In a recent article from 24/7 Sports, there’s word about Our Beloved Ducks being locked into a back-to-back season series against the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2032-2033. Now, 2032 is a long way away for us Duck fans today, but this says much more about the program than what the article title indicates.
The Ducks won’t just be confirmed to be playing a perennial championship contender in college football for two consecutive seasons in the future, the Ducks are being considered as approaching the status of being a dynastic program. Despite this newfound “contendership,” true Oregon fans will unfortunately never forget the College Football Playoff debut performance of the Buckeyes and Ducks’ championship game.
Outside of the championship game even, the Buckeyes have never lost to the Ducks in a college football game before (a nine game win streak dating back to 1958), why would they value a matchup with the Ducks so highly? The scheduling payout at a lofty $3.5 million has a lot to do with the matchup this year (a rescheduling/change of matchup would be even more expensive for OSU), but there’s something more to be said about what respect the Ducks’ program has earned from a particular new coach’s vision.
Mario Cristobal’s new era of Duck football.
Mario Cristobal’s infectious energy is something to behold in the new-look Ducks program.
His reign is short lived at this point, and he may not even be the Ducks’ head coach when these two games against the Buckeyes in the future are finally played. But his mark has already been realized by neighboring elite programs.
Oregon’s football program is getting the commercial respect it deserves as well as the competitive, which is something the Ducks had started to lose grasp of before Cristobal took over the program. The reality of those two factors working in tandem for the program is: the Ducks are being respected the way they deserve by elite programs (whether it be commercially or competitively). Other teams are sure to follow Ohio State’s lead from the SEC and Big-10, as Oregon again is becoming a true West Coast contender, a status in college football they flirted with in the early 2010s.
Do you think the Buckeyes could turn into a classic matchup with the Ducks in the not-so-near future? In 2032, what are the odds Cristobal is still around to coach the team that he’s elevated to such great new heights? What do you think the chances are the Ducks beat the Buckeyes this upcoming season?
Alex Heining
Eugene, Oregon
Top Photo by: John Giustina
Related Articles:
Alex Heining is an Oregon alumni from the graduate class of 2021. After studying sports business and media studies, he has moved into the field of digital marketing as a copywriter and content manager in the Los Angeles area. Still, he loves his Ducks and goes to local high school games all over the Los Angeles and Orange County area to check out new recruits of the future (and a SoFi game or two with the pros). On any given Saturday, expect to find him doing martial arts, playing the guitar, or screaming at the tv over a missed holding penalty.