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It only gets tougher from here for the No. 1 and undefeated Oregon Ducks.
We’ve finally gotten some sleep here at The I-5 Corridor headquarters and are ready to resume our run covering the (clears throat) NO. 1 SEED IN THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS.
I’m usually not an all-caps guy, but on my flight back from Indianapolis Sunday morning, I got a notification asking if I wanted to look back through my Google Photos to the Las Vegas Bowl seven years ago. That wasn’t an especially happy time in Oregon history. Willie Taggart had just bolted for Florida State, the Ducks pushed their chips in with their current offensive line coach, and the Mario Cristobal era at Oregon opened with a 38-28 loss to Boise State. The Ducks finished the year outside the top 25 for the second consecutive season and, despite that talented Herbert kid at quarterback, I remember thinking after that game that the school’s route back to national prominence felt distant, at best.
I knew Cristobal could recruit. But in that era of Oregon football, I really didn’t know what that meant. And while the Ducks were better a year later following Cristobal’s first full season, 11 punts on 15 total drives in a 7-6 Redbox Bowl win over Michigan State didn’t exactly inspire visions of catching the Alabamas, Georgias and Ohio States of the world.
“Nine wins,” a grinning Cristobal told me after that one. “That’s something.”
He wasn’t wrong — just two years earlier the Ducks won four games and completely cleaned house — and the next season the Ducks improved again to win the Rose Bowl. You could see the blueprint, but the prospect of Oregon actually competing for a national title still felt just a bit beyond the horizon. And when Cristobal left after the 2021 Pac-12 Championship loss, that dream felt dark once again.
The work he did in his four seasons at Oregon is integral in keeping the Ducks afloat after a challenging period. Simply, Dan Lanning, who had options, probably doesn’t take the Oregon job without Cristobal stocking the cupboard for those four years.
But watching the college football selection show yesterday knowing that the Ducks would be No. 1 before it even began had me thinking about linear versus exponential gains.
Cristobal had a tougher initial job at Oregon. His teams got a little better each year.
And the Ducks are 35-5 since he left and Lanning stepped in.
Yes, the beginnings of the NIL and transfer portal era (and Phil Knight) have played a large part in that. But I also think you’re crazy if you don’t think that the 38-year-old up on that Big Ten Championship stage with tears in his eyes and a hoarse voice as he talked about how proud he was of his progrum was the catalyst in navigating all of that.
“I don’t think it’s any secret what this team wants to accomplish,” Lanning said Saturday night. “But you don’t get there just by looking at it. It takes work.”
The Ducks want to win a national championship. I believe they can do it. But if Lanning only knew Saturday night how much work the Ducks were facing…
The Bracket
Yeah, it’s a bear. The Ducks won their bye as the No. 1 seed, but to win a national championship they’ll face a gauntlet that could include:
Ohio State, Texas and Georgia.
Watching this Oregon team in 2024, have I ever thought this was the best college football team of all time? No. However, if Oregon wins this national championship after going 13-0, then having to beat Ohio State, Texas and Georgia, well, my opinion won’t matter a lick.
Nobody has ever had to do that. And judging by the collective outrage from fans and national media, I don’t think anyone will have to do that again. College football will figure this seeding thing out after the Ducks are either torn up or crowned by the process.
“What an opportunity for us,” Lanning said on Sunday. “I’m excited about getting the opportunity to compete in the Rose Bowl. I think that regardless the end-all goal, you’re going to get to play some unbelievable teams in that process. I’m excited that we get to go play against great competition. That’s what playoff moments are about.”
Lanning and his Ducks do welcome the opportunity for greatness. And I do think he knows exactly what winning this national championship would do for the foundation of a young coach’s legacy.
But 16-0, with that schedule? Good luck, Coach.
Tez Johnson as DAT guy
Yes, we’ve all heard Tez Johnson and the Nixs. But one of the undersold stories has been the relationship that Johnson has with his birth mother, and the fact that up until Saturday she had never seen him play football.
That changed in Indy, as Shamika Johnson was in attendance to see her son catch 11 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown.
“I told them, like, ‘This is the first game y’all coming to, I’ll give you all a show. I promise you that,’” Johnson said. “I don’t know if words can explain it, my mom, just seeing the tears in her eyes being able to watch me play on a stage like this. My family had never seen it before. Just being able to get them to the game, words can’t explain, bro. It’s something you dream about.”
Johnson was named the MVP of Oregon’s 45-37 win over Penn State, doing so with enough flash that I noticed a common theme in my mentions during the game.
People like comparing Johnson with De’Anthony Thomas.
