Phil Knight will likely never see Oregon win a national championship.
That makes me sad.
Knight has invested so much in his alma mater. Oregon may as well be Swoosh U—and I don’t mean that as an insult. This has been his labor of love. He helped transform Oregon from a regional program into one of the most recognizable brands in college football.
But Phil is now 88 years old, and this was supposed to be the year.
The preseason championship hype was real. Everything seemed aligned. Oregon returned so much from a team built to contend, yet all it took was losing offensive coordinator Will Stein to Kentucky for the offense to lose its rhythm.
Oregon promoted from within, and so far, it looks like the new man is in over his head.
The Ducks’ problems extend well beyond this season, too. I’m worried about what this is doing to Dante Moore’s NFL Draft stock.
Think about Drew Allar and Cade Klubnik. A year ago, both entered the season projected by many as potential top-five picks. Then they struggled, their teams disappointed and their stock slipped.
Moore may be traveling down the same road.
He likely would have been the second quarterback selected in last year’s draft, potentially landing with the New York Jets. Instead, he spun the roulette wheel. He came back to Oregon, where he could make great money, compete for a national championship and potentially become the first overall pick.
It sounded like a tremendous decision.
So far, he is losing that bet.
The loss to Oklahoma State turned a disappointing beginning into a horrid one. Tomorrow’s game against Portland State will tell us almost nothing. At best, it gives Moore and the Oregon offense an opportunity to rediscover some confidence.
Oregon still has time to recover, but the larger dream feels increasingly fragile. Knight has spent decades helping Oregon chase the one achievement it has never captured.
I hope he gets to see it.
I’m increasingly afraid he won’t.
Oxford could become the human zoo
I would not want to be in Oxford this weekend for anything in the world.
It sounds like hell.
