What more can be said about a subject that has received so much attention in the past week?
The women’s soccer team made the front page three times last week, and in case you missed it, Oregon, which was ranked 17th in the nation and second in the Pacific-10 Conference, was denied a NCAA playoff berth.
The official word from the NCAA is that Oregon’s weak nonconference schedule prevented our women from the chance to prove themselves on a national stage, but it’s nothing short of ridiculous that a team ranked 17th could be left out of a 64-team tournament. Oregon also defeated UCLA, which was then No. 3 in the nation, and USC, both teams that made the tournament, and were ranked higher in the Pac-10 than playoff-invitees Stanford and California – third and sixth, respectively.
But the decision has been made, and it would be an even greater injustice to snatch a playoff bid away from a team to right this wrong. So what else can be done?
It’s true that qualified teams will get snubbed every year in every sport. Many people can simply shrug it off and say, “That’s just the way it is. Playoff or bowl selections in college sports are never perfect.”
But that does not mean upset fans shouldn’t voice their opinions, and as University student Jonathan Bellg wrote in his Emerald guest commentary (“What I did about the injustice of the NCAA’s bid decision” ODE, Nov. 9), it is possible for a lone voice to get a response.
If you also feel like Oregon was slighted in this decision, visit Ncaa.com and let them know how you feel. And you never know, maybe the selection process will change in the future. As the saying goes, “A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single angry e-mail.”
Angry about soccer? Tell the NCAA how you feel
Daily Emerald
November 12, 2006
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