Just minutes after the Oregon football team handed Arizona a 48-29 loss on Friday, I found myself standing near the visitor’s locker room waiting for postgame interviews. A light rain was falling as fans slowly littered onto the field to celebrate the victory.
Suddenly, a familiar tune caught my ear as the Oregon band blared its horns. It was Queen’s “We Are the Champions,” which at first was a bit perplexing.
“Wow,” I thought. “A little presumptuous, isn’t it?”
Then it hit me: Oregon had clinched a Pacific-10 Conference title with its victory that night. I had been concentrating so much on the game itself that the accomplishment had eluded me. For the second straight year, Oregon stood at the top of the conference.
Of course, it makes sense that I wasn’t thinking about the Pac-10. Oregon has been ranked at the top of polls for so long that the national championship is all anyone can think about. There are bigger and better things on the horizon than a Pac-10 title and another trip to the Rose Bowl.
But when you stop to think about it, it really is crazy how far this program has come in such a short time.
Remember last season, when the Civil War turned into the War of Roses? When the entire city of Eugene couldn’t wait to face off with Ohio State on New Year’s Day?
Now, here we are, literally forgetting that we just won the Pac-10 championship. Surely some fans were more aware than I was, but in talking to friends, I know I wasn’t the only one to overlook this accomplishment. Quite simply, the stakes have become so high this year that another trip to the Rose Bowl would almost be seen as a disappointment.
Still, it would be unfair not to give props to Chip Kelly and the players when they so clearly deserve it. Winning the Pac-10 in consecutive years is a big step forward for the program, and the fact that the Ducks were able to clinch sole possession of the title a full week before the end of the regular season is itself impressive.
It is easy to forget that Oregon had two losses going into the Civil War last year, and that another loss would have sent the Ducks back to the Holiday Bowl for the second year in a row.
The Holiday Bowl is out of the picture this year. Really, the Rose Bowl has taken its place as the “consolation prize” should the Ducks lose to Oregon State. Even a year ago, could anyone have imagined a trip to Pasadena being a backup plan? As fans and reporters, we have quickly become spoiled.
You can see this ethos subtly creeping in with the Oregon players, too. Asked about clinching the Pac-10 title on Friday, Darron Thomas flashed a sly grin before responding, as if thinking, “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
This is not to say that they are getting overconfident, and another trip to the Rose Bowl is certainly a possibility (if you’re overlooking Oregon State in Corvallis, you’re crazy). The point to take out of this is simply that the mind-set of Oregon players, coaches, and fans alike has clearly shifted.
Oregon is no longer that fun team that is relevant only on the West Coast. Very quickly the Ducks have shot into the national picture. ESPN College GameDay will shoot from an Oregon game for the third time this year on Saturday. The Civil War will be the seventh game of the season that is televised by a national network. In short, we’ve hit the big time.
All of this explains how I so easily forgot about the Pac-10 title last Friday. I committed the cardinal sin in Chip Kelly’s book: looking ahead to Jan. 10, 2011, when the Ducks could very well be playing for a national championship.
Forgive me, Chip, but it’s difficult to keep expectations in check these days. Two more wins are needed before “We Are the Champions” really hits home.
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Malee: As Ducks reach rare air, roses begin to stink
Daily Emerald
November 29, 2010
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