VINCE MAROTTA

How can the Pac-12 keep up with Oregon?

Aug 3, 2013, 7:01 PM | Updated: Aug 6, 2013, 2:56 pm

The University of Arizona has unveiled the brand new Lowell-Stevens Football Facility at Arizona Stadium.

It is, in a word, gorgeous — at least from the pictures I’ve seen.

The facility is five stories high, features new football offices, a modernized weight room and 5,000 upgraded seats and an indoor club that also has 600 outdoor seats.

Like I said, it’s a great facility that will certainly aid in head coach Rich Rodriguez’s recruiting efforts moving forward.

But did you happen to see what the University of Oregon unveiled earlier in the week?

After moving into a locker room that’s straight out of the 22nd century in 2012, the Ducks just moved into the Football Performance Center, a 145,000-square-foot palace, complete with imported marble and wood, auditorium seats made of Italian leather, countless big screens and other player amenities that you just don’t see in other places.

Welcome to the world of college football in the year 2013.

About 12 years ago, Oregon made the decision that they were going to be a real player athletically, and why not? Chief booster Phil Knight, Nike’s head honcho, has unlimited resources and a great imagination. The Oregon Ducks that didn’t play in a bowl game during a quarter-century long stretch from 1964 to 1988 would be a distant memory.

In 2001, Knight and Nike helped propel quarterback Joey Harrington into the national spotlight and the Heisman Trophy race with a ridiculously aggressive marketing campaign that included a 10-story high billboard smack dab in the middle of Times Square. It certainly created a buzz and it almost worked. Harrington finished fourth in the Heisman balloting despite pretty average numbers.

That was just the beginning.

Nike helped Oregon rebrand themselves as the innovators in football uniforms. In the past decade, the Ducks have taken the field in sometimes cool, sometimes hideous color combinations that include flourescent yellow, black, gray, numerous shades of green and yes, chrome. Traditionalists hate them. The players love them, so much so that the uniforms are considered to be a valuable recruiting tool.

Other teams have followed suit, designing new uniforms with a number of jersey, pant and helmet options to almost ensure a player will never wear the same combination on any two Saturdays during his playing career.

But that’s where Oregon moves ahead again. They responded to the uniform copycats by giving their players a training facility that is unmatched. In addition to Arizona, Washington, USC and Utah have all opened new facilities as well — and they’re all beautiful. And once enough programs open up splashy new facilities, the Ducks, bankrolled by Uncle Phil, will just unveil their latest lavish creation. Because of their connection to unlimited funding, they’ll always be the best football team in the Pac-12 and competing for a national championship.

It really has no bearing on who’s coaching the Ducks — money attracts talent — and nobody’s got more money or caché than the Oregon football program. It’s got to be disheartening for the schools in the conference who don’t have similar big money donors in the pipeline. Oregon’s fast-paced offense is hard enough to keep up with on the field — how are you supposed to keep pace off of it?

Good luck, Pac-12. You’re going to need it.

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.
comments powered by Disqus

Vince Marotta

Follow @Vincemarotta...

Vince Marotta

Quick reaction to Arizona State’s new adidas football uniforms

Adidas did a nice job with Arizona State's football uniforms.

9 years ago

Follow @Vincemarotta...

Vince Marotta

With Bobby Hurley on board, there is genuine excitement around Arizona State basketball

The former Duke point guard and Buffalo head coach is a nice Plan B for Ray Anderson and Arizona State.

9 years ago

Follow @Vincemarotta...

Vince Marotta

Confessions of a Herb Sendek defender

Another year, another frustrating, head-scratching loss in the Pac-12 Tournament for the Arizona State Sun Devils.

9 years ago

Follow @VincemarottaPresented By...

Vince Marotta

Arizona Cardinals right to let Darnell Dockett walk to San Francisco

It's been fun watching Darnell Dockett in Cardinal red for the last 11 years, but it's time to move on.

9 years ago

Follow @Vincemarotta...

Vince Marotta

Phoenix Suns may be younger, but they’re not any more likable

What happened Saturday night at US Airways Center will go down as one of the uglier nights in Phoenix Suns’ history. It was just “one of those games.” The Suns, still very much in contention for one of the Western Conference’s eight playoff spots, stunk up the joint, losing 101-74 to the defending World Champion […]

9 years ago

Follow @Vincemarotta...

Vince Marotta

Phoenix Suns’ Ryan McDonough has his work cut out for him in Goran Dragic situation

It'll be tough for Ryan McDonough to spin the Goran Dragic situation into a positive.

9 years ago

How can the Pac-12 keep up with Oregon?