Oregon did not win its division, but it did successfully defend its conference crown from the previous year. The road to get there was unusual, but Oregon won its second Pac-12 title in a row on Friday night, holding off a late surge from USC to win 31-24. They will face Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
The Ducks (10-3) finished with their most wins since 2005 and earned their third straight trip to New Year's Day football. This will be the first time since 2004 that Oregon has started 3-0 for the season.
USC (9-4) lost for the fourth time this season, all coming down to the final minutes. But the Trojans still managed to beat Oregon twice during the regular season, including once this year in Los Angeles. That was enough to earn them a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game vs. Arizona. It'll be their first trip to San Francisco since 2003.
Arizona (8-5) ended up losing again this year, but they did so in impressive fashion. The Wildcats defeated top-five team Oregon State and then knocked off No. 1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa before falling to Florida in the SEC Championship. Head coach Rich Rodriguez was fired after only one season at his job. He is expected to land a new position soon.
In 2011, Oregon won their third consecutive Pac-12 Conference Championship, taking the new Pac-12 North Division and beating UCLA in the first Pac-12 Conference Championship Game. The Ducks became the first Pac-12 club other than USC to win three consecutive outright championships since the conference's inception in 1959.
Since the team's inception in 1893, Oregon has competed in 25 bowl games. These appearances include eight total appearances in the conventional "big four" bowl games (the Rose, Sugar, Cotton, and Orange) as well as three Bowl Championship Series (BCS) game appearances, including one in the BCS National Championship...
Oregon won the game, defeating Florida State, the season's last unbeaten team, 59-20, and proceeded to the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game, ensuring that no team finished the season unblemished. It was the first national championship for both schools.
The victory also ended the Florida State football program's run of three consecutive undefeated seasons and four straight years with a win percentage over.750. The Seminoles were led by second-year head coach Bobby Bowden, who had taken over for Bill Snyder after he died of cancer in January 1999. They lost their first game under Bowden on Labor Day night against Maryland.
Florida State went 9-0 during the regular season, winning all 14 games by an average margin of 28 points per game. The only loss came at home to Oregon, who was ranked No. 1 at the time. Florida State outscored its opponents 554-44 during the course of the season. This included wins over Virginia Tech (who would go on to play in the Orange Bowl), Miami (who would later upset Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl), and Clemson. The Seminoles were ranked No. 2 behind Oklahoma in the final CFP rankings, but they could not overcome an early deficit against Ohio State in the Orange Bowl.
Oregon's first men's track & field team championship came in 1962, the first year Eugene hosted the NCAA Championships. Although it was the first time Oregon won a national championship on its home soil, it was not the university's first triumph.
The University of Oregon's link to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships dates back almost a century, playing a pivotal part in Track Town, USA's history and future.
Following defeats in the 2010 Rose Bowl and the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, Kelly guided the Ducks to victory against Wisconsin in the 2012 Rose Bowl and Kansas State in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl. Oregon has 15 victories and 18 defeats in bowl games total. The statistics are up to date as of the 2013-14 NCAA football bowl games.
Oregon State went unbeaten in the College World Series, going 5-0. The Beavers, coached by head coach Pat Casey, won all three games in their four-team bracket before defeating North Carolina in the best-of-three championship series in two games. First baseman Chris Carter was named the MVP after hitting.455 with a 1.386 OPS.
Casey left Oregon State after seven seasons to take over as manager of the San Diego Padres. He was fired after only one season due to poor performance by his team.
The Beavers' all-time winningest coach, Casey led Oregon State to five 40-win seasons and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. His career record was 136-70-1.
He was replaced on an interim basis by assistant coach Joe Cravens who managed the Beavers to a 23-7 record during the 2007 season. When the dust settled, the Padres hired John Savage to be their new manager.
Cravens was named the full-time coach after the 2008 season when it was announced that he would replace Casey as the leader of the program. In his first year at the helm, he has managed the program to a 42-20 record and a berth in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
As for Casey, he has managed in both the Major Leagues and Minor Leagues over his coaching career.
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