My glee over Mario leaving would quickly be overshadowed by Oregon hiring Fickell.
Fickell isn't leaving the midwest.
I don't think there's an obvious successor on the staff, including Moorhead. Don't forget the only time Oregon has had to make an external hire in the last 4 decades they ended up hiring Willie Taggart.
Why would Fickell leave for Oregon when apparently he can skullfuck Touchdown Jesus and still get the Notre Dame job? He can also wait to take over Ohio State when Ryan Day goes to the NFL, gets caught with a live boy/dead girl, or loses to Michigan twice. Also, doubt Oregon would ever pursue him.
I do have a hot take: Willie Taggart would have been successful at Oregon. It’s not just that his offense went 6-1 averaging 52 points per game when Herbert was playing, with 290 passing/280 rushing. He gave guys rhabdo and inflated recruiting to pump-and-dump but he was good enough to succeed with Oregon’s built in support system. The momentum he could have generated with Herbert, that OL, WR recruiting, and a gruntled Leavitt defense. Wouldn’t have surprised me to see them do better in 2018 than with Mario, Awoyo, and checked (not choked) out Leavitt.
The rest isn’t related to the quoted comment, but just Noc stream of consciousness.
Anyway, if Mario leaves it will be interesting. I think Mario is simultaneously a shitty coach and a great coach. Overall winning % says he’s elite, recruiting says he’s elite, other programs wanting to hire him, etc. Watching the games and doing the math on the recruiting says he’s far from elite. That’s why I think it will be interesting, maybe the next guy is just good and not a Schrodinger’s coach.
If a new one is needed I’d prefer Mullen. Would be okay with Wilcox. I’d probably even be okay with Moorhead. Shit, maybe Brady Hoke could even be a good coach if given the right resources and support. I’d love to make someone better say no, make them say no with their families held hostage by Nike goons, but I know that Oregon isn’t on the make them say no level USC or LSU are at.
Long before seeing Notre Dame and Oklahoma get dad dicked I’ve been under no impression that Oregon is one of the few schools that is immune. I’m in my mid-30s and in the quarter century since I’ve been old enough to understand what the fuck is going on I’ve seen Oregon have two losing seasons and 18 seasons of 9+ wins. I know one bad hire can change the trajectory, but I’ve seen an oaf with a career record of 27-47 succeed here so its difficult for my imagination to see it being fucked up too bad.