For the past two weeks the controversy pasted across grocery store magazines and throughout conversations in the checkout lines has been whether Oregon will get one of the two coveted at-large bids to the Bowl Championship Series – all right, maybe not so much in grocery stores, but definitely at all of the local water coolers. However, the question that should really be asked is: Does it really matter which bowl the Ducks play in?
After all, it was just more than a year ago that Oregon completed its first losing season in 10 years. A humiliating loss to in-state rival Oregon State settled in deeper and deeper throughout a successful off-season signing period, leaving the thoughts of whether last season was a fluke or the beginning of a tumultuous rebuilding process.
Honestly, I don’t know who thought Oregon would be 10-1 and fighting for a BCS berth at the end of the regular season. I sure didn’t. In fact, I figured the Ducks would be fighting for a spot in the Sun Bowl (as disgusting as that sounds).
Shouldn’t Oregon fans be happy to be headed to a successful bowl game, no matter where it is? The Ducks took care of business on the field and whatever was decided inside a boardroom is up to a bunch of stiffs in search of selecting the best ratings, a.k.a. pen marks in the checkbook, rather than the next ESPN Classic. Should they be disappointed with a trip to San Diego instead of Tempe, Ariz.?
Without a doubt!
Oregon earned its 10 wins and dropped its one loss. It had the potential to upset top-ranked USC and for one half, it did. Nonetheless, the Trojans outplayed the Ducks when it counted the most and won the battle on the scoreboard.
Narrow victories over three-win Arizona and four-win Washington State shouldn’t cloud the Ducks’ success. Against the Wildcats, Oregon lost its team leader, quarterback Kellen Clemens, for the season and the defensive unit stepped up. From that point, two former reserve quarterbacks guided the Oregon offense to four straight victories. Late in the season, it was the combined effort of several student-athletes that helped surge the Ducks to out duel a Cougar team which lost six conference games (excluding USC) by a combined 27 points.
Oregon should be 10-1. The Ducks earned the record just like they earned a spot against a top-tier opponent in a premier game, but in the end it wasn’t really up to anybody for the two at-large bids because they disappeared.
Following No. 4 LSU and No. 5 Virginia Tech’s implosions in their respective conference championships, Ohio State was able to move up to fourth in the final BCS standings, earning an automatic bid and so did Notre Dame, which finished sixth. That left fifth-ranked Oregon out because each one of the eight openings ended up being closed.
Duck fans can’t complain this season about being shafted, but what they can focus on is: Why does Notre Dame have so many eraser shavings surrounding the BCS rules?
Duck fans should be upset with this year’s BCS snub
Daily Emerald
December 4, 2005
Shawn Miller Full-court press
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