Flock Thoughts is a sporadic series at WFOD that aims to offer opinion and analysis on a collection of timely, newsworthy items surrounding the Oregon football program.

Think of it as going to Costco for the samples, but just replace the nice ladies in hairnets and plastic gloves with our thoughts on some of the latest developments surrounding Duck football.

Today, our focus centers on Mario Cristobal’s contract negotiations, potential departures from the Ducks’ coaching staff, Oregon stumbling its way into the Pac-12 Championship game, and a look ahead to the start of the early signing period for Oregon’s 2021 recruiting class. WFOD addresses all of that in its latest edition of Flock Thoughts.

1. How close is Mario Cristobal to inking a new extension?

A significant question that has been lingering in the minds of many Duck fans since the end of the 2019 season could be receiving an imminent answer. The speculation around a new contract extension for Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal reached a fever pitch Monday after days of conjecture linked Cristobal to the open head coaching position at Auburn once the Tigers fired Gus Malzahn this past Sunday.

Cristobal, who is currently the second-lowest paid head coach in the Pac-12, addressed those rumors in a Monday evening press conference, telling members of the media that neither he nor his agent have been contacted by Auburn officials, but that he and Oregon have been “working on something” surrounding a contract extension since the start of the pandemic in March.

When exactly a deal gets done and agreed upon is another question. Given Cristobal’s success both on the field and on the recruiting trail, one would expect the third-year head man to earn an extension that would make him the highest paid coach in the conference, and perhaps one of the highest paid coaches in college football. Time will tell, but don’t expect Cristobal and Duck fans to be stuck in limbo for much longer.

Here’s Mario Cristobal’s full response when asked about the Auburn rumors. #GoDucks #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/ODQxxG6Kwa

— Brandon Kamerman (@B_Kamerman) December 15, 2020

2. How much turnover could there be for the rest of the Oregon coaching staff?

With many expecting Cristobal to remain at Oregon for the foreseeable future with a lucrative new contract in tow, the focus could turn to which assistants remain on board as the Ducks move into 2021. With college football’s “silly season” in full swing, a handful of Oregon assistants have already been rumored to be linked to a variety of openings across the country.

Ducks strength and conditioning coordinator Aaron Feld, one of Cristobal’s first hires when he was promoted to head coach at the end of the 2017 season, has been connected to the same position at South Carolina, as Gamecocks new head coach Shane Beamer looks to assemble his staff. Feld, who originally hails from SEC country, shares a close relationship with Beamer dating back to their days at Mississippi State where Beamer was an assistant and Feld was a player.

It’s likely that any announcement on this front won’t come until after conference championship games are played this Saturday, though the idea of losing Feld could be somewhat difficult for some Duck fans to stomach. Not only has Feld developed a cult of personality around his appearance and activity on social media, but he’s also the man who was hand-picked by Cristobal to help establish SEC body types in the Pac-12. The on-field results have been generally positive thus far, though losing Feld may have more of an impact on the culture that has been touted by Cristobal than anything else, as a program’s strength coach is often the one with the most daily contact with players on the team.

Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead, defensive coordinator Andy Avalos, and defensive line coach Joe Salave’a have also been loosely attached to openings at Kentucky (Moorhead) and Arizona (Avalos and Salave’a), though it would be somewhat premature to consider any of the three to be strong candidates to head elsewhere at this time.

3. Oregon finds itself with a Pac-12 Championship berth they didn’t quite deserve

It wasn’t more than a few days ago that Oregon’s game vs. Washington was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Huskies program, which was followed by Washington being named the winners of the Pac-12 North division. From there, official announcements went out stating that Washington and USC were set to face off Friday night in Los Angeles for the Pac-12 title, while Oregon and Colorado would meet a day later in Los Angeles to settle who came away with third place in the conference.

As with all things in the COVID era, however, plans are subject to change.

On Monday, Washington announced that the outbreak of the virus hadn’t improved enough to the point where the Huskies would be able to competitively take the field against the Trojans, forcing them to pull out of Friday’s game. With that, the Ducks take the place of their rival with a chance to not only win a second straight conference title, but also punch their ticket to a New Year’s Six bowl game.

Whether the Ducks actually deserve the opportunity they’ve been given is certainly debatable, at least as it relates to how they’ve performed on the field their last two games. Oregon’s defense has been maligned for the vast majority of the season, though stepped up with a strong performance at Cal two weeks ago. Oregon’s offense, on the other hand, had been humming along – albeit inefficiently at times – until the second half in Berkeley, when the Ducks were shut out over the final two quarters in a 21-17 loss. Riding a two-game losing streak, the Ducks are far from a team who is playing its best football, but somewhat miraculously find themselves on the precipice of accomplishing back-to-back Pac-12 titles for the first time since 2010-2011.

4. What to expect with the start of the early signing period this Wednesday

Much of the proverbial hay is in the barn for the Ducks as the start of the early signing period begins Wednesday. Though Cristobal and his staff suffered de-commitments from Kyron Ware-Hudson, Jadarrius Perkins, and Christian Burkhalter within the span of two weeks, the Ducks are expected to head into Wednesday with at least 20 commitments to a 2021 recruiting class that currently ranks sixth nationally, per 247Sports’ Composite Team Rankings.

The only real question entering Wednesday is whether the Ducks can add to that core group of 20. Three-star JUCO offensive lineman Jordan Moko and four-star linebacker Jonathan Flowe – the younger brother of Oregon true freshman and former five-star linebacker Justin Flowe – are two players who could be in the mix to sign with the Ducks at the start of the early signing period, but it wouldn’t shock to see either player delay putting pen to paper until after the early signing period comes to a close.

Top Photo: Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal (Jenny Rydstedt/Whole Flock of Ducks)