Tag: listicle

Notable players, and notable busts to be drafted at No. 17 in past two decades

The 17th pick in the NFL Draft has been full of hits and misses over the past two decades.

I think we all feel confident that Christian Gonzalez will join the group of “hits” in New England.

Former Oregon Ducks’ cornerback Christian Gonzalez was selected No. 17 overall by the New England Patriots, and most believe the pick was an absolute steal.

Over the last 20 seasons, the players picked in that same exact slot have had a few Pro Bowl appearances and even a few Super Bowls. But as with all spots, No. 17 has been hit-and-miss for NFL teams in the middle of the first round of the draft.

Another former Duck, Arik Armstead, was also picked No, 17 overall and he’s had a great career for the San Francisco 49ers so far. He might be the best player at that spot in recent seasons, but even the “misses” have been relatively successful for their respective organizations.

Hopefully, Gonzalez can prove the “experts” right and have a great career for Bill Belichick’s Patriot team, who are looking for their first Super Bowl after Tom Brady.

Here’s a look at the hits and misses at No. 17 over the past couple of decades.

Notre Dame Men’s Basketball NCAA Tournament History

Notre Dame has made a trip to the NCAA Tournament 37 times to date, the ninth-most of any basketball program.

Unfortunately Notre Dame won’t be making [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag]’s final year as head coach one that ends with a trip to the NCAA Tournament.  However, he did bring the Irish to the dance over 1/3 of their times in program history since taking over the job in the summer of 2000.

Despite being known as a football school or women’s basketball school, the Irish have now been to the NCAA Tournament 37 times – the ninth most of any program in all of college basketball history.  They’ve also played in more NCAA Tournament’s without winning the whole thing than any other program.

How has Notre Dame fared during their 37 trips to the big dance?  Just once they’ve made a Final Four but have had a few close calls to winning a regional as well.

Here is how Notre Dame has fared in all 37 of those trips to the Big Dance:

More NCAA Tournament History from the College Wires Network:

Alabama / Aub / Fla / LSU / Tenn. / UGA // Mich. / Mich St. / Ohio St. / Penn St. / Wisc. // Okla. / Texas // ND // USC

 

What all 32 NHL teams should wish for this holiday season, from better forwards (Predators) to a new coach (Canucks)

Which NHL teams have been naughty or nice this year?

The end of 2022 is upon us and so is the holiday season. No matter what holiday you celebrate, gift-giving is top-of-mind for many as the year winds down.

Though we’re not quite at the half point of the 2022-23 NHL season just yet, the end of the year is a great time for reflection and introspection across the board. It’s been a pretty awesome year overall for hockey, from the fun Stanley Cup Final to the surprise teams — the New Jersey Devils? — that have shot their way to the top.

With the NHL nearly at its annual holiday break, now is the perfect time to take a look at what each team could want for themselves entering 2023. Here is what all 32 NHL teams should wish for this holiday season.

Who were the 10 best offensive players for the Ducks in 2022 according to PFF?

According to PFF, a transfer was Oregon’s best offensive player in 2022. That transfer was not Bo Nix.

If a survey was taken of 100 Oregon Duck football fans and they were asked who was the Ducks’ best offensive player, the vast majority would say quarterback Bo Nix with some saying receiver Troy Franklin.

They wouldn’t be wrong. Nix was absolutely incredible and was on the verge of being a Heisman candidate. Franklin had a breakout sophomore season and was one of the best receivers in the Pac-12 this season.

But according to Pro Football Focus, the analytical site that tracks every snap and grades everyone accordingly, a transfer was definitely the Ducks’ best offensive player. Except that transfer isn’t Bo Nix.

Here are the Top 10 Oregon offensive players and to no one surprise, the line makes up half of the list, showing they were the best in the conference.

For the list, we made sure only to qualify those with 200 or more snaps for the regular season.

5 Beavers to watch for if Oregon wants to leave Corvallis victorious

Oregon has a lot of the line on Saturday and if the Ducks want to go to Vegas, they’ll have to hold down these five Beavers.

Oregon State is 8-3 and ranked No. 22 in the country.

This was a bit unexpected, but when both teams are good, it makes for an even better rivalry. Oregon goes up to Corvallis this Saturday to finish out the regular season and there’s plenty on the line other than state pride.

With a win, the Ducks will reach the 10-win mark in Dan Lanning’s first season as head coach and earn a trip to Las Vegas to play No. 5 USC for the Pac-12 championship.

But in order to secure a matchup with the Trojans, the Ducks will have to pay close attention to these five Beavers. There’s nothing Oregon State would love more than to spoil the Ducks’ conference title hopes and they won’t go down without a fight. It’ll be a war on the gridiron. It’ll be a civil war of sorts.

Ranking the Pac-12 QBs through Week 9 according to PFF

With just four weeks left in the regular season, the Pac-12 quarterback rankings are about what we all expected at the beginning of the season.

