It’s early enough on this Saturday morning that I’ll be willing to bet that it’s only me and the bread man awake at this hour.
By this time next week, duck hunters across the mid-southern U.S. will be awake with me and the bread man, but for now, the hunters will have to settle for dreams of greenheads falling through the sparsely leafed oak canopy towards the inky shin deep water and leave this hour for me and the bread man.
Do you ever Wonder who stocks the bread at the grocery store and when?
Every town has a local bread man, and I guarantee that each of them is wide awake sipping black coffee and bouncing in their bob-truck towards their next stop at this moment. The people must have their bread, and they must have it fresh. Children’s school lunches, toast with eggs, or buttered, sprinkled with cinnamon and broiled in the oven–the people need the bread.
On top of that Grocery stores will not be satisfied with a disheveled, ‘picked-thru’ bread aisle. This is the kind of thing that would make balding grocery store managers irate in the morning. The bread man makes it happen.
Once at the next stop, I can almost guarantee that this bread man will be greeted cheerfully by the store associates who are responsible for checking in the new product as I’ve yet to meet a bread man that was not jolly and outgoing in the morning. However, if you happen to call a bread man for assistance after 2PM, you might get snapped at by the rattlesnake on the other end of the line. Forgive the bread man instantly–He is tired from being up since 2AM…six days a week.
I’ve known my fair share of jolly type bread men in the past. Each one deserves at least one moment of acknowledgment as they drive city streets in the quiet overnight hours delivering freshly made bread to stores all across the city. I’ve known a few that have made a handsome living doing this exact job, so it can be lucrative, but it is a service to the people none the less.
Me and the bread man–we are both awake. Duck hunters will have to wait a week.
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So, what am I doing awake at 2AM on a Saturday morning?
- Reporting a sports score and setting the stage for one of my favorite games of the season
Some Gophers from Minneapolis tried their hand at duck hunting last night and failed miserably as Oregon defeated Minnesota in Eugene 42-13 to earn their 9th win of the season. The Ducks are flying high in Oregon. They need to be. Their season will only get more difficult the rest of the way.
But before we get to that let’s look at last night’s game.
- QB Dante Moore completed 27/ 30 passes for over 300 yards and two touchdowns and zero inteceptions.
Twenty-seven of thirty. That’s good for a 90% completion rate. Yikes that’s lethal. On top of this, and I believe this to be important, he completed multiple throws to ten separate receivers with Kenyon Sadiq leading the line with eight receptions. What I find important and ‘telling’ about this is the fact that Oregon has the ability to spread the ball around and the QB is not limited to only throwing to one or two elite targets.
Were that the case, if one of those key receivers went down with an injury, then in theory, the QB production could be limited. Completing ninety percent of throws on 30 attempts to ten different receivers is elite. I’ll credit the QB, the offensive playcalling, and the proper personnel being recruited to execute such an elite stat line.
The Ducks are flying high. That’s a fact, but the high-altitude cruise is about encounter some turbulence.
While 9-1 in the Big10 is truly outstanding in this era of college football, the Ducks still need to accomplish more to secure a definite spot in the CFP. The opportunities will be there the next two weeks and maybe a third.
- USC at home
- at Washington
- Big10 Championship (Potentially)
It’s easy, win the rest and the Ducks will be at top4 seed. But will they win the rest?
This is the question that led to this post.
GAME of the WEEK: WEEK 13
- USC @ Oregon
Now, this can only be the “Game of the Week,” if the Trojans beat the Hawkeyes in Pasadena later today which I expect to happen. If USC wins as projected, they will be 8-2 and very much alive for the CFP with a backdoor chance into the Big10 Championship game. For the sake of this point, I’m assuming they win.
An 8-2 Lincoln Riley, Jordan Maiava, Bishop Fitzgerald, and USC versus 9-1 Dan Lanning, Dante Moore, Aaron Flowers, and Oregon with a spot in the CFP and potentially the Big10 Championship game on the line makes this game one of my most anticipated of the season.
Over the Summer, I projected USC to finish 9-3 and miss the playoffs and picked Oregon to finish 10-2 and earn the 11th seed as an at large. The reason Oregon would be the 11 seed is because of the timing of their losses. Losing late in the season always hurts more than say, losing to Ohio St Week One as Texas did. Week one losses are ancient history by the time mid-November rolls around.
This is what I mean when I say, next week’s game’s stakes are extremely high for both teams.
USC has no room for another loss on their playoff resume, and the Ducks certainly don’t want to be in a ‘win or go home’ game on the last week of the season in Seattle against a Washington team that A) knows how to score points and B) has a shot themselves to make the playoffs.
There is no doubt, the stakes will be high for this game.
Sitting in this drop-down den, I’m remembering the hours and hours of summer research and the excitement I felt back in June of this potential high stakes matchup featuring two of the seven preseason Heisman candidates I liked. Both QB’s have been spectacular this season and if they don’t win it, which they most likely will not, it will not because their efforts were not satisfactory. Rather, it will be because another player simply outshined them. (ex. Mendoza, Sayin, Love, Stockton)
As it turns out, my projection looks to be nearly exactly spot on to this point with just a few games remaining. Unfortunately for the Ducks of Oregon, it’s two of the most difficult games on their schedule.
Every game is winnable, but by the same token is just as losable especially when playing an opponent of the same caliber. Now, I’m not going to try to sell you that Washington and Oregon are of the same caliber, although Washington have made a National Title game more recently than the Ducks. While that is true, this current Washington team is a tier below Oregon at the moment, and if Oregon plays their best game, the Huskies will fall massively short.
However, USC IS of the same caliber as Oregon and will have a definite shot at knocking the Ducks out of the sky where they are currently flying high. Not to mention, it will be duck season across the nation and will only be fitting for the Ducks donning green in Eugene, to go down like their green headed cousins in the state of Arkansas.
USC have both the QB and wide receiver core needed to break down this elite Oregon secondary and have the power up the gut with multiple running backs to keep the attack balanced. On defense, they have the playmakers to turn the game on its head with one play.
I can say the exact same thing about Oregon.
Now, one of these two teams will have to win next week, but not much separates the two. For this reason, IF USC wins today against Iowa, their game in Eugene next week against the Ducks is not only my favorite game of Week 13, but one of my favorite games of the entire year. I truly cannot wait.
I’m not sure of the channel or time for the matchup just yet, but a 1:30 start on CBS sounds good to me.
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So, will the Ducks of Oregon avoid a late-season loss and cruise into the playoffs? Or will the late season turbulence be too much for the high-flying Eiders of Eugene?
As always, the passage of time will tell.
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It’s still pitch black out the back window and there is a cold, wet nose nudging my forearm; it’s time to walk the fuzzy. She can be quite insistent, but she’s allowed since she’s an angel.
Hope it’s a great Saturday for all. There will be some good games today.
Be grateful for the local bread man. He works as hard as anyone else, just in the secret of the overnight hours.
Find the Humor and Keep on Movin’
Whit W.