I have no reason to like Oregon.  I have no reason not to like Oregon.  I have no connection to Oregon whatsoever.  I didn’t attend school there.  I’ve never vacationed there.  I’ve don’t believe that I’ve ever been to Oregon and I don’t think I know anyone from Oregon.  None of my teams have had any sort of major win or loss to any Oregonian (Oregonist?) teams.  But I do, I like Oregon.

I guess the primary reason is Nike.  When my sister and I turned 16, my parents bought us 25 shares of stock each to teach us about the stock market, the US economy, etc.  My sister got Bath and Bodyworks and I got Nike.  Thanks to Michael Jordan, my Nike stock ended up quadrupling in value.  So, I’ve had an affinity to Nike since then.  I think that’s where it started.  Then came the uniforms.  The uniforms helped too.  They were so cool.  Even when they missed, they got people’s attention and got people talking.  You had to tune in and watch.  And when you watched, you got a show.  They were fast.  They were unique.  And they could score…a lot…and quickly.

I think the average college football fan thinks that Oregon is all style and no substance.  I think that they think that Oregon scored a ton of points with a tricked up offense but couldn’t stop a junior high team.  I think that they think Oregon is overrated and always loses to someone they shouldn’t lose to.  I think that if they think that, they are wrong.  This Oregon team is good.  They have a really solid defense and, yes, their offense can score on any play.  I also think that Oregon could (could, not will) win the national title.  But in order to get there, they have to get through teams currently ranked #14 (Stanford), #15 (Oregon State) and either #17 (UCLA) or #21 (USC).   Stanford at Oregon is my game of the week and it’s going to be a really good one.

Other Games I’ll be Watching:

Oklahoma at West Virginia – At the beginning of the season, this is the game I thought would determine the BIG XII title.  The Mountaineers have slipped a little, but it still should be a very exciting game.

USC at UCLA – The winner of this cross town rivalry will probably face Oregon in the PAC-12 championship game.

Texas Tech at Oklahoma State – Two ranked teams fighting for a Cotton Bowl game…and clearly more interesting than every SEC game this week.

Ohio State at Wisconsin – The Badgers are the next team to get a shot at knocking the Buckeyes from the ranks of the undefeated.

* These opinions are from Dustin and not necessarily Gameday Cloth.  He would like to personally apologize for all of the pain this blogpost has caused you.