You know what they say: the third time’s the charm!

For the third time in my collegiate life, the Oregon Ducks played in a conference championship game. For the second time in two years, I got to cover it with the Daily Emerald. For the first time in history, the Ducks are champions of the Big Ten.

It was well worth the wait to watch confetti fall from the rafters at Lucas Oil Stadium. 

The trip out (and back) was brutal. Lost luggage (thanks, American Airlines), a sprint through the Dallas Airport and a lack of dining options in Indianapolis all spelled out bad omens for the trip. 

But, it didn’t matter. It was all worth it. 

The opportunity to stay in the media hotel in Indianapolis was surreal. Bumping elbows with the writers I see every day as well as national media who I recognized in a heartbeat gave me an odd sense of belonging. Being surrounded by talent and stories in an NFL press box gave me aspirations of my future, one I hope to center around this industry. 

The game wasn’t until 8 p.m. EST (truly, I don’t know how people can be sports fans on the East Coast), so I had a lot of time to kill on Saturday. Indianapolis had a fair amount to offer. A cool shopping center provided a chance to replace the clothes I lost and provided a view of the studding city center. I walked around the capitol building, NCAA Hall of Champions, 9/11 Memorial and several nice parks. With time to kill, sightseeing became an enjoyable task. 

I walked around fanfest and got to meet up with people I’ve interviewed, gone to class with and seen on countless gamedays. The city of Indianapolis really did a nice job creating a fun and entertaining atmosphere around one of the biggest games of the season.

I got into the stadium three hours ahead of game time, so I got to walk around the stadium and enjoy some press box food. I met up with my counterpart from Penn State, and it was awesome to be able to talk to him and hear his stories from the season. 

The press box in Indy was pretty nice aside from two major flaws. The wifi didn’t remotely work and the windows were closed. One of the best parts of an open-air press box is being able to feel the environment and hear the crowd. Closed-window press boxes deprive journalists of that aspect. No matter. To be there was well worth it. 

One perk of being a credentialed journalist was a vote in the Big Ten Championship MVP race. I’m pleased to report that I got it right. My vote, Tez Johnson, became the first wide receiver to win the prestigious award. 

Somehow faster than Tez Johnson was on Saturday, my fingers flew across my keyboard for the better part of four hours. Live updates, game recaps and Twitter posts flew out of my computer at a rate only Oregon’s offense could hope to match. As the Ducks put up 45 points, my workload (and my night) got heavier and longer. Again, you won’t hear a complaint from me. It was all incredibly worth it. 

I got to talk to a dejected Penn State team and an excited yet hungry Oregon squad after the game ended. I posted my article, and walked down to the field to soak it in one last time. I got back to the hotel around 1:45 in the morning, my Uber for the airport left at 5 a.m. It was a very short night, but so worth it. 

I’ll never forget these incredible experiences made possible by kind-hearted donors and my Daily Emerald pro team. As the season progresses and the 12-team playoff debuts, I vow to make every dollar spent on student journalism worth it.