The Wiz of Odds

Oregon's No. 1 Fan Bears Down on Arizona

Not even a blubbering coach can save the Arizona Wildcats from being destroyed by college football's most luxurious juggernaut.

How One Oregon Fan Turned $80 Into $50,000

Jordan Walbridge will never forget this season.

The 27-year-old Gresham, Ore., resident was watching Oregon beat California in September and came up with an idea for a T-shirt.

"Welcome to Autzen: Where Teams Go to R.I.P."

He grabbed a pen and paper and sketched his idea, complete with a Grim Reaper, with the Reaper making the 'O' with his hands.

Walbridge took the sketch to a graphic designer and she "agreed to do it for free, and I’d pay her later on down the road. When I started this, I only had $80 dollars to do this entire thing."

One hurdle remained. Walbridge needed to get the university to sign off on the design, which was much edgier than traditional Duck merchandise.

Two weeks before Oregon played host to USC in a Halloween night game, Walbridge camped out at the office of Nita Nickell, the university’s assistant director of marketing and brand management.

"Eventually she [saw] me because I wouldn’t leave," Walbridge said.

Return of the Armenian Demon

In case you weren't aware of it, the Oregon Ducks are the most luxurious team in all of college football. Too bad nobody told the Stanford Cardinal.

After the jump, the Armenian Demon gets in a dig on the USC Trojans.

Is Bringing Back Blount Really the Right Move?

Oregon's LeGarrette Blount, who was suspended for the season by coach Chip Kelly after a postgame tirade Sept. 3 at Boise State, could be reinstated before the end of the season.

Oregon issued a release Thursday night that hinted at Kelly's plan, which "could include Blount's potential reinstatement prior to the conclusion of the 2009 season.'' Kelly will discuss Blount's status Friday.

Earlier Thursday, the Oregon student newspaper Daily Emerald published a well-crafted letter to the editor signed by Blount, who indicated that he did not expect to get a second chance. All that seems to have changed.

Eugene Register-Guard columnist George Schroeder writes that bringing back Blount is the wrong move.

The Most Fight Oregon Showed All Night

Oregon's ugly 19-8 loss at Boise State had an ugly ending. Duck players were seen fighting among themselves, and LeGarrette Blount landed a solid right hand to the jaw of Bronco defensive end Byron Hout, who said something to the running back after hitting him on the left shoulder.

Boise State coach Chris Petersen stepped in and restrained Hout after Blount's punch, but members of the Oregon staff were nowhere to be found, apparently eager to get off the field and out of town.

Blount exchanged words with fans on his way to the locker room and continued his outburst into the tunnel, with police and stadium security stepping in. Another video showing Hout hitting Blount on the left shoulder and fans yelling at the Oregon player is after the jump, along with several screen grabs.

Gruden Was Offered Job on Oregon's Staff

Jon Gruden, who was fired in January as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was offered the job of offensive coordinator at Oregon, shortly after Chip Kelly was promoted to Duck coach in March, according to a report in the Nashua Telegraph.

Gruden told the Orlando Sentinel shortly after his firing that he wanted to learn the spread offense and use it in a return to the NFL.

"I'm going to pick out two or three cool colleges that I think have great offenses," he said. "Great places. I want to go to Oregon. I want my son to go to Oregon football camp and I want to learn what the Oregon Ducks are doing on offense. ... I want to go in there and try to be a guest coach."