For a reminder that Duck football is bigger than one game, and the Oregon squad members are more than just football players, please enjoy this story. It's an exceptional read:
https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/08/29/k...mmqb&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social
The Ducks are running a little bit counter to the trend in college football scheduling-wise. Most programs, Stanford and USC being notable exceptions, schedule to protect their record and give themselves the maximum chance for the playoffs or a big bowl, the most glaring example being the SEC schools booking a home game against Samford, The Citadel or Southern Idaho in November.
The formula for many teams seems to be play 8 conference games and 7 to 8 home games, never leave your home region and build in as many breathers and cupcakes as possible.
That's safe, but it's not how you get better.
What the Ducks have done instead is to test themselves head-on against the most storied programs in the sport, traveling to Arlington this week to face Auburn, slating a home-and-home with Ohio State and a future trip to Atlanta to meet Georgia in the Kickoff Classic (2022).
The Ducks will find out right away and annually how real their progress is, whether they've closed the gap with the best competition.
They had some trouble on the road last year. This outstanding group of freshmen are getting a crash course in hostile environments and big games. No reporter can reasonably ask them in the future, "How do you prepare for Team X? Is there any special pressure in facing a powerhouse, nationally-ranked opponent in Week 1?"
From this point forward, the Ducks can know "we've done it before." And they'll quickly find out what the standards are, how ready you have to be to face a team with elite speed and physicality.
Then their next challenge will be taking the lessons of this game, whatever they are, whatever the outcome, accepting them, and facing forward to the next game and the next.
Losing or winning in Arlington the goals and challenges are the same. Either outcome is a beginning, not an end.
https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/08/29/k...mmqb&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social
The Ducks are running a little bit counter to the trend in college football scheduling-wise. Most programs, Stanford and USC being notable exceptions, schedule to protect their record and give themselves the maximum chance for the playoffs or a big bowl, the most glaring example being the SEC schools booking a home game against Samford, The Citadel or Southern Idaho in November.
The formula for many teams seems to be play 8 conference games and 7 to 8 home games, never leave your home region and build in as many breathers and cupcakes as possible.
That's safe, but it's not how you get better.
What the Ducks have done instead is to test themselves head-on against the most storied programs in the sport, traveling to Arlington this week to face Auburn, slating a home-and-home with Ohio State and a future trip to Atlanta to meet Georgia in the Kickoff Classic (2022).
The Ducks will find out right away and annually how real their progress is, whether they've closed the gap with the best competition.
They had some trouble on the road last year. This outstanding group of freshmen are getting a crash course in hostile environments and big games. No reporter can reasonably ask them in the future, "How do you prepare for Team X? Is there any special pressure in facing a powerhouse, nationally-ranked opponent in Week 1?"
From this point forward, the Ducks can know "we've done it before." And they'll quickly find out what the standards are, how ready you have to be to face a team with elite speed and physicality.
Then their next challenge will be taking the lessons of this game, whatever they are, whatever the outcome, accepting them, and facing forward to the next game and the next.
Losing or winning in Arlington the goals and challenges are the same. Either outcome is a beginning, not an end.
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