Yah, I don't think anyone thought any game would be gravy or that even getting to the RB or beating OSU will be gravy, lol. Isn't being optimistic and talking about the best possible scenario what we 'fans' do best?
best possible scenario everyone ahead of us forfeits games due to ineligible players, and are disqualified from bowls this season, we play in the natty and win
I'm more referring to the claim made that the 2000 OSU team was as elite as any Duck team ever. Consider Oregon's 2010, 9-game conference schedule. Only Oregon has run the table with a 9-conference game schedule. With 5 road games, no less. They lost to an undefeated #1 team by 3 on the last play of the game in the national championship game. Your 2000 elite team only won 7 conference games, beat a highly overrated ND team and for the record (get this) your OOC schedule that year was Eastern Oregon, New Mexico and San Diego State. You nearly lost the Eastern Oregon game - winning only by 2 and New Mexico was uncomfortably close. It was a good team, don't get me wrong - but, elite - NO. You had close games against Cal and UCLA. Erickson did great, no question. It's an accomplishment Riley hasn't been able to duplicate in all his tenure. But, it's not realistic to compare a 7 win conference team to a 9 win conference team, especially consider the Beavs OOC schedule results when compared to last years Ducks who played an SEC team and had an OOC accumulated score of 189-13.
