The Oregon Ducks have been the #1 team in the country most of the season, but they are still willing to play the underdog card in their Rose Bowl matchup with Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
And to be fair to Oregon, they actually are underdogs for the game, even if it’s ever so slightly. FanDuel lists the Buckeyes as a 2.5-point favorite in a game that is pretty much a coin flip. And given how impressive Ohio State finally was against Tennessee and the fact that the first matchup between the two went down to the final second, the line makes some sense.
But Oregon appears to be using that for motivation, even if they may be taking it to the extreme of sports cliches.
Oregon star wide receiver Tez Johnson has played the “nobody believed in us in the first place” card in the lead-up to the game.
“Nobody believed us in us in the first place so why believe now? We don’t care. Underdogs – No. 1. It doesn’t matter. We go 1-0 each week.”
-Oregon Ducks WR Tez Johnson #GoDucks #GoBucks #CFP #RoseBowl https://t.co/tLuHszXri5
— Bri Amaranthus (@BriAmaranthus) December 30, 2024
While trying to find some extra motivation and juice as the undefeated top-ranked team in the country is admirable, we have to ask everyone in sports to pump the brakes a little bit when it comes to using this cliche. When the likes of Oregon and even Kirby Smart and Georgia are trying to play the role of plucky underdogs, it’s time for a reality check.
Oregon was ranked third in both the AP and Coaches Polls at the beginning of the season. Third! They have been the top-ranked team in the country for eight consecutive weeks! This is not the same as Indiana being ranked next to last in their own conference’s preseason polls and then making it all the way to the College Football Playoff.
Right now the Ducks are the third favorite at +480 to win the National Championship behind Texas and Ohio State, but that’s probably due to the side of the draw that they are on and the tough quarterfinal matchup. Penn State, who lost to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game, is an 11.5-point favorite against Boise State.
The Ducks may feel hard done by thanks to the weird CFP seeding and being an underdog to Ohio State even though they already beat them earlier this season. But can we put a moratorium on athletes and coaches saying nobody believed in them when pretty much everyone has believed in them all season long?
