Ducks Digest

Oregon Ducks Snubbed In Best College Town Competition

In a new fan-voted bracket, Eugene, Oregon and the Oregon Ducks were left off the contenders for a Best College Town competition.
Ally Osborne|
An inflatable of the University of Oregon Duck mascot floats on the White River in front of the NCAA Headquarters on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in downtown Indianapolis. The float weighs in at 1,600 pounds and takes 1.5 hours to inflate.
An inflatable of the University of Oregon Duck mascot floats on the White River in front of the NCAA Headquarters on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in downtown Indianapolis. The float weighs in at 1,600 pounds and takes 1.5 hours to inflate. | Brett Phelps/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

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It’s that time of year when football is right around the corner, and fans crave something superficial to debate to hold them over till the first kick-off. Popular sports media giant and social media brand Barstool Sports swooped in to post one of their many branded bracket challenges. Their newest fan-voted bracket: best college towns.

And wouldn’t you know, the college town that inspired the historic “college culture” film Animal House, is not included. Eugene, Oregon was snubbed.

Fans carry the Oregon Duck over their heads during a game at Autzen Stadium
Fans carry the Oregon Duck over their heads during a game at Autzen Stadium | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Sixty-four college towns will battle it out on the bracket this year, sponsored by Fireball and Hey Dude. Some notable contenders from the Big Ten that made it on the list include Madison, Wisconsin, Champaign, Illinois, East Lansing, Michigan, Iowa City, Iowa, College Park, Maryland, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Columbus, Ohio, Lincoln, Nebraska, West Lafayette, Indiana, New Brunswick, New Jersey, and State College, Pennsylvania.

That means the Big Ten members not included as competitors for this bracket are Oregon, Washington, USC, UCLA, and Northwestern. It’s funny to note all of the new West Coast additions to the Big Ten were left off this Barstool College Town bracket. The only 2023 Big Ten member left off the list is of course Northwestern.

In fact, the only Pacific Northwest school to be listed for the challenge is Washington State University’s town, Pullman, who enters the competition at a four seed.

Other West Coast schools to be included on the bracket are Arizona State’s Tempe, and Arizona’s Tucson.

An inflatable of the University of Oregon Duck mascot floats on the White River in front of the NCAA Headquarters
An inflatable of the University of Oregon Duck mascot floats on the White River in front of the NCAA Headquarters on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in downtown Indianapolis. The float weighs in at 1,600 pounds and takes 1.5 hours to inflate. | Brett Phelps/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

In a similar Barstool Sports’ competition from last year mimicking this format called “Barstool Best Bar School” presented by High Noon, Eugene, Oregon was a contender and listed as a 13 seed. Eugene lost in the first round to Boulder, Colorado of the University of Colorado.

Does this selection from Barstool Sports mean that Eugene, Oregon doesn’t know how to have a good stereotypical college experience? No, but that’s an endlessly debatable wormhole. After this bracket challenge was posted, however, many Oregon fans replied with displeasure that Eugene was snubbed.

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“No Eugene, Oregon … the site of literally the best college movie in history?” @Charlestonduck said.

“How do you leave off a true college town like Eugene but include major cities like Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Orlando, Minneapolis, and Tampa?” @EricjHovland said.

“Where the hell is Eugene?” @BrandonMclaws said.

“No even one team from California. Not even Oregon is on here. So basically it’s not the best in America it’s just the best u think in America,” @socrmonky88 said.

Oregon’s Barstool Sports account, @BarstoolDucks, has not commented on the recent bracket via their “X” account.

Is this bracket bait for Oregon fans to complain? Possibly.

Is it weird that so few West Coast teams were included? Possibly.

Will we be toasting to Eugene, Oregon the next time we’re near campus? That's guaranteed.

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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.