As a fan of Oregon (not just the university) sports, I haven'd had a lot to celebrate in my life. I have never seen a championship, or even a division title for the Blazers. The Ducks won the Pac-10 title last year which was the first time I had ever seen that. And the Ducks also won the Pac-10 basketball tournament in 2007. Yep, that about sums it up. I know that OSU won back-to-back national championships in baseball, but I am only really counting sports that I care about. Sorry Beaver and baseball fans.
In fact, last year's Rose Bowl was probably the biggest sporting event that I have ever been able to cheer for. Think about it: Ducks win the Pac-10 and play in a BCS bowl game. The only other event that is as significant would be the 2001 Fiesta Bowl when the Ducks were robbed out of a National Championship birth and proceeded to destroy Colorado.
Not this year though. This year, it is the big dance for the Oregon Ducks and their fans. They have a chance to prove themselves as the best team in the country (sorry TCU, sucks to suck). And this is the first championship game that I have ever rooted for my team in. So win or lose, this will be the biggest sporting contest I've seen.
Just for shits and giggles, let's take a look at the list that this tops (this is going to be painful, just a heads up):
Western Conference Finals, Game 7, 2000
Do I even need to describe this one? Is there any point? If you are a Blazers fan and you don't have this date etched in your mind forever, you need to reconsider your fandom. If I write anything more about this, I might cry, so I think I will just move on.
2010 Rose Bowl
The Ducks make it to their first BCS game since 2001, meeting Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks secondary has feasted on quarterbacks who make mistakes, intercepting passes with impunity. So of course, with Terelle Pryor leading Ohio State, this one seemed like a gimmie for the Ducks. Nope, Terelle Pryor plays like a first round draft pick, completing 23 of 37 passes for 266 yards and rushes for 72 yards as Ohio State won 26-17. His numbers weren't outstanding, but it was the way that Pryor efficiently and effectively led drives, refusing to let Oregon's offense see the field while gassing the defense. Disappointment again.
2002 and 2007 Elite Eights
Oregon made the Elite Eight twice in my lifetime, and these were the two times. In 2002, I was in 6th grade, and loving life as the Ducks ran through the tournament. Then they ran into Kansas and were steamrolled in the quarterfinals, 104-86, a score much closer than the game actually was. Then, in 2007, when the team should have been renamed the Oregon Aaron Brooks, they met the reigning champions Florida, who beat them 85-77, another score closer than game was. Why do all the most significant games of my life end in defeat?
1st Round NBA Playoffs, 2009, Game 1
The Blazers haven't seen the playoffs since 2003, we've been through hell and back, overachieved this season and became the media darlings. Blazer fans had waited and waited for this. Then, they laid an egg. And badly. The Blazers were manhandled by the Rockets, 108-81.
Alright, so the top five games of my life have all ended in bitter disappointment. I am noticing a trend. But this time I have a good feeling. I don't feel like breaking down the game since ESPN has done that ad nauseum and did a much better job of it. So I am just going to make a prediction and that's it.
Oregon 33 - Auburn 28
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Pete, are you going to cry if they loose?
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