Ever since Mike Bellotti was able to recruit mega-donor “Uncle” Phil Knight 30 years ago into the Oregon fold, no “outsider” has won the national championship.
When I say “outsider,” I mean a program that is either not a traditional blue-blood program, or at least lacking a rich football history. Tennessee in 1998 is maybe the low man on the totem pole as far as blue-blooded programs that have won it all. But, using these parameters, I do no not believe anybody would label them as historical football “outsider.” Even our Mr. FishDuck took a break from his gaming fun using bonus code for bet365 to give me his feedback on CFB outsiders.
You would have to go back to 1990 when Colorado and Georgia Tech split the national championship that a non-traditional power (both teams) won the title. In fact, over these 30 years, Virginia Tech in 1999, Oregon in 2010 and 2014, and TCU in 2022, are the only “outsiders” who played for the championship.
So, for 30 years the Ducks have scratched and clawed their way into positioning themselves as the first “outsider” to win it all in recent history. And, over the past 15 years or so, most football pundits would most likely agree that if an “outsider” were to win it, it would be the Ducks.
Until right now.
Dan Lanning and Dante Moore discuss winning it all during the blowout win at Rutgers. (Photo by B1G Network Video)
The Indiana Hoosiers, the losingest program in college football history, after just a season and a half of playing top-notch football, is at the moment, the most likely “outsider” to realistically be able to win it all.
That is right, Oregon has been at it for 30 years, Indiana just two. So, if the Hoosiers do win it all this year: OUCH!!!
Indiana has a great quarterback and skill players. The two things that have always hindered “outside” programs — a top-notch defense and elite play at the line of scrimmage, the Hoosiers do have.
If Indiana (or any other “outside” program) does win a national championship before the Ducks, Oregon fans will be left slack-jawed and misty-eyed, crying, “That should have been us!”
It would be like a high school kid finally getting the nerve to ask out a girl he has had a crush on since kindergarten. He confidently walks up to her front door, knocks, she opens it, says “hello,” and standing behind her is another guy she motions to while asking, “Have you met Kevin? He’s new at school.”
Crushed.
As it would be for the Oregon Ducks if Indiana wins it all.
But, there is one sure way to prevent this. Time for the Ducks to take control of their own destiny and win it all!
Darren Perkins
Spokane, WA
Top photo credit: Eric Becker
Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in financial technology in SLC, Utah.
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Darren Perkins is a sales professional and 1997 Oregon graduate. After finishing school, he escaped the rain and moved to sunny Southern California where he studied screenwriting for two years at UCLA. Darren grew up in Eugene and in 1980, at the tender age of five, he attended his first Oregon football game. His lasting memory from that experience was an enthusiastic Don Essig announcing to the crowd: “Reggie Ogburn, completes a pass to… Reggie Ogburn.” Captivated by such a thrilling play, Darren’s been hooked on Oregon football ever since. Currently living in Spokane, Darren enjoys flaunting his yellow and green superiority complex over friends and family in Cougar country.