Oregon Football: NCAA Sends Ducks Notice of Inquiry

As people around the country and settling in and enjoying their Saturday of college football, fans of the Oregon Ducks may have just had their Saturday ruined.

Before the Ducks got two games under their belts, the focus was on the offseason investigation that centered around Oregon and the use of Will Lyles' recruiting services.

This morning, the University of Oregon announced that the NCAA has sent a letter of inquiry to them. This was likely the best move by the public relations group at Oregon, since the Ducks game against Missouri State will likely overshadow the amount of attention this would usually receive.

Rob Mullens, Oregon's athletic director, stated “This notice has been anticipated and is simply the next stage of the process. The University of Oregon football program, from Head Coach Chip Kelly through the entire organization, has tremendous respect for the NCAA’s important role in monitoring collegiate athletics and, to this end, continues to fully cooperate with the NCAA's ongoing examination. The Athletic Department, Coach Kelly and the entire staff remain committed to operating the athletics program consistent with the highest standards and ensuring our program follows best practices.”

While this will certainly excite some of the doubters and Pac-12 rivals, the fact is this is something that the program has been expecting and ultimately means nothing right now. This now means that the NCAA will formally investigate the recruiting services that Oregon used and draw their conclusion from the facts they collect.

The good news for Oregon is the fact that the NCAA has requested information back in the spring and has been looking into this issue for a while now. It also means that one way or another, the Oregon program will receive an answer from the NCAA and receive possible penalties on this topic.

So, just as Oregon fans are beginning to settle into Autzen Stadium, some may start to squirm in their seats, as they now know that there is a level of uncertainty as to what will ultimately happen.

Bleacher Report is your home for college football for the 2011 season. From previews to game coverage, from live blogs to updates, from the rankings to the bowls, Bleacher Report blanks the sport of college football. Keep it here throughout the season for the best news, highlights, analysis and more.