Feature Photo by Kevin Cline
Rivalries are the best part of sports. The Passion. The Intensity. The Hatred.
Everything is more intense in a rivalry game
We all love to hate the Huskies and poke fun at the Beavers (and their stupid new logo), but don’t we all watch a game and say, “I want to play that team?” What if we could actually get teams to Autzen — we do have home and home series’ with Michigan State and Texas A&M — and create new rivalries?
Stanford and Notre Dame play out of conference every year and always shell out an entertaining game. So if you could pick who the Ducks could play yearly who would you pick? Here are my top 3:
Michigan Wolverines
We all remember 2007 in the Big House. More than 100,000 fans showed up to see the Wolverines play — or try to play — the Nike poster children under Chip Kelly’s newly integrated offense.
They didn’t stand a chance. Dennis Dixon, Jonathon Stewart and Brian Paysinger demolished the over-rated Michigan squad 39-7, humbling Michigan fans and taking a hammer to the turf for good measure. The Ducks accumulated 624 yards of offense and set the bar for future Oregon offenses.
Mariota would show Michigan fans what a dual-threat QB with throwing capabilities looks like
That game surely looms in the back of Wolverines minds around the country, and I really wouldn’t mind doing that year in and year out. The Ducks have also been criticized for soft play against bigger, heavier teams. The Ducks of old may have had those problems, but I’d love to show the country what we are doing here by beating one of the most decorated football programs.
Florida Gators
I’m not sure what it is about Florida that I hate so much. It could be Urban Meyer. It could be Joakim Noah. It could be that they are in the SEC. What I do know is that recently they have been known as a team with serious speed, just like us.
Not even Florida’s defense could contain the Mamba.
There aren’t many teams in the country that have so many dynamic athletes. Playing the Gators year in and year out would be a real treat to both fan bases and any college football fan. If any team in the country could compare to Oregon’s speed, it would be Florida.
The best part about this game would be the scoreboard. Florida has a potent defense with massive defensive linemen and quick defensive backs, but I think the Ducks would put up points. Watching our defense take on Mike Gillislee and Co. would be one of the most fun battles Duck fans have seen.
Boise State
Duck! The LaGarrette Blount punch will stick in college football fans, and any general sports fans minds until the day they die. For this reason, and the fact that we lost twice to those Smurfs, I wish we played them regularly.
The Duck would gladly take on Boise State’s mascot
The trash-talk between players and fans would start weeks before the game, just like last time. Hopefully no fists would fly, but the atmosphere of the game would be something not many of the most bitter rivals can create. Proximity is also key since Boise and Eugene are driving distance and fans are bound to run into each other fairly frequently.
It may be pointless due to the hatred for each other, but both teams are the fashionistas of college football. Oregon is NikeU, and Boise State has the most recognizable field in the world. Seeing two teams that set the precedent for innovative excellence square off (no pun intended) is always fun to watch.
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Brandon is a senior at The University of Oregon majoring in Film Studies and minoring in Communications. Brandon has been a Duck fan for ten years since he moved from southern California to Salem, Oregon, and quickly realized the Ducks were the missing piece in his life. A Pac-12 fan since birth, much of his family attended UCLA and has since converted all of them to the Quack Attack. Brandon interned for the Statesman Journal covering the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and hopes to work for the Pac-12 in the near future. He also hopes to see the “Flying-V” formation played out on the football field in the fall of 2013. Brandon would love your feedback on any and all articles. Tweet me: @BrandonGruber