Ducks Digest

How Many Times Did ESPN's College GameDay Mention Oregon Ducks?

The crowd was roaring and ”Calgorithm” was working overtime, but did ESPN’s College Gameday mention the Oregon Ducks? They were singing “Ott To Go” as the popular college football show made its way to Berkeley, California, for the first time in history.
Ally Osborne|
Sabrina Ionescu takes the stage at ESPN's \"College GameDay\" at the University of Oregon ahead of Saturday's top-10 matchup against UCLA in Eugene. News College Gameday
Sabrina Ionescu takes the stage at ESPN's \"College GameDay\" at the University of Oregon ahead of Saturday's top-10 matchup against UCLA in Eugene. News College Gameday | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Oregon DucksOhio State BuckeyesMiami (FL) HurricanesCalifornia Golden Bears

This episode of College Gameday was truly unlike any other, because this week, the crew headed to Berkeley, California for the first time in the shows’ history to cover the Cal Bears’ matchup against the Miami Hurricanes. Did the ESPN crew cover the Oregon Ducks win over Michigan State on Friday night?

The anticipation for this stop was so heightened, the GameDay barriers broke early in the morning with students and fans pouring in to cheer on their teams. Now lovingly named the “Calgorithm,” the Bears’ fan base took to the streets and social media to share hilarious gameday signs and incredible memes commemorating the historic occasion.

“Let’s get weird,” analyst Rece Davis said as the cameras panned across the eager crowd.

But did the Oregon Ducks make an appearance on GameDay this episode? For the past few weeks, the green and yellow has been a fleeting topic for the show, rarely covered if at all. After the pre-season hype fizzled out during Oregon’s first two games against Idaho and Boise State, it felt like the popular show had moved on from discussing the Ducks.

First off, there was a single Oregon Duck fan that stood in the front row of the crowd, pressed against the GameDay barriers. He was waving an Oregon flag with an apple green Oregon polo and a set of Pit Vipers. That fan was visible behind several different analysts for the entire duration of the show.

The first time the Oregon Ducks were directly mentioned was when former Oregon coach and now Miami coach Mario Cristobal joined the Gameday set for an interview. The analysts mentioned that Cristobal was the second ever opposing coach to interview on enemy territory for the show, with current Oregon coach Dan Lanning being the first to do so when Oregon traveled to Utah last season.

Lanning made an appearance early this morning on FOX's Big Noon Kick-Off Show.

Sep 27, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal looks on against the Virginia Tech Hok
Sep 27, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal looks on against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

A funny fact is that both coaches featured in Gameday’s titular matchup, Cristobal and Cal’s Justin Wilcox, both have deep connections to Oregon. Of course, Cristobal became the Oregon coach after Willie Taggart’s sudden departure for the program, then leading the Ducks from 2018-2021 before contentiously leaving the program for the Hurricanes. 

Sep 14, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears head coach Justin Wilcox yells at head line judge David Gudg
Sep 14, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears head coach Justin Wilcox yells at head line judge David Gudgell (not shown) during the first quarter against the San Diego State Aztecs at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Wilcox is from Eugene, Oregon. He played football at Oregon under coach Mike Belotti in a menagerie of different defensive positions before graduating in 1999 with a degree in anthropology. Before Lanning was hired, Wilcox was a candidate for the Oregon head coach job. Though Wilcox is a notable Oregon Football alumni, he has never had a coaching role with the Ducks.

After the Lanning shout-out, the Ducks were never mentioned again for the rest of the three hour program. The Oregon connection between the two sparring coaches was also not mentioned.

Next week, GameDay will be headed to Eugene for the Ducks’ match-up vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes, confirmed at 4 p.m. PT on Saturday, Oct. 5.

Both teams enter game week undefeated, something only a handful of teams can still boast. This game is arguably the most hyped for the Big Ten Conference and for Oregon respectively. Looking at the rest of the match-ups next week, it’d be hard to believe any other game will get the Gameday treatment besides Oregon.

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MORE: How Many Times Did ESPN's College GameDay Mention Oregon Ducks?

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Ally Osborne
ALLY OSBORNE

A reporter for Oregon Ducks on SI, Ally Osborne is a born and raised Oregonian. She graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications in 2021 after interning for the Oregon Sports Network with experience working on live sporting broadcasts for ESPN, FOX Sports, the PAC 12 Network, and Runnerspace. Osborne continued her career in Bend, Oregon as a broadcast reporter in 2021 for Central Oregon Daily News while writing for Oregon Ducks on SI. Since then, Osborne is entering her third season reporting for the publication and is frequently the on-site reporter for home games at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. She is currently the host of lifestyle shows "Everyday Northwest" and "Tower Talk Live" for KOIN 6 News in Portland, Oregon. Osborne also works as a sports reporter for KOIN 6's "Game On" sports department. In her free time, Osborne is an avid graphic designer, making art commissions for athletes across her home state. Osborne's designs have even become tattoos for a few Duck athletes.

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