With just about four weeks left in the college football season, we have officially reached the homestretch.
Three games. Three more games on the winning side, and Oregon is all but assured a trip to the national championship game. Pretty crazy, huh?
This week’s matchup at California has had people worried for some time. Fans like to harp about the fact that Oregon hasn’t beaten the Golden Bears in Berkeley since 2001. The win against Washington last weekend wasn’t pretty — what if this is the week that everything falls apart?
Count me among those who think all this talk about Cal is unfounded. Sure, this won’t be an easy game, and the Ducks have struggled on the road this season. I’ll give you that.
But past matchups really shouldn’t factor into the thinking when it comes to this game. Consider: When Oregon last played in Berkeley in 2008, LaMichael James was warming the bench with a redshirt; Darron Thomas was a true freshman and did not play; Mike Bellotti was Oregon’s head coach, and “Win the Day” had yet to enter anyone’s vernacular.
In other words, this was a completely different Oregon team that fell 26-16 the last time it traveled to Memorial Stadium. The same goes for all of the other past losses; nothing matters but this year’s squad.
And, frankly, this year’s Oregon team is far superior to Cal in just about every category. The Ducks are number one in the nation in scoring offense (54.67 points per game). The Golden Bears? 47th, at 30 points per game. Oregon is ranked fifth in rushing offense (305.44 yards per game); California is 45th (164.78). Defensively, the Ducks are 13th in scoring, giving up 17.67 points per game; Cal is 37th (21.33).
You see where I’m going with this. Of course, statistics do not tell the entire story. It would be foolish to assume so. But when you think about it, these two teams are headed in opposite directions.
Cal, at this point, would be lucky to make a bowl game. The Golden Bears are 5-4 heading into this week, with matchups against Oregon, Stanford and Washington looming on the schedule. They narrowly defeated conference doormat Washington State last week, and lost 35-7 to Oregon State before that.
The Ducks, meanwhile, are firing on all cylinders. In what was universally considered an “off game” against Washington, they still racked up 53 points and 522 total yards of offense in a 37-point victory.
It’s really pretty remarkable, and there’s no logical reason that the trend shouldn’t continue this weekend.
Now, I know what you’re thinking — college football isn’t logical. Most of the time, it’s defined by complete insanity.
Very true. Yet, there’s something that’s a little insane about this Oregon team too, in a good way. No matter what the opposition throws at them, these kids always seem to weather the storm and respond with a fury of their own. It has happened in almost every game this year.
Some might call it a weakness; I look at this as a strength. Sure, it would be nice if the Ducks could start as fast as they finish, especially in a hostile environment like Memorial Stadium. But it says something that this team has fallen behind so many times, yet still remains undefeated and number one.
Perhaps the greatest testament to the power of this Oregon team is the fact that it has instilled confidence in me. As a sports fan, I’m just about as pessimistic as they come. At any sign of trouble, I am known to write my teams off without a second thought.
Not this year. There’s something special going on here, and it will continue in Berkeley this weekend.
Of course, as I write this, I’m also knocking on wood like crazy and praying that I haven’t jinxed everything.
Some things never change.
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