The knock on the Oregon Ducks these days is that Chip Kelly’s teams are all style and no substance.
If you actually pay attention to college football, you know that’s a ridiculous assertion. But it gets repeated, nonetheless.
Also repeated — a lot — is talk from SEC fans who love to spout off about how their conference is too tough for the Pac-12, in general, and for Oregon, in particular. They’ll tell you over and over how SEC players are too big, too strong, too fast.
First off: I have a lot of respect for the SEC when it comes to football. A lot. It is, without a doubt, the nation’s premier football conference, and I say that as an Oregon fan and alum who’s followed the Pac-12 (formerly Pac-10) for a good chunk of his life.
But enough already with the pompous attitude from some of you SEC supporters. Yes, LSU took it to Oregon in the season opener last weekend at Cowboys Stadium. Yes, the Tigers looked superior to the Ducks in that 40-27 loss.
I’m not disputing that. And if anyone else is, they shouldn’t be.
But in the same breath, I can tell you that you weren’t seeing a typical Oregon football performance this past weekend. And if you’ve followed college football closely the past couple of seasons, you know that.
Don’t tell me the Ducks got worked by Auburn in the BCS National Championship game on January 10. Oregon lost by three points — three points! — to a very, very good Auburn team that certainly earned its national title.
And don’t tell me the SEC owns and dominates the Ducks just because LSU did. If you do, then I’ll humbly remind you of that 48-13 drubbing Oregon put on Tennessee — in Knoxville — on September 11 of last year.
That was the second of 12 straight wins for the Ducks in 2010, and they didn’t just beat teams along the way; they dominated them just like they did the Vols.
You can’t dispute that. Now here’s what I won’t dispute:
— The SEC is a fantastic conference, filled with talented teams from top almost to bottom.
— If Oregon’s football program is going to take the next step in the next few years — namely, winning a national title — the Ducks are probably going to have to get past an SEC team to do it. And it won’t be easy.
— The LSU Tigers are good this year. Really good. Contend-for-a-title good. Forget about Jordan Jefferson (because, frankly, LSU is better with Jarrett Lee under center); to beat Oregon the way the Tigers did without star wide receiver Russell Shepard was impressive. My green-and-yellow hat is off to the Tigers after that win, and I expect to see more of the same from them going forward.
— The Ducks deserve a little more respect from SEC fans. Oregon played Auburn tough on the nation’s biggest stage this past January, and the Ducks smacked down Tennessee in the Vols’ own house. Bottom line: Oregon is 1-2 in games against SEC teams over the past year … the Ducks beat Tennessee, hung with Auburn until the end and played LSU tough for the first half before the Tigers ran away with it. I can’t say I’m happy about the losses, but they certainly haven’t been as bad as some people have made them out to be.
I don’t pretend to speak for all Oregon fans, but I do know that the Ducks haven’t quite arrived yet. There’s still work to be done. Games to be won. Teams from superior conferences to overcome.
The Ducks will get there, sooner than later. In a lot of ways, they’re not really as far off as some people think.
Sources:
Oregon LSU boxscore, ESPN
2010 Schedule/Results, GoDucks.com