n . Erin Swanson-Davies
Oregon senior defensive end Saul Patu (48) gets a lift up from a teammate Saturday night as linebacker Kevin Mitchell (39) looks on.
■
Football
continued from page 7
color photo of receiver Marshaun
Tucker celebrating his second
touchdown of the game.
The story’s opening sentence
read, “You don't hear them men
tioned as a national championship
contender, but perhaps the 10th
ranked Ducks should start quack
ing.”
On collegebcs.com, an online
fan poll asked which team should
win the national championship.
The eight choices were Clemson,
Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ne
braska, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech or
someone else.
The Huskers led with 24 per
cent of the vote, followed by the
Sooners (22 percent) and the Hok
ies (14). “Someone else” was in
fourth place with 12 percent of the
vote. Who could that someone
else be?
Even the national media is sug
gesting Oregon may be Miami
bound.
“I don’t have any thoughts on
that; my thoughts are on Arizona
State,” Bellotti said. “For us, the
one thing I do know is that if we
win out we control our opportuni
ty to go to the Rose Bowl. We’re be
coming a good football team,
we’ve got the attention of people,
but we have to continue to prove
that.”
With the right losses in the up
per echelon of the NCAA, the
Ducks could be going somewhere
besides Pasadena this winter.
Three teams in the Associated
Press poll’s top six will lose at least
once in the coming weeks. Top
ranked Nebraska and No. 3 Okla
homa, both undefeated, face each
other Saturday, and the Pluskers
later play No. 10 Kansas State. Sec
ond-ranked Virginia Tech, also un
defeated, battles No. 4 Miami. Un
defeated Clemson, ranked fifth
has to play No. 6 Florida State and
No. 8 Florida.
The most likely outcome of all
those top-six matchups is that Ne
braska will probably be the only
undefeated team in the NCAA by
season’s end, possibly leaving the
BCS standings’ No. 2 spot up foi
grabs.
The Ducks will need help to
have a shot at the national title.
Nebraska must blow out Okla
homa to push the Sooners down in
the polls. Miami must beat Vir
ginia Tech. Clemson must lose a
game but beat either Florida State
or Florida, or both.
“They talk about it, but with
things like that we’ve really got to
stay focused on the season,”
Tucker said. “Once you start
thinking about those teams, you
get relaxed on different teams
during the week. It doesn’t mat
ter. Wherever God blesses us
with, that’s where we’re going to
go-”
Oregon could have been a solid
Orange Bowl candidate this sea
son, had a few things worked out
differently.
What if the Ducks weren’t
snubbed behind Washington in the
coaches’ poll? What if Notre Dame
had beaten Nebraska on Sept. 9,
instead of losing in overtime? Or,
the big question: Where would the
BCS rank Oregon if it had beaten
Wisconsin?
Perhaps CNNSI.com said it best
in an article by staff writer Stewart
Mandel.
“Moral of the story, for all you
nervous Florida and Oregon fans
out there, is this,” he writes. “It's
fun to speculate, it's great to
dream, but the mind is a terrible
thing to waste — on math.”
ARE YOU SCARED OF WHAT'S ON YOUR
BALLOT THIS HALLOWEEN!
Everyone on campus be ware this Halloween season of 3 scar}' ballot measures brought to vou bv Bill Sizemore
and Don Mclntire; Measures 8. 91 and 93. These spooky measures will butcher, axe. and slash our university
budgets. But, don t be scared of this nightmare — wake up and vote NO on Measures 8,91, and 93!
MEASURE 8* COSTLY AND UNNECESSARY;
This arbiti ary spending limit would cut the stale budget by 18%, and with it the funding of our state universities. It is loaded with unintended
consequences, such as requiring the return of federal matching funds (up to 3.8 $Billion), and even private donations, if they would paft the
state over the limit. Both sources are critical to state universities.
MEASURE 91J A TAX CUT YOU WON'T
SERVICES YOU WON'T OETt
The majority of Oregon taxpayers would see no savings under this Bill Sizemore measure. It would give tin unfair break to the wealthy, at the
expense of Oregon state universities. Assuming an ac ross the board ait in slate budgets, the Oregon University System would face a 20% cut ‘
this budget cycle resulting major tuition hikes. ' Wm
/
#
MIA5UH «: UNNKIHWy AND BUUAUMATK NlfiHTMAU.
Under Measure 93, voters would be forced to approve hundreds of state and local taxes and fees every election cycle. Every general election,
the ballots would be crowded with votes on everything front hairdresser license fees to egg breaker permit fees
0 ^ E ^WOTB MO ON MEAJURi 8, 91, * »j:
LOCAL *» TOO UTTMTO GAIN? TOO MUCH TO LOSE)
ts§»^ . !
f
Jf cs QiEMM M I or More Information check out www.uoffigon.orc or call 503-231-0609
*!sJr£xf
’*•*' «•*, «W*K *•*. «n*w «yi.
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