It’s hard to believe, but the 2022 college football season is getting to be on its last legs. Big games and conference championship games are right around the corner.

The Pac-12 quarterback rankings, according to PFF, are also winding down and although there have been some ups and downs, the rankings are taking form. For a week, it looked like the rankings were settling down, but then just seven days later, more chaos ensued.

Now with just four weeks left, the top three quarterbacks in the Pac-12 have separated themselves from the rest of the group. Now the only question is who will be No. 1 when the regular season ends.

Utah’s Cameron Rising is battling some sort of knee injury and his play could be affected in November. But for now, he’s right where everyone expects him to be.

Ranking the Pac-12 QBs through Week 8: Bo Nix is finally getting respect from PFF

It took eight weeks, but Oregon’s Bo Nix’s ranking is finally shooting toward the top of the Pac-12 QB rankings, according to PFF.

The two top quarterbacks in the Pac-12, at least according to PFF, had a bye week, so the No. 3 spot was up for grabs.

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix has been vastly underrated in these rankings and we wondered what did he have to do in order to move up. We might have found out as Nix torched then No. 10 UCLA for five touchdowns, propelling him up the rankings at long last.

In other quarterback news, Colorado keeps changing signal callers and it didn’t work out in Corvallis. And speaking of Corvallis, there might be a Wally Pip/Lou Gehrig situation going on in the Beaver program as backup Ben Gulbranson is doing everything he can to remove that backup title and become the permanent starter.

This coming week should be interesting as the top two quarterbacks have dangerous road games up ahead, including a Thursday night game in very hostile territory.

Here’s how Pro Football Focus ranks the quarterbacks in the Pac-12 after week 8:

Oregon QB Bo Nix is on the verge of a truly historic season in Eugene

If Bo Nix were to continue on this pace, where would his season-long numbers in 2022 stack up against some of the best QBs in modern-Oregon history?

Let’s face it. Oregon has had a checkered past when it comes to transfer quarterbacks. But after the first half of the 2022 college football season, Bo Nix is on the verge of having a historical season for a Duck quarterback, transfer or no transfer.

The Ducks have had some truly impressive QBs lead the offense in the past couple of decades, and the history books are littered with Heisman hopefuls and NFL draft picks that have put up impressive stats in Eugene. If Nix can keep up the pace that he’s shown through six games, he’ll definitely rank right with some of those great seasons former Oregon signal callers have turned in.

Can you imagine telling yourself that two months ago as we got ready for the 2022 season?

Granted, the second half of the year should be a bit tougher than the first half. The Ducks do have No. 12 UCLA, No. 19 Utah, Washington, California, and a road game in Corvallis to prepare for. And if all goes well, No. 6 USC could be waiting for the Ducks in Las Vegas.

During Oregon’s bye week, we want to take the opportunity to assess the play of the team and see which players are leading them to success. Obviously, it’s hard to look past Bo Nix. So if he were to keep up this level of play throughout the rest of the season, where would that land him in Oregon history? How would his season-long stats stack up against the school’s best?

Let’s take a look:

Social media reacts to Chase Cota scoring his first touchdown as a Duck

Receiver Chase Cota scores his first touchdown as an Oregon Duck with a 49-yard strike at the end of the first quarter.

It only took four years and four games, but receiver Chase Cota has finally scored his first touchdown as an Oregon Duck. Nevermind the fact that he spent his first three seasons in Pasadena as a UCLA Bruin.

The son of Duck legend Chad Cota, Chase went 49 yards on a bubble screen that might have caught the Stanford defense napping. With the clock reaching towards zeros to signify the end of the first quarter, Oregon snapped the ball just before the clock ran out and take a 10-0 lead over Stanford.

While playing with Chip Kelly, Cota found the end zone six times. Oregon is counting on him increasing the number a few more times this season in Cota’s college swan song.

Updated injury news for Oregon Ducks and Stanford Cardinal ahead of rivalry game

An updated look at the Oregon Ducks’ injury news ahead of the Stanford game on Saturday night at Autzen Stadium.

Oregon’s injury list is becoming shorter by the minute, while at the same time, Stanford’s injury report is starting to look like Santa’s naughty list by the length of it.

The Ducks hope to see receiver Caleb Chapman’s talents for the first time this season. He participated fully in practice and if he can return, Oregon will throw out what is already a very dynamic receiving group, which will only improve with Chapman in the mix.

The same can be said of the running backs with Byron Cardwell possibly returning after missing the last two games.

But Oregon should be happy its injured list doesn’t look like the Cardinals’. Coming into Autzen for a big Pac-12 matchup, Stanford is the walking wounded in key positions that should hamper their ability to put major points on the scoreboard.

Here’s a look at the estimated injury report for both teams ahead of this heated rivalry game in Eugene.