I know it's not politics, but it's a great football game
Paul Gronke
It's not politics, but today's game between the University of Oregon Ducks and the USC Trojans is the biggest game of the weekend and one of the most important games of the season. The winner controls their own destiny in the Pac 10, will be in the Bowl Championship Series, and has an outside chance at a national championship game.
And after Kari's USC Trojans lose, will finally be off their perch as the reigning college football dynasty.
For those of you who want politics in every post, if Oregon wins this game and wins out the season, it will raise the profile of the U of O nationwide, bring in a few million dollars, and increase the size and quality of their applicant pool. This last effect has been shown many time--perhaps sad, but definitely true.
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Oct 27, '07
I'm a diehard Duck fan, alumnus, and former UO athlete, but I have to say that I think USC will win.
The last two years have seen the Ducks ranked as the top offense in the PAC-10 going into the USC game, and get crushed each time by their superior defense.
This time looks to be no different. Yes, people will say that the UO offense is even better, and USC is worse, but the recent injuries are going in the wrong directions-- the Ducks have lost 3 top players for the season, whereas USC has looked bad with a rash of short-term injuries, but most of those guys will be back for this game, and USC will be at full strength for the first time in a while.
I'll be thrilled if the Ducks win, but won't be surprised if they don't.
10:01 a.m.
Oct 27, '07
The bad thing is, if the Ducks lose, Kari will be insufferable. I, however, will be at the Beavers game, where our loyal locals take on the Trojan-killers. Less attention, but I'll be enjoying myself.
Oct 27, '07
It has been such a weird season, I would not be suprised if Oregon Wins out and goes to the BCS championship game Vs. Boston College. We could also call it the "Sam Adams Bowl".
Oct 27, '07
Oregon 7 - 'SC 3 almost half time.
Oct 27, '07
Oregon is blessed with excellent luck to not get punished for several errors. They lead at half, 10-3
1:33 p.m.
Oct 27, '07
Luck, hell! The defense is turning a HUGE effort. The offense has been slowed but not stopped, and that Trojan defense will wear in the second half. I respect the USC coaching staff to adjust some; we saw a little on that last Duck drive--but you gotta execute and I think UO's offensive line is just blowing USC's front four off the ball. The linebackers are very fast, but Dixon still looks a touch faster most runs.
If Oregon doesn't panic, they're on a fast track to BCS and a very possible title chance.
Oct 27, '07
tj, I think we agree on Oregon's fantastic line, overpowering D, etc. I was just stating that 'Sc usually capitalizes on mistakes and errors. We both watched the ducks execute a few of those as well....
3:46 p.m.
Oct 27, '07
Well, just as I was surfing onto the news sites, I see this:
BREAKING NEWS: Ducks beat USC
No. 5 Oregon pulled away from the No. 9 Trojans on Saturday during the second half. A late-game interception sealed the win for the Ducks, who beat USC 24-17.
4:05 p.m.
Oct 27, '07
No slight intended to either of those two ranked teams but the Washington/Arizona game was better. AZ scored in the final two minutes to pull ahead for the win at 48 to 41 at Washington.
And no, I'm not a fan of either team. It was simply a better game.
6:36 p.m.
Oct 27, '07
The bad thing is, if the Ducks lose, Kari will be insufferable.
And it seems that you'll all be spared that.
12:09 p.m.
Oct 28, '07
Next up: Arizona State. I predict Mr. Chisholm will suddenly become a duck!
And the OSU/UM confrontation is shaping up nicely.
12:27 p.m.
Oct 28, '07
Tried to log in to Blue Oregon this morning and only got the headers and a blank page.
Is this some kind of calcualted mourning over the loss by the Trojans, or is it a more obscure and sinister ploy by the Merkley supporting Blue Oregon Leadersip?
We shall see..........
<hr/>Anyhow, that was the first college game that I've watched in probably fifteen years and it was a good one (for me anyway).
12:35 p.m.
Oct 28, '07
Pat, I got the same thing when I loaded Blue O this morning. If you'd scrolled down the page like I did then you would have found the content. Not sure why the formatting was all messed up but everything was still here, if much less user-friendly to access.
Oct 28, '07
I wasn't able to see the game but I am glad the Ducks won. I would like to address the last part of Paul's post. As someone who grew up in Columbus OH, I can attest to the fact that a strong football team can make a stronger school. I resisted going to Ohio State (it seemed like everyone in Columbus went there). When my dad was downsized I did not have a lot of other options so off I went.
One of the arguements my parents made it Ohio State's favor was that anywhere you go, it seems that people have heard of Ohio State. A lot of smaller schools are as well known out of the area. A lot of that is because of football. Now in Oregon I find that it holds true.
Now we might have a Ducks vs. Bucks game in the end.
2:15 p.m.
Oct 28, '07
Next up: Arizona State. I predict Mr. Chisholm will suddenly become a duck!
Yes... Alma mater first, home state next. Go ducks!
2:16 p.m.
Oct 28, '07
As for the technical glitch here, we're working on it. It seems that there's some bad code coming from BlogAds.com, our advertising partner.
Oct 28, '07
A very entertaining game with weaknesses exposed in both teams.
10:21 p.m.
Oct 28, '07
What, no Beaver chat? How about that MONSTER defeat of Stanford? Okay, maybe it wasn't a first-pager, but I still enjoyed myself. I'm actually in Kari's camp on the alma mater first (On Wisconsin, On Wisconsin, plunge right through that line...!) But here's where I'm running into trouble on home-state loyalty: Ducks or Beavs? I guess I'd never been forced to choose, but now that I've encountered more than a few Beavs as I attend the games, I see there's a certain question of fidelity, particularly on that last game of the season.
But on days when the Trojans play the Ducks, all true and good Oregonians know whom to cheer.
As to that BlueOregon leadership business, you best finger Kari alone. Ain't no one else I know of who supports dastardly USC.
3:48 p.m.
Oct 29, '07
On the politics side of this issue, there is a story in this week's Chronicle of Higher Ed about the relationship between large donors and universities.
U of O and Phil Knight are the main focus of the story.
The site is http://chronicle.com/weekly/v54/i09/09a01201.htm, but I think it may require a subscription.
4:54 p.m.
Oct 29, '07
But here's where I'm running into trouble on home-state loyalty: Ducks or Beavs? I guess I'd never been forced to choose, but now that I've encountered more than a few Beavs as I attend the games, I see there's a certain question of fidelity, particularly on that last game of the season.
Here's the approach I've used happily since I was a very young Oregonian:
Whenever Oregon or Oregon State play anyone else, you root for them. When they play each other, you root for the one with the most to gain from a win.
6:08 p.m.
Oct 29, '07