Ragnarok’s Top 8 Pac-10 Road Trips
Here is another one of Ragnarok’s Pac10 road trips that I am posting while he is on his honeymoon. We have a LOT, and I mean a LOT, of content planned for the next week. Finishing up the Roadtrips. Finishing up all the Pac10 Roundtables. An interview with a Tennessee blog and other posts relating to the upcoming season. I doubt I am alone in being incredibly excited about the season starting next week, so check in all week for new content and much, much more.
Also, I was just at Champ Sports at the Sunvalley Mall in Concord and I saw they had Marshawn Lynch Buffalo Bills away jerseys for $75. Now, I already bought the one from the Bills Pro Shop, so there was no need for me to get it. But if you haven’t bought yours yet, check out Champ Sports. They also had a ton of Longshores and nearby The Sports Authority had tons of DeSeans, too. But none of that compares to Marshawn. MARSHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN!
#8 - Washington State
#7 - Oregon State
#6 - USC
#5 - Arizona
#4 - Arizona State
#3 - UCLA
#2 - Oregon
I like Eugene, Oregon, the home of the University of Oregon. I like it a lot more than Corvallis, and I can’t quite put my finger on why. Call it a feeling. It’s a bigger town than Corvallis, and there’s plenty more to do. Wikipedia notes that Eugene is "noted for its natural beauty, activist political leanings, alternative lifestyles, recreation opportunities (especially bicycling, rafting, and kayaking), and arts focus." While its greenery has given it the nickname "The Emerald City", its track & field success and popularity has led it to be dubbed "Track Town USA".
I think this is my favorite "road" trip in the Pac-10. It’s pretty much the same drive as to Oregon State, but with about an hour cut off at the end. Since I discussed that during the Oregon State writeup, I won’t bother to repeat myself. Also, since Eugene is another hour south of Portland, I would further counsel against flying to this game. If you don’t like this road trip, perhaps road trips are not for you.
Despite being larger that either Corvallis or Pullman, Eugene is still a college town, with all the passion from the local populace that that entails. Eugene is pretty much it in these parts, so pretty much everyone’s a Duck fan. That’s cool by me. I like it when the local population gives a hoot.
I don’t have any specific food or drink recommendations while in Eugene, although during one visit I did stumble across an IHOP that had an awesome special — short stacks for $1. My entire food budget for that visit: $7.
Perhaps Autzen Stadium is what makes this trip really special. First off, it’s freaking LOUD. I’m not sure if it’s the acoustics, or the fact that the turf reflects sound, or what, but it gets pretty crazy there. Of course, the Duck’s fan base has plenty to do with that. Outside of perhaps USC, no other Pac-10 school has a more intense, vocal fanbase, and with a fraction of the jerks that USC features. Also, I know their mascot is basically Donald Duck in green, but I like it anyway. Finally, as long as Tedford is our coach, this rivalry ratchets up a notch. He’s failed in his first two attempts, and you just know Teddy’s itching to finally beat Bellotti in Eugene.
If you want to fit in here, I would recommend bringing all the Oakland Athletics gear you can muster. [Photo by Curtis Reed Photography.]
Reasons to visit the Emerald City:
- Great fans and a great atmosphere.
- The loudest stadium on the West Coast.
- Come see the land that Nike built.
- If you’re a track & field fan, this must be a sort a pilgrimage for you. Heck, this is where, in the 60’s, the ‘jogging’ craze was born.
Reasons to watch on TV:
- You have issues with very loud noises.
- It’d be nice if those lights would stay on.
- Oregon’s uniforms hurt your eyes (although it’s not like we should be ones to talk).
If you’re staring at their ridiculous color combinations, you’re not trying hard enough to tackle them.
I like this trip. A lot. Perhaps I didn’t give you enough concrete reasons to make this trip, but take my word for it: you’ll enjoy yourself immensely.
I lived in Eugene from 2000-2004…being a Cal fan there–and going to many UO games–I kinda felt like a bastard at a family reunion. BUT, I loved the city of Eugene, loved living in a Pac-10 town.
They idolize their Ducks with all they have and game days in Eugene (especially home games) are crazy, green and yellow chaos. The original “Lightning Strikes” billboards, which announced the arrival of [was it] the 2003 season as well as the new Nike wardrobe, were everywhere you turned; the car flags were attached to just about every vehicle in Lane County.
Especially fun was the 2001 season. The Joey Harrington (who was called “Princess” by teammates because of his prima donna reputation), 11-1 (fuck Stanford), Fiesta Bowl-winning, final AP #2 ranking season.
Having been a lifelong Cal fan and season ticket holder, I had NEVER been a part of such victory and it was alot of fun to experience. (This, of course, was the same season that our final-game victory against Rutgers saved Cal from winless season, but I doubt I need to remind anyone about that!)
My allegiance to Cal never waivered–and I have never been able to root for Oregon since that fantastic year–but I do love the city of Eugene and the GREAT college and Pac-10 atmosphere!
Comment by TrumanHugh — August 24, 2007 @ 7:36 pm
Wow, it’s great to read such positive opinions of Oregon and Eugene. We’ve been taking a lot of flack (for numerous reasons) lately, so it’s nice to see some people still like us. I’m really looking forward to the Cal game this year.
Comment by Chris — August 29, 2007 @ 12:30 pm
The least you can do is put my credits under my Autzen Stadium photo I took.
Curtis Reed Photography
Comment by Curtis Reed — January 10, 2008 @ 4:09 am
Curtis,
It’s a great photo. I apologize for not crediting you. I found the image (like I do a lot of our images) using Google’s image search, so I never know where they come from.
If it’s any consolation, we are not a commercial site, and so did not make one cent of profit off of our use of your photo.
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