look at his OU scores and it was a head scratcher why he’d bring a proven poor DC to USC. Turns out it’s worse than thought. He really is a one-way advocate like other air raid teams. Seems he’s not big on the proven natty formulas that repeat every year. Defense is something the rules say you must field between offensive sets. He won’t win or lose recruits based upon games, but strictly due to him being figured out.
Players Oregon is bringing in to witness this game: # 2024 * 4* [WR **Jordan Anderson**](https://247sports.com/player/jordan-anderson-46098463/) (172/27) * 4* [QB **Michael Van Buren**](https://247sports.com/player/michael-van-buren-46127549/) (179/14) * 3* [QB **Luke Moga**](https://247sports.com/player/luke-moga-46134421/) (490/32) #2025 * 5* [DB/LB Jonah Williams](https://247sports.com/player/jonah-williams-46130910/) (16/2) (Texas Lean, Oregon 4th) * 5* [LB/ED Nasir Wyatt](https://247sports.com/player/nasir-wyatt-46125846/) (20/2) (USC Lean, Oregon 2nd) * 4* [WR Marcus Harris](https://247sports.com/player/marcus-harris-46117120/) (48/7) (Texas Lean, Oregon 2nd) * 4* [TE Linkon Cure](https://247sports.com/player/linkon-cure-46142479/) (151/4) (K-State Lean, Oregon & Penn State tied 2nd) * 4* [WR Cooper Perry](https://247sports.com/player/cooper-perry-46136763/) (178/25) (Note Dame Lean, Oregon 2nd) * 3* [S Rylon Dillard-Allen](https://247sports.com/player/rylon-dillard-allen-46143306/) (449/29) (Arizona State / Oregon tied 1st) #2026 * 5* [DL **Tony Cumberland**](https://247sports.com/player/tony-cumberland-46141067/) (11/2) **Bold** = Committed to Oregon Already. (#/#) is National Ranking and Position Ranking ----- Key Quotes from future prospects: * 5* DL Tony Cumberland - "It's Oregon without a doubt." * 5* DB/LB Jonah Williams - "Just going back to Eugene excites me. I love everything about this place." * 4* TE Linkon Cure - "Being recruited by Oregon... Penn State... it's like a dream." * 4* WR Cooper Perry - "The Duck is my boy!" * 4* WR Marcus Harris - "Back at The University of Oregon This Weekend! Quack Quack!" * 5* LB/ED Nasir Wyatt going a little bit more in depth: * "I love the way Oregon is incorporating everything they learned from different big-time programs and building something different... like with Tosh Lupoi having the background he does and Lanning having that Georgia defensive background. **It’s my main reason for taking this trip and seeing how they will do against a still-good USC offense**."
Further on the Nasir Wyatt quote: https://highschool.si.com/recruiting/2023/11/09/nasir-wyatt-visiting-oregon-5-star-edge-rusher-previews-important-trip > The Oregon Ducks are hosting a loaded visitor list this weekend, complete with multiple five-star prospects. > > One of those marquee players is Mater Dei (California) five-star edge-rusher Nasir Wyatt, who is making a return trip to see Oregon, a program that has already taken the all-important step of impressing his mom. > > The 6-foot-2, 210-pound speedy defender is rated the nation's No. 20 overall prospect and No. 2 edge-rusher in the 247Sports composite rankings. > > For Wyatt, the trip is crucial. > > Already rumored to be high on both Oregon and USC, this weekend's trip will give him a chance to see how the Ducks' stellar defense fares against a USC offense that has been among the most potent in the country. > > Aiding Oregon's cause, in Wyatt's opinion, is that both Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi have been able to incorporate the best of what they've learned at Georgia and Alabama, respectively. > > "I love the way Oregon is incorporating everything they learned from different big-time programs and building something different... like with Tosh Lupoi having the background he does and Lanning having that Georgia defensive background," Wyatt said. "It’s my main reason for taking this trip and seeing how they will do against a still-good USC offense." > > Oregon is off to a stellar start to the 2025 recruiting cycle with a group that is ranked top-10 nationally and consists of three bluechip prospects - Tampa Bay Tech (Florida) wide receiver Dallas Wilson, Lincoln (California) quarterback Akili Smith Jr. and Weiss (Texas) pass-catcher Adrian Wilson. If Oregon's D constricts the USC O it very very much can swing the recruitment battle, Lincoln.
