Looking Forward.

David R.

December 21, 2009 - 10:00 PM

After a long day of work at Honeybaked Ham I come home and usually choose to relax for a few minutes in front of my television. I grab some pretzels and a delicious glass of 2% milk and I sit down to see what is new in the world. My channel of choice is channel 34, which is the station for ESPN. The broadcast at the time runs from start to finish, and during the breaks, almost every commercial is in some way related to Christmas, and all of the fantastic gifts that would make anyone gleeful on Christmas morning. This time of the year is one my favorites, as everyone seems to be in the Christmas spirit, despite the fact that each local mall turns into a temporary warzone for all of those last minute shoppers. It is nice to be able to relax at home with all of my friends and family who I haven't seen while I have been away at the University of Oregon.

Every college football fan knows that in addition to the Christmas season, December is also the season for all of the college bowl games. From time to time on the television, commercials will air for some of the most popular bowl games, like the National Championship, the Fiesta Bowl, and so forth. As lovely as the Christmas season is, I seem to forget all about it when the Rose Bowl commercials are played. The oldest and arguably the most renowned bowl game, which is also being referred to as "the grand-daddy of them all," happens to be hosting our number seven ranked Oregon Ducks. Everyone around me seems to be in a mad scramble trying to plan their Christmas festivities, while all I can think about is departing for Pasadena before the New Year. Every year my family and I take a trip up to the mountains for a few days after Christmas. My mother has been running around trying to make sure she doesn't forget any of the major necessities. Meanwhile, the three men of the family are constantly glued to the computer screen in our house, making sure we have our flights properly booked, our hotel room secured, and most importantly, our tickets to the game. I can't help it, but I find myself looking past all of the other normal highlights of the Christmas break, because I have been given the opportunity to do something that some college students never get to: to watch my school play in the Rose Bowl. I have watched most of the early bowl games, including the thriller the other night between Middle Tennessee State and Southern Miss. At times during these games, watching them from home, I came out of my seat due to the suspense, and I have never been a fan of any of the teams who have played so far. I can only imagine the adrenaline and excitement that will come along with watching my school's team play in front of the entire nation in one of the most popular bowls of the year. I have watched Rose Bowl games in the past, and sat in amazement, wondering what it would be like to be there. In less than two weeks I will finally know for myself.

Our Ducks have come a long way since the nationally televised mishap that occurred in Boise at the start of the season. After a poor showing by USC this season, some might say there is a new bully in the Pac 10. Come January 2nd, will the nation see the Oregon Ducks as a serious national title contender for next season? Time will tell.