.....Emerald Green and Lemon Yellow.....

Wisconsin Badgers 2012 Rose Bowl Uniforms: Adidas Pays Homage [PHOTOS] - International Business Times
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Oregon believes Kelly is a long-term Duck - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN

By Ted Miller

...It was the summer of 2010, and there was a general feeling among the pooh-bahs of Oregon sports -- most notably Nike founder Phil Knight and millionaire former AD Pat Kilkenny -- that Kelly sticking around for the long term in Eugene was the best chance for the football program to experience long-term success, a condition that keeps a department with an $80 million budget afloat.

So within 48 hours of his hiring, (New AD) Mullens .... was on the phone with Kelly's agent working on a new contract.

The endgame was a six-year deal worth $20.5 million....In addition, Oregon is paying extra for stability. When the school committed to Kelly with SEC-like money, Kelly also committed to Oregon.

His buyout dropped from $4 million last year to $3.75 million this year, but that number is almost prohibitive for even the richest athletic departments. In 2015-16, it will be $2 million, which is still pretty large by industry standards.

What does that buyout mean? Well, it means Kelly doesn't have wandering eyeballs. Further, it mutes all but the most uninformed rumor mills: Despite chatter to the contrary, Mullens said he has not been contacted this year by any college or NFL team that wanted to talk to Kelly about a job....

....Kelly's contract has clauses that will make it a pain in the rear for a team to pursue him.

And a clause in the contract stipulates that Kelly must give Oregon 15 days' written notice before leaving, and further stipulates that he cannot leave during the regular season or before a postseason bowl game in which Oregon is a participant.​

The sum total of all this suggests that Kelly wants to remain in Eugene, and Oregon wants him to stick around. There are no guarantees, of course, but the feeling at the administrative level -- and among key boosters -- is that Kelly is the right guy at the nexus of an athletic department that has ambitious, expansionist visions for itself.

No FBS athletic program thrives without football success, and Kelly's presence provides a sense of security for Oregon's cash cow. And as of today, it appears the marriage remains strong.
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Sounds good to me, ignoring the Lyles mess, the future looks bright....

 

.:thumb:...I like what I've seen so far,.. I hope they look good on TV.

 

Rats,.. the Rosebowl isn't until tomorrow.

 

Rose Bowl: Three keys for Oregon - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN

Rose Bowl: Three keys for Oregon

By Ted Miller


Let's look at three keys for Oregon in the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin on Monday.

1. Win the battle of styles: At first, this was going to be: "Run and stop the run." But the key for Oregon might be flexibility. What the Ducks want is to get their fast players -- LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner, De'Anthony Thomas and Josh Huff -- into space and put pressure on Wisconsin to make one-on-one tackles.

The Badgers' defense is sound and physical, but it's not terribly fast. Think Stanford. It doesn't matter how the Ducks get their speed guys into space, either through passes or runs, it just matters to get them there and let them do their thing.

On the other side of the ball, Oregon's defense must find a way to create negative plays that take Wisconsin out of its comfort zone. The Badgers might gain six yards on five consecutive runs, but if they then lose two on first down, the Ducks' defense has a much better chance to get a stop. Second- and third-and-long turns the advantage from Wisconsin's size to the Ducks speed.

2. Be special: Based on the regular season, Oregon is better on special teams. Punt and kick returns are where speedy players can make slower teams look bad. Wisconsin is 81st in the nation defending kickoff returns, and Thomas has gone yard twice this season. A special teams touchdown could be a game changer.

Also, in terms of field position, Oregon is No. 1 in the nation in net punting while Wisconsin is 71st. In a tight game, special teams often make a difference in spectacular and subtle ways. This is an area where the Ducks would seem to have an advantage.

3. Clean sheet: While the national story from Oregon's opening loss to LSU was all that SEC size and speed overwhelming the Ducks, the secondary story was turnovers and penalties. The Ducks lost the turnover battle 4-1 -- LSU returned one fumble for a touchdown -- and had 12 penalties for 95 yards, including a pair of phantom "leg whip" penalties that if anybody saw those called in any other game this year, please email me. LSU was the better team -- after watching the Tigers this season it's impossible to say otherwise -- but the Ducks made things easy for them.

Wisconsin isn't LSU, but it will win this game easily if the Ducks lose the turnover battle 4-1 and get 95 yards in penalties. You can be almost certain that the Badgers aren't going to be sloppy; their eight turnovers are fewest in the nation.

So the Ducks also need a clean afternoon. If the turnover tally is 0-0 or 1-1, Oregon should be in good shape.
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. I don't know what to say...... except, I'm really feeling this game now, starting to champ at the bit, lets go already.

I usually predict a score, but I'm not, because all I care about is,.. winning the Rose Bowl.

 

Rose Bowl: Three keys for Wisconsin - Big Ten Blog - ESPN

Rose Bowl: Three keys for Wisconsin

By Brian Bennett


Let's take a look at three keys for Wisconsin against Oregon in the Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO:

1. Red zone efficiency: This wouldn't seem to be an issue for the Badgers, who converted 67 of their 70 red zone chances into points this season, second best in the nation. But the memory of last season's Rose Bowl loss -- when Wisconsin had to settle for two field goals after reaching the TCU 20 and failed on a two-point conversion try -- still lingers. You need touchdowns and not field goals against Oregon.

Offensive coordinator Paul Chryst went away from what Wisconsin does best in last season's game, and the Badgers must maintain their smash-mouth identity this time, especially near the goal line.

2. Weather the storm: Oregon is going to rip off some big plays. The Ducks are likely going to put together a quick-strike scoring drives. Wisconsin's defense has to be able to regroup right away when that happens, because that's when things can start to spiral away for Oregon's opponents.

The Badgers have a done a great job this year of making in-game adjustments, especially in the third quarter. The way they bounced back after heart-breaking losses to Michigan State and Ohio State and how they battled to erase a deficit in the Big Ten championship game shows this team can fight through adversity. The defense must keep that attitude. One or two big plays won't spell doom, but more than a handful might.

3. Dominate third -- and fourth -- down: It's simple yet vital to this game. The Badgers have to get Oregon's offense off the field whenever they have a chance, and that will mean not allowing third-and-long conversions. The Ducks' pace will slow down if they get off schedule in down and distance.

It's not just third down, though, because Oregon went for it on fourth down 30 times this year, more than all but three FBS teams. Wisconsin has to be ready for that and to use its experience playing in the rough-and-tumble Big Ten to its advantage in short-yardage situations.

Conversely, Bret Bielema's offense needs to convert its third downs as often as possible to keep the chains and the clock moving. When Ohio State beat the Ducks two years ago in Pasadena, it converted 11-of-21 third downs and held Oregon to just 2-of-11 on the same stat.
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..a 1 point Win is all I'm askin for

 

Everything's ok. Oregon seem closer to reigning in Wisky's O than the Badgers, who aren't even close to figuring out how to stop the Ducks.

I can't feel bad at halftime.

Most beautiful helmets, ever.