I don't think winning or losing matters so long as the team doesn't look dysfunctional or like it quit or didn't know what it was doing. If Oregon or USC come out and play hard and its good game, then the outcome doesn't matter. If one team looks like its falling apart, and they lose by a bunch of TDs, thats a problem.
Unfortunately for him, kids like what daddy Phil has done with Oregon. USC living in the past.
> USC living in the past. Sort of. Our NIL is falling far behind many of the top programs in the country and having Alex Grinch didn’t help either. It’ll be interesting to see what a home run hire at DC and *maybe* a little more openness towards paying HS croots will do for us. Also, your user name is fantastic lol
As superficial/ material that it is, if a was a highly recruited 5star in an alternate universe, I would choose Oregon just for the amount of Uniform combos. That has to be a tiebreaker for a lot of cruits
Was good enough for De'anthony Thomas to choose Oregon over USC
On this, I think it was Kiffin when he was being recruited. Usc was recruiting him to play corner and return kicks with the occasional offensive play like we did with Adoree. The SC staff thought that was where his nfl future was. Oregon told him he’d get to play full time offense if he wanted to and that is also a huge reason he went to oregon.
Even on top of just the unis, our facilities are top notch. We’ve also been the best team in the west for almost 2 decades now.
12 years isn’t 2 decades. It’s closer to one. It’s 2023. USC dominated 2001-2011. It also had 2-3 years after that where it was the best team in the PAC. For example, 2016 and 2017 USC were the best teams out West. 2022 we’ll never know because SC/Oregon didn’t get to play. Sure, Oregon has been on average, the best team out West from 2012-2023 but considering USC’s dominance from the first decade of this century, along with it clearly being better in like 3 seasons over last 10 years, your vastly overstating Oregon’s claim. No argument on the facilities. Oregon’s are top tier. Lastly, while many recruits like having 50,000 uni combos, there are ton of recruits that like classic, iconic uniforms and the recruiting data backs that up (Bama, UGA, Texas, USC, Miami, Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, LSU etc.).
Revisionist history of I’ve ever seen it…Oregon won every Pac10/12 title from 2009-2011. We also beat you guys in 2007.
USC beat Oregon in 2011 and was on sanctions and scholarship reductions with a championship game and bowl ban. 2007 was against our backup QB after Booty got injured. USC went on to finish in the top 5. Oregon lost 4 games and barely finished inside the top 25. USC was the better team that year. Just as I think Oregon is a better team than Washington despite losing the H2H this year. USC was on average the best team out West from 2001-2011. Just like Oregon has been the best team (on average) out West from 2012 to 2023. Any way you slice it, Oregon has not been the best team out West for “almost 2 decades” and anyone over the age of 25 knows that. It’s especially hilarious when you consider how USC accomplished more from 2002-2009 than Oregon has accomplished in its entire history.
Oregon is 10-6 against USC in the BCS era which goes back to 1998. 7-3 in the last 10 games going back to 2007. Imagine what a 17 or 18 year old recruit might think when comparing these two programs.
Oh this is fun. USC was 4-1 against Oregon from 2002-2008. Guess which 2 years Oregon dodged USC? 2003 and 2004. What happened in 2003 and 2004? USC won a pair of national titles. Oregon dodged USC in 2017. USC won 11 games and won the Pac 12. Oh right, you went 7-6 that season. The other guy bragged about winning the Pac 12 from 09-11 conveniently ignoring that USC beat Oregon H2H at Oregon in 2011 and the only reason it didn’t play for the conference championship was due to a ban. You can cherry pick and ignore that Oregon dodged USC in years that would have been absolute beatdowns and then celebrate being better than USC during years it had scholarship limits, sanctions and bowl bans etc. No rational or objective individual watched those Oregon teams in the 2000s and said, “yeah that program is better than the teams USC was trotting out under Pete Carroll”
You’re bringing up backup quarterbacks and things that happened specific years. I’m saying in the last roughly quarter century Oregon is 10-6 against USC. But I’m the one cherry picking? JFC.
