By Ken Goe

The Las Vegas Bowl -- 12:30 p.m. today, ABC -- ends the Oregon Ducks' up-and-down 2017 football season.

The Ducks wrap up against Boise State in a game that also serves as the starting point for Mario Cristobal's tenure as UO coach.

It will be interesting to see what subtle differences there might be in the way Cristobal handles the team and manages the game.

One key change will be that offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo will call the plays. Ex-coach Willie Taggart was the UO play-caller during the season. As good as Taggart was at some things, his play-calling wasn't universally applauded.

This game might be the last for defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt on the UO sideline. I haven't heard anything officially, but you have to wonder how happy Leavitt was to be passed over for Cristobal when athletic director Rob Mullens replaced Taggart.

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The O's John Canzano went to the Las Vegas Bowl pre-game presser and left disappointed by the lack of drama.

I wonder how much fire smolders below of the surface in both programs, the Ducks because they want to put the Taggart drama behind them and the Broncos because they often feel disrespected by Pac-12 schools in the Northwest.

When the Ducks played at Boise State in 2009, then-UO athletic director Mike Bellotti told me he would look seriously into whether Oregon should continue to schedule the Broncos.

If the Broncos had their way, the two programs would meet regularly.

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As the Idaho Statesman's Chadd Cripe writes, Oregon and Boise State are natural adversaries, and should play each other.

And finally, I worked for years with Paul Buker at The Oregonian. I loved seeing his byline on this USA Today piece breaking down the Las Vegas Bowl.

Incidentally, Buker picks the Broncos to win.

Maybe working together for so long has caused us to see the world in the same way, I picked Boise State too.

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Andrew Greif has some basics about the game for The O.

OK, more links:

The R-G's Austin Meek takes a look back at Oregon's last Las Vegas Bowl appearance, a debacle that became a turning point for the program.

Senior tackle Tyrell Crosby will play today against Boise State, and change his number to honor the Las Vegas shooting victims.

Nobody would have blamed Crosby had he opted out, but the UO senior chooses to play.

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UO seniors end their roller coaster college careers in today's Las Vegas Bowl.

Relationships with Cristobal and quarterback Justin Herbert convince Arroyo to stay with the Ducks.

The Portland Tribune's Jason Vondersmith predicts Herbert will lead Oregon to a double-digit victory over Boise State.

Cristobal is eager to make a good first impression.

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After all the off-the-field drama, the Ducks look forward to getting back on the field today.

The Ducks will have a new look today in Las Vegas.

Five key moments from the UO season.

Five key moments from Boise State's season.

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The Broncos are itching for another shot at a Pac-12 power.

A look at the underdog Broncos' best chance of winning the game.

Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien is riding high.

High school quarterback Cedrick Wilson has turned into a top threat as a Boise State receiver.

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BSU coach Bryan Harsin remains hopeful gimpy players Alexander Mattison and Jake Roh will play today.

UO board of trustees approves coach Cristobal's contract.

Oregon State receiver Seth Collins was charged with assault before leaving the program.

Collins is arraigned Thursday on the assault charge.

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Four-star OSU quarterback recruit flips from Oregon State to Iowa.

Washington State defensive coordinator Alex Grinch emerges as a candidate for a job at Ohio State.

Grinch is a hot commodity, and could move on after the Holiday Bowl.

Apparently WSU coach Mike Leach doesn't interview very well.

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Leach totally botched a 2010 interview at Maryland.

The secret to WSU kicker Erik Powell's resurgence? Rice Krispies treats and apple sauce.

Greg Moore of the Arizona Republic: Pointed questions continue to swirl about the way Arizona State is handling the football program.

Dan Wolken of USA Today does some more head-scratching over what is happening in Tempe.

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Kyle Bonagura of ESPN.com: Arizona state AD Ray Anderson's master plan isn't going as expected.

After ASU offensive coordinator Billy Napier departs, the Sun Devils promote Rob Likens to succeed him.

The Sun Devils get slammed nationally for ineptitude.

ASU fans tear into the program in the wake of Napier's departure.

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ASU coach Herm Edwards has holes to fill on his coaching staff.

Ohio State and USC get into the Star Wars spirit with a Twitter war.

About 10 USC underclassmen weigh the pros and cons of declaring for the draft.

Gamble to bring in ex-UO receiver Darren Carrington paid off for Utah.

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Utah is expecting to be relatively quiet in the early signing period.

Quarterback Khalil Tate is one of several Arizona players battling flu-like symptoms.

Southern Oregon QB Tanner Trosin, who passed for over 4,500 yards, is named first-team, NAIA All-American.

Bowl president salaries put them in the upper 1 percent.

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Shallow college football coaching pool and a big hiring market led to risky hires.

The links from Duck Sports Now.

The links from Beaver Sports Now.

-- Ken Goe

kgoe@oregonian.com | @KenGoe