Of course, Oregon’s original speedster played a few more roles for the Ducks — he was just as impactful as a running back as he was a receiver. However, seeing Johnson with the ball in his hands in open space sure does bring back that familiar feeling. Johnson sees the field three moves ahead while moving at full speed. And that’s something I’ll miss watching in 2025.
“I’ve played football for a long time. And when you’re around people that love the game, love life, and do what they do in a special way, you appreciate that. And Tez is a huge part of what we do,” quarterback Dillon Gabriel said. “And him being on the field makes us a lot better. I’m proud of him. I’m proud of the leader he is. I’m proud of the way he fights through adversity.”
Dontae Manning, the no-longer forgotten five-star
Dontae Manning was a household name in Eugene before he ever played a snap. Back in the days when signing classes weren’t loaded with five-stars at Oregon, Manning was part of a three-member five-star class in 2020 that many thought would be the program’s cornerstone for years to come.
There was Noah Sewell, the seismic linebacker and younger brother of Oregon legend Penei Sewell. There was Justin Flowe, whose theatrics on the field during his high school career left a trail of tall tales up and down the Southern California coast.
And last, but certainly not least, there was Manning, a 5-star corner out of Kansas City who signed with the Ducks a little bit later than the first two, but came with no less sense of expectation.
All three had massively different Oregon careers.
Flowe spent his two years in Eugene injured before hitting the transfer portal. Sewell was a hit from the start and parlayed his play on the field into a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
And Manning has been a slow burn.
He’s in his fifth season now with the Ducks, has never had a starring role but has always been just good enough to be in the mix. Other Oregon corners have passed him by, but when given the opportunity on Saturday, Manning made the most of it.
Manning’s second-quarter interception of Drew Allar set up a one-yard touchdown run from Jordan James that put the Ducks up two scores. Afterward, I saw Manning walking by himself on the field singing along to “Shout” as it played over the PA with confetti still falling from the Lucas Oil Stadium rafters.
I reckon not many players in Oregon history have heard that song more. I also don’t think hearing it has ever meant more. It’s been a challenging year for Manning, who lost one of his best friends this summer when former Oregon Ducks defensive back Khyree Jackson was killed by a drunk driver.
“I can’t sit here and say that I’m cool or my mental is good, but the people in this program are the reason that keep me going,” Manning said before the season began. “Just being able to be held by everyone in the program during a tragic time like this, that’s all that I could ever want.”
Saturday night, he channeled his friend.
“Before I came into this game, I said I was going to let the ‘Rhee come out of me,” Manning said. “Just let his way of how he played and how he see the game, just let it breathe through me.”
Bryce Boettcher the football player
Bryce Boettcher is the best linebacker I’ve ever seen at Oregon. Granted, it hasn’t been the strongest position for the Ducks in my decade-plus on the beat. But Joe Walker was really good. Troy Dye was iconic and Sewell was Sewell. But it’s just uncanny how often Boettcher is in on every single play. He’s fast, tackles well, isn’t hurting for size and is one of the unquestioned leaders of this group.
Again, Boettcher has a future in baseball. He was already selected by the Astros in the 13th round. But I truly believe he hasn’t just played himself into the NFL this year, I think he’d be a high pick, too.
Boettcher was asked what it was like playing in an NFL stadium in Indianapolis.
“We could have lined the ball up on the sandlot across the street, no fans, just be Bloody Tuesday all over again,” Boettcher said. “We were thankful it was in a dome without the weather. Probably benefited them that it’s not the cold weather because we’re from Eugene, we’re used to that. But we got it done. And go Ducks.”
The camera roll (and confetti for subscribers)
Indianapolis was quite the trip. Trying to save a few bucks, I took the scenic route getting there (train to Seattle, flight to Indy with a pitstop in Chicago) that took 14 hours from front door to hotel room and ended with me kinda getting away with (jokingly) calling legendary Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington a bitch.
Oh, the places this job takes you.
Here’s the Big Ten Championship from my iPhone camera roll (make sure you stick around until the end, I have some stuff to give out.)
And finally: I have a backpack with a lot of confetti in it. As a maybe-weird thank you for supporting The I-5 Corridor, if you send an email to tyson@i-5corridor.com with your address in it, I, Tyson Alger, will send you a couple of pieces of confetti — until supplies run out.
While I have your attention:
Just a reminder that the holidays are coming up, we have gift subscriptions to sell and a few more trips our financial team (me) are bracing for.
So, as the Ducks make their way to the Rose Bowl and beyond, consider The I-5 Corridor when you go shopping this month. It would certainly mean a lot on our end — and we got some really good stories on the way the next two months.
Thank you all for being a part of the ride so far.
— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor
