11-20-2013, 04:14 PM
It sounds like latter-day SC under Pete Carroll. I remember Rey Maualuga of the '08-'09 SC team -- which I maintain was the best team in the country that year; its missing the national championship was surely a wake-up call to the conference about its perceived standing -- complaining about the exact same thing. "Uh, the Rose Bowl again?!?" As it happened, things fell apart for SC soon afterwards. I surely wouldn't mind the same for Oregon.
Of course, the key difference, I would argue, is that while such feelings are never desirable, they were a bit more understandable for SC at the time. They really were dominant. They really had gone to the Rose Bowl a lot. They really had proven themselves on the national stage. While the Ducks are the first among equals in the Pac-12 and have earned themselves some self-esteem, they haven't proven themselves to nearly the same degree as Carroll's T.rojans.
Of course, the key difference, I would argue, is that while such feelings are never desirable, they were a bit more understandable for SC at the time. They really were dominant. They really had gone to the Rose Bowl a lot. They really had proven themselves on the national stage. While the Ducks are the first among equals in the Pac-12 and have earned themselves some self-esteem, they haven't proven themselves to nearly the same degree as Carroll's T.rojans.