Are the Oregon Ducks good enough to play in the Big Ten? It’s a valid question considering the Ducks lost to Stanford, Oklahoma, and got desecrated twice by Utah last season. And it’s not like the Pac-12 was grandma’s enchiladas, more like dry cereal. In Big Ten country, regular matchups include Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Thee Ohio State. Not to mention recently added USC and UCLA. Is staying in the Pac-12 the best thing that could’ve happened to Oregon? Or did the Ducks get soiled?
The Bad
Honestly, Oregon isn’t in that bad of a situation. But reality was dropped on the Eugene fanbase. Central Oregon is not LA.
So the bad here is more of an ego check.
No matter how good UO gets, they’ll never have the television market to compete with LA, Phoenix, and those guys up north.
According to stationindex.com, Eugene’s market isn’t even in the top 100.
The three cities mentioned above rank second, 12th, and 14th. Not to mention the Bay Area schools and the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose market, which lands No. 6
So this is where the small town charm of Eugene does hurt the Ducks.
Even though Portland boasts the No. 22 market in the nation, it’s not within commuter distance of Eugene, which is different from the four schools listed above.
Top 100 Television Markets – Station Index
Oregon also lacks historical success, which may deter big networks from trusting their long-term liability.
In reality, there’s nothing terrible about the situation. It’s just reality.
The Good
Oregon runs the show now.
They are one of three programs in the country that are safe, with Notre Dame and Washington being the others.
The Fighting Irish will dictate the next shakeup, but the Ducks are safe regardless.
The chalk is on the pavement for schools like Washington State and Oregon State. But teams like California and Stanford could end up in the Mountain West.
Oregon’s not in this position, and there should be an immense amount of gratitude for the 2000’s teams led by Mike Bellotti and Joey Harrington.
The Chip Kelly era may receive more notoriety, but what Bellotti did for the program could be equally important.
The 119th TV market is now a commodity; if this move had happened in 2000, the Ducks could’ve been headed to the Mountain West.
What If’s
First off, and definitely most importantly, is the fact that “What If’s” by Kane Brown is pure fire. It even features Lauren Alaina.
Was that random? Sure. Any more unexpected than the college football landscape, probably not.
Outside of the Notre Dame, Washington, and Oregon hurdles falling, everything is pure speculation.
Some media outlets believe the Pac-12 is dead, some believe it will merge, and others think it will continue to stand alone.
So really, it’s a whole lot of nothing.
What is confirmed, however, is an opening game matchup against the defending National Champion Georgia Bulldogs.
And with everything going on in the college football landscape, this game could prove the biggest in the history of Oregon’s program.
