Although they lost the Civil War, the Ducks still get to go to the better bowl.
Despite losing to Oregon State (8-4 overall, 6-3 Pacific-10 Conference) Saturday in the 111th edition of the in-state rivalry, Oregon (8-4, 5-4) was picked to represent the Pac-10 in the 74th Sun Bowl in El Paso, Tex., while the Beavers will travel to San Francisco for the Emerald Bowl.
Given that Oregon State played in the Sun Bowl last year, the bowl’s selection committee wanted a different team representing the Pac-10. The Ducks will square off against No. 23 South Florida (9-3, 4-3 Big East Conference), a team, like Oregon, that was ranked No. 2 in the nation before eventually falling to an unranked Rutgers 30-27 on a Thursday night game on Oct. 18. Apparently the parallel storylines between Oregon and South Florida were too enticing to select the Beavers for a second year in a row.
“We are truly excited about having the opportunity to host the University of Oregon,” Sun Bowl chairman John H. Folmer said. “The opportunity to have two former No. 2s in the Brut Sun Bowl was something that we could not pass up on. It truly is an exciting storyline that I think fans nationwide would be interested in seeing.”
Both schools had amazing success this season as neither were ranked in any of the preseason polls. The Ducks and Bulls were ranked within the first three weeks and each went on to beat five bowl-bound teams. The Sun Bowl, as it turns out, will be a story of what could have been for both teams who suffered the fate of the ‘No. 2 curse.’ The Sun Bowl never seemed to be an option when the teams were at their highest point.
After Saturday’s game, however, the Ducks were hardly thinking if their possible bowl selection.
“We need a week off,” center Max Unger said after Saturday’s game. “I can’t think of the last time we’ve had some time off. This will be nice.”
Still, Unger had to vent on the crippling injuries that destroyed Oregon’s chances of the national title.
“It’s frustrating to see what this team could have been,” Unger said. “We lost some key guys down the stretch and I really wish some things would have turned out differently.”
This is the fourth appearance in the Sun Bowl for the Ducks, who last appeared in El Paso in 2003 and lost to Minnesota 31-30.
The Sun Bowl will be played Monday, Dec. 31 at 11 a.m. and will be shown on CBS.
Tickets can be purchased at the Sun Bowl Association office, 915-533-4416, 800-915-2695 or [email protected].
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