Back in September, I was in a conversation with a few other Duck fans where somebody asked me directly:
“James, do you think Oregon football will ever win a national title?”
I said no.
The answer came out of my mouth so easily, and what surprised me more was that nobody around the table batted an eye.
Even in September—at my most hopeful—it seemed so obviously impossible that the Ducks could go all the way in today’s college football.
After 2011 & 2014, I was almost sure we had missed our chance.
But don’t go thinking I’ve become a doomer now, because believe me, when the Ducks got rolling, all of my “realism” went right out the window.
I spent over 17 hours in the car last Thursday night.
After a short power nap, I then spent 4ish hours sitting in Allegiant Stadium; had a very quick, depressed-night’s sleep; and spent another 17 hours in the car after that.
Now, why the hell would I go through all of that if I truly thought that Oregon’s pursuit of a national championship was pointless?
Why do any of us do any of this?
I won’t bother seriously answering that. If you’re reading this, then you clearly already know. I don’t need to simply replay my annual post-loss sermon.
All this to say the obvious: I don’t think it’s all futile.
We’ve already lost out on the ultimate success in some of the worst ways possible, and I’m sure the Ducks will keep getting creative in that department, too.
But when my logical futility brain tells me to give up hope, I know that late November will roll back around, the Ducks have ten wins and counting, and I’ll be all-in all over again.
Maybe we love the journey or the memories or the roller coaster. Maybe the real national championship was the friends we made along the way.
But as long as we can beat the Fighting Falwell’s, 2023-24 will officially be “The Year We Only Lost To Washington.”
And it literally can’t get any worse than that, so things are already looking up!
Go Ducks.