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Less Seattle and Silicon please,
more Fiesta during bowl season
So we all just saw one of the most
enticing college championships in
quite a while when Miami and Ohio
State battled to overtime.
The game was filled with a grandeur
unmatched this
season. Only
Willis McGa
hee’s injury
could spoil what
was a spectacu
lar afternoon in
Tempe, Ariz., at
the Fiesta Bowl.
Now college
football needs
to get off its
high horse and
make sure
spectators don’t have to endure any
more Seattle, Silicon Valley and Mo
tor City Bowls.
There were 28 bowls this season,
making enough space for 56 pro
grams to participate in postseason
play. There are 117 teams in division
I-A. That’s a tad bit of an overload.
Just under 11,000 attended the
Silicon Valley Football Classic be
tween Fresno State and Georgia
Tech. How many of those went
home crying after the game because
they spent at least #30 per ticket?
I’m gonna guess just under 11,000.
Priceless.
The NCAA needs to take a long look
in the mirror, focus on what is neces
sary, then go from there. And that
means the postseason, especially.
The money may be there for the
extended postseason, but getting
through it seems more like a death
march than a leisurely trip into
sports paradise.
Hank
Hager
Behind the dish
When I got around to watching
the Miami and Ohio State game, not
only did I confuse the game for a
high school contest, but it seemed
like it took longer between the first
bowl and the last bowl of the season
than the entire regular season.
The postseason should be a sprint,
not a marathon. Especially when
that involves collegiate athletes who
may never get paid for their actions
on the collegiate turf.
Take McGahee for instance. The
sophomore was set to enter the NFL
draft later this year. Some were argu
ing he could be a top 10 pick, a po
tential Pro Bowler within the next
few years, and a good bet someday to
break NFL records.
Instead, he now gets to endure a
season of painstaking recovery from
surgery that resulted from a severe
injury involving his anterior cruciate
and medial collateral ligaments in
his left knee.
OK, you say, it’s a horrible thing
that happened to him, but it’s the
kind of thing that can happen in a
championship game.
That’s well and all. But now let’s
make this situation hit a little closer
to home.
Let’s say, for example, that this
happened to Onterrio Smith. Only,
it wasn’t in the Fiesta Bowl. It was in
the Seattle Bowl, the game that
meant nothing more than an oppor
tunity for Washington fans to get in
their last Oregon jabs of the season.
How would you feel then? Proba
bly a bit heartbroken.
There’s no question that every col
legiate team felt grateful to be invited
to a bowl. Every player says there’s
no experience like it.
But in Seattle? In Boise? How
about Tennessee?
It’s just a case of the NCAA taking
an opportunity to make some mon
ey on top of the Bowl Championship
Series. With sponsors throwing
around cash like they found it in the
cushion of their couches, the big
wigs in Indianapolis have been get
ting bigger eyes by the day.
Like every other collegiate pro
gram, spending needs to be curbed.
Not only because these bowl games
are getting to be a strain on the
fans, but also because of the ath
letes. As I pointed out before, the
possibilities of a career-ending in
jury increase with each game. And
of course, these games really don’t
have much of a bearing on the final
standings.
So what should the NCAA do?
Limit the postseason to 15 bowls.
Let’s make sure every AP Top 25
team gets into a bowl. Those are the
teams that are most deserving. Mak
ing sure only teams that have eight
wins be eligible is another step in the
right direction.
The best bet would be to bottle up
the intensity of contests like the
Alamo Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl,
then spread it out over a shorter
span. After all, the more college foot
ball product there is, the less time
the average fan will have to spend
watching the old boob tube.
Geez, I never thought I’d say I
wanted to see less football.
Contact the sports reporter
at hankhager@dailyemerald.com.
His views do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
Women's
continued from page 9
Oregon had a downfall in the
second half as sophomore Kedzie
Gunderson left the game with a
broken nose after a collision with
a Montana player.
“The game was great, and that
was a big one for us,” Gunderson
said. “I went up for a rebound and I
was coming down and her elbow
came straight down on my nose.”
Texas Christian 76,
Oregon 70
The Ducks would continue their
quest on the road as they faced off
against the Homed Frogs in Texas on
Dec. 22. But despite solid outside
shooting, Oregon didn’t have enough.
Oregon bettered its school-record
on 3-pointers, going 14-of-26, which
upped the record it set just a week
before against Santa Clara. .
But despite Oregon’s shooting ex
travaganza from 3-point land, the
Ducks shot just 6-of-16 for 38 per
cent on free throws and ll-of-45 for
24 percent on shots inside the arc.
The Ducks trailed late at 69-57 with
3:18 left in the game, but after some sol
id defense, Oregon went on a 10-1 run
to pull within 70-67 with 1:33 to go.
Oregon couldn’t hold on, though,
and would commit three turnovers in
the final minute to seal the Homed
Frogs win. The Ducks dropped to 4-5
on the year before returning home to
begin conference play.
UCLA 93, Oregon 68
The Ducks found themselves strug
gling against the full-court press and
struggled to find offensive rhythm as
they fell hard to the Bruins in their
first conference game Dec. 27.
UCLA dominated from the start,
as the Bruins jumped out to a 27-7
lead in the first 10 minutes. Oregon
would make things even easier for
the Bruins as the Ducks committed
11 turnovers in the first half.
Oregon trailed 49-28 at the half
and after UCLA’s blazing start, the
Ducks would never get closer than
13 points. Oregon’s 25-point deficit
was its second-worst loss at home to
a Pac-10 team.
The Bruins were led by freshman
guard Nikki Blue with a game-high
26 points, followed by junior Whit
ney Jones, who also caught fire with
a career-high 24 points, surpassing
her previous best by 14.
The Ducks suffered without
Kraayeveld, who encountered severe
inflammation in her right knee before
a practice the day before the game.
Oregon 79, USC 73
Oregon found what it was looking
for — a solid offensive presence —
and was able to overcome the Tro
jans on Dec. 29 in front of 4,561
fans at McArthur Court.
It was a good win for Oregon, as it
was able to find its way to its first
conference victory.
The Ducks jumped to a 32-22
first-half lead but struggled toward
halftime from the Trojans’ full-court
press. USC was able to cause several
Oregon turnovers and go on a 16-2
run entering halftime.
The Ducks would not be distract
ed, though, and shot a solid 67 per
cent from the field in the second half.
With hot shooting, Oregon man
aged a 17-4 run late in the second
half to take the lead 72-61 and se
cure a victory.
Oregon had solid contributions
all around, as five Ducks scored in
double figures on the evening for the
first time this season.
“It was a great opportunity for us
to rebound from a game we didn’t
play very well,” Oregon head coach
Bev Smith said. “We came back
against USC knowing (Kraayeveld)
wouldn’t be back with us for an ex
tended period of time, and every
body just came with that focus.”
Contact the sports reporter
at jessethomas@dailyemerald.com.
Wrestling
continued from page 9
in the rankings.
Injury wagon
Webb, who started off the season
with a strong showing at the Nov. 23
Body Bar Invitational, has sat out
every competition since with an in
jury. His status was not available as
of press time.
Mindi Rice is a freelance writer
for the Emerald.
Jason Harless
(top) followed
Mitchell in the
comeback over
Oregon State.
Jeremy Forrest
Emerald