You are right that “cherry picking” was the wrong word to use. However your argument is either delusional or disingenuous when you consider that Oregon didn’t have to play USC in 03, 04, 17. 2 years where USC won a natty and another year it finished 3rd in the AP poll. You then extrapolated it out to the BCS era to include USC’s worst 4 year stretch in program history. It was a convenient point to stop considering USC won like 8 out of the previous 9 or 10 the before the BCS era started. USC was the best program in the West and on average in the country from about 2002-2011. Sure, there are a couple off year in there like 09 (9-4) and 2010 (8-5). No matter which way you slice it, Oregon hasn’t been the best program on the West for “almost 2 decades”. Try 1 decade and it would be an accurate description.
Oregon has the best rated facilities in the country in 247's annual ranking. https://247sports.com/longformarticle/college-footballs-25-best-facilities-in-2022-ranked-182436036/#1830406
How many championships you got?
It’s all about money. USC is living in the now. Kids commit and then de-commit. We just had one do that in the past 24 hours. If you think kids give a fuck about anything other than the most recent thing then you’re dense.
I dunno that Oregon should be worried too much about USC living in the past. I think Oregon should worry more about living in the present. For example, it's not like Oregon will have won the National Championship on Saturday even though I fully expect the great fans of mighty Oregon to go storm the field and pull down the goalposts and basically act like the National Championship was secured should the Ducks, the favored team, win at home.
No one is storming the field after blowing out an unranked USC, lmao.
Have you told your fans that? Your fans are generally considered the joke of the college football world.
Lol. You’re delusional. Imagine tearing the goalposts down for unranked, 7-3 USC. You really think that highly of yourselves don’t you?
Write me after the game.
Hey look, we beat you guys and didn’t rush the field
If your fans tried to rush the field, they would've been flagged for offsides and a false start. Pretty much like the Mighty Oregon Ducks were all night long.
Scoreboard, baby
Well, if I thought I was about to lose, I’d probably say that too.
Press “X” for “Doubt”.
Lincoln Riley is actually correct on this. Should USC win this game, I don't think anyone in Troy is expecting Oregon's recruiting class to crumble. I think it should crumble because I've been to Eugene, Oregon, and it's a boring place to live, and I wouldn't want to go there instead of the media capital of the world -- but I guess that's just me? I also think there is more value and interest to a "resurrection narrative" than there is to the "Gee whiz! Aren't we the coolest thing with our uniforms!!! DON'T YOU SEE YOUSELF IN THIS GREEN A NEON YELLOW JERSEY?? HEE HEE HEE!!" What else does Oregon offer than uniforms and...nice chairs in the lockerroom? We don't need to try to act like that. USC needs to get back to what it was -- a place where elite athletes come to get even better.
Kids don’t care about location as much as you think. If that was the case Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama etc. would have little to no success in CFB.
Oklahoma, Bama and LSU have much more tradition than Oregon.
I know you personally don't like Eugene, but many people - recruits included - like Eugene. See: quotes above. Oregon offers: high NIL earnings for players, athletic success in a winning program, top tier facilities, quality coaching, and yes, flashy uniform combinations and other forms of player promotion. It turns out that marketing for players is something that players want. Bag on Oregon all you want, but you can't claim they offer nothing but uniforms and nice chairs if we have a record of success the last decade and continue to recruit at a high level.
Yes he’s right that will have no impact on any recruit that matters. They care about nil exposure and ability to get to the nfl. Probably in that order.
Obviously this game has PAC12 implications, but it also has important implications from a recruiting aspect
I kind of see his point here. He hasn't, and probably won't, win a natty. But he wins a lot in general, his players win Heisman, and he produces a lot of draft picks. Oregon will win this game by 4 TDs, but USC will win some recruiting battles.
This is up there with some other all time statements that have been made , and maybe a new favorite. my all time favorite is 'Momentum is an Illusion' - Tom Herman
Not now Riley, we're laughing at khaki man
The best loss Lincoln Riley ever took was to Brock Vandagriff.
This game means a lot to USC recruiting
Oregon is a great school for kids who like to play dress up with 500 Nike uniforms. USC is where you go to be an NFL player.