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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/FriendsOnAPowDay on 2023-08-04 20:05:02.
Oregon State Football was the first sport/team I fell in love with. As a kid I took my first trip to Reser Stadium and the next year was the magical fiesta bowl season. Growing up, there was a pretty even mix of Beaver and Duck fans in my friend group. From grade school on every fall carried the usual banter among us. At that point, neither program was clearly ahead of the other and they both shared the same history of mediocrity with occasional flashes of being great. I remember the excitement and pride when my mom bought me my first Oregon State jersey which I immediately slipped over my pads at my next football practice. The early 2000s were an exciting time for both Oregon State and Oregon. Both teams saw more success and the programs were growing. Every thanksgiving you looked forward to the Civil Wars, some years being elated and others cope eating leftovers as your team lost.
As time moved forward, with the help of a prolific Oregon alumni, Oregon Football pulled ahead to a level we as Beaver fans knew we couldn’t match. We should’ve seen the writing on the wall then. I know some Oregon fans will chime in and say “you were always little brother” but the reality is, prior to Phil going all in, they were peers. A disappointing win loss total could be okay so long as you beat that in state rival. Atleast you had bragging rights for the next year. Still as Oregon pulled ahead we rooted, we supported, we made the trek to Reser in support of OUR team, the one we’d grown up where sporting the obnoxiously bright orange we’ve grown to love.
We trudged on through the end of the Mike Riley years and had a beacon of hope, GARY ANDERSEN! After a promising first year things fell apart to new lows we didn’t think possible. We became a joke of a program and days were dark. Still some of us faithfully went to Reser supporting our guys. So many losses but the hope that one day we’d turn it around.
Enter Jonathan Smith. The legendary QB of the Fiest Bowl team comes home to take the reigns. The first year was rough but you saw where it was going. Each year things improved a little more. There was reason for excitement in Corvallis again and more and more, I wasn’t one of the faithful few heading to Reser. The stadium began to fill again and Reser was rocking. Smith had built a good little program in Corvallis again.
After 10 wins last year we’re now heading into our most anticipated season in years. If DJ pans out Oregon State has a legitimate shot to compete for the Pac12 championship. Todays news sucks all the wind out of the sails. In the immediate future the questions are what impact will this have on recruiting and can we keep our coaching staff together. Longer term you wonder about the ability of the smaller sports and if they’ll be able to survive. For me though, the single greatest tragedy is seeing the tradition I grew up with dying and knowing I want be to able to share it with my kids like my grandpa shared it with me. I know many will say, “where were you when it happened to ________”. You’re right, I wasn’t there, I didn’t get it but now I do. It sucks the way TV money is tearing up everything that made us fall in love with college football.
It certainly feels like those is us getting cut our are the canary in the coal mine. I think two things are certain in the future. Fox/ESPN will continue to shave teams off until they’ve got their top 32. In the short term those teams will benefit greatly financially. The other truth that I’m predicting is that once that comes to fruition and 90+ programs have been cut out you’ll end up with an NFL Lite that many people won’t care about or watch. NFL is and will always be the king of football and a second tier pro program just isn’t going to have the same support. I know I have no interest in a disconnected league of schools I have zero connection to. I’ll wait to watch those guys on Sundays while on Saturdays I keep watching the Beavs and Cougs beat the piss out of each other.
It’s blunt to say it this way, but I’m glad my grandpa wasn’t alive for this day because it certainly would’ve killed his spirits. On solidarity with my Cougar brethren I’ve now added my secondary flair. Beaver Nation till I die 👊🏼 🦫