Is Oregon truly back or were they a one hit wonder?

I really do not like the University of Oregon. They seem to be the only college team that is owned by a group. That group is Nike, and principal ownner is Phil Knight. It was great seeing them go 5-6 in 2004. Anyway, they had a successful season last year, going 10-2. However, were they a one hit wonder. Or are the Ducks back in the Top 25 to stay.

Okay, I'll admit it they're sort of back. I'm not talking about a BCS bowl team, but a top 3 team in the Pac 10. The reason for their resurgence is because of their coaches, Mike Belotti and Gary Crowton.

So how did Belotti and crowton change the face of Oregon football. Well, the former BYU coach Crowton, brought the spread offense to Oregon. Their spread attack provided a spark and turned Oregon's struggling west coast offense into a high octane attack. The spread pffense can now fully utilize the speed of Quarterback Dennis Dixon and tailback Jonathan Stewart.

Belotti new the the Ducks were struggling to put points on the board. Unlike Michigan's Lloyd Carr, he wasn't closed minded and he listened to Crowton's ideas. He used the new spread offense to build around the strengths of the team, speed, agility, and quickness. One reason for the Duck's resurgance is because the coach was listening for new ideas.

Now, Oregon probably won't be as good as it was last season, as they lose Kellen Clemens, Terrance Whitehead, Haloti Ngata, and other starters. However, the Ducks could definantly be a player in the race for the Pac 10 crown.

Date

Sat 08/19/06, 9:32 am EST

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DeuelioJV Squad

1199 days ago

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I'm a Duck fan and I consider the Ducks an upper second tier team at this point. They are trying to push themselves to the next level with their facilites like the indoor practice facility, the locker-room and a small but deafening stadium. I think the Ducks will finish second in the Pac-10 behind USC this season.

The thing that got me about your article though, was your classification of Phil Knight as an owner of Oregon. I think it's absurd to say that for several reasons.

1. Every big time school has ONE big time donor that they bow down too. He donates to all sorts of things and even wields some sway onto how things go down. Oregon does the best thing for Oregon by courting Phil Knight and valuing his opinion. Every big time school does this. Urban Meyer does it at Florida. Bowden at FSU. Mack Brown at Texas and obviously Stoops at OU does it. Just ask Rhett Bomar.

2. Knight does everything above ground. He donates money to programs, not players. His money goes to departments, not defensive backs.

3. Knight donates to more than just football. Law School, business centers, track and field, and endowment fund to retain and recruit top faculty and the Knight Library and subsequent expansions.

4. If he owns the Ducks, he's at least a minority owner of Stanford too:

http://www.s...83335D05.DTL

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