Oregon
Oregon Ducks’ Rose Bowl Broadcast Team Announced: Kirk Herbstreit?
As the No. 1 Oregon Ducks await their opponent in the Rose Bowl Game in the College Football Playoff, ESPN revealed that Kirk Herbstreit and Christ Fowler will be in the broadcast booth for the Ducks’ game on New Year’s Day. Hebstreit and Fowler will be joined by sideline reporter Holly Rowe.
The 2025 Rose Bowl will be Herbstreit’s 17th year calling the game, and no other analyst has done so more times. In fact, the broadcast booth in the stadium has been named after Herbstreit, and the ESPN analyst is a member of the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.
Before the Ducks play in the Rose Bowl, the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers will face off in Columbus, Ohio. The winner gets a trip to Pasadena, facing Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
ESPN’s team of Herbstreit, Fowler, and Rowe will also be broadcasting the first round game between Ohio State and Tennessee on Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. PT.
Lanning spoke with the media about the opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl and Oregon’s connection to the game as a former Pac-12 school winning the Big Ten Championship in their first year as members of the conference.
Lanning spoke with the media about the opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl and Oregon’s connection to the game as a former Pac-12 school winning the Big Ten in their first year as members of the conference.
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Lanning spoke with the media about the opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl and Oregon’s connection to the game as a former Pac-12 school winning the Big Ten in their first year as members of the conference.
“Being on this side of the country, this is a game you dream of the opportunity to coach in. This is one of the ones that I haven’t gotten to do yet. It’s certainly a thrill for me,” said Lanning. “Phil [Knight] has always told me his number one goal is ‘Can we get to the Rose Bowl?’ So, I’m extremely ecstatic that our team gets to be a part of such a historic game, the Granddaddy of Them All.”
Despite holding the No. 1 overall seed in the playoff bracket, one could argue that Ducks have one of the more difficult routes to the national championship. Oregon coach Dan Lanning isn’t concerned, however.
“The end-all goal, you’re gonna get to face some unbelievable teams in that process,” said Lanning. “So, I’m excited that we get to play against great competition. That’s what playoff moments are about.”
In addition to hosting ESPN’s primetime broadcast team, the Rose Bowl has traditionally been the site of College GameDay for the build-up to the College Football Playoff. As a result, there will be a lot of eyes on Oregon.
Before last season’s semifinal game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Michigan Wolverines, the entire crew of Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lee Corso made the trip out to Pasadena.
The Oregon Ducks will play either the Ohio State Buckeyes or Tennessee Volunteers in the Rose Bowl Stadium on New Year’s Day at 2 p.m. PT.
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The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
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‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
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