Top dogs in the Big Ten? Choke artists? The labels don't matter a damn bit

"Can Oregon handle being the best team in the Big Ten?"

Former "Unnecessary Roughness" podcast host Brandon Walker posed that question yesterday, a week ahead of Big Ten Media Days.

"Can they handle going wire-to-wire as the unquestioned top dog in the Big Ten?" he went on to ask, recalling their losses in the playoffs over the last two seasons.

A long-time host for Barstool Sports, Walker is heading a solo show now and trying to launch it with a big splash. He's built a following by being outspoken, but this rant doesn't quite land.

There's no more and no less pressure on Oregon than there is on Indiana, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgia and Texas. And pressure is what athletes strive to have. It means they're playing for something, reaching for big goals.

If pressure doesn't exist, a true competitor will try to create it. Playing hoops in the driveway, they'll offer to play for a Gatorade, or the loser washes the winner's car.

Oregon's been a top dog ever since joining the Big Ten, and it's a big part of why Dante Moore, Jordon Davison and A'Mauri Washington came there, to play in meaningful games and compete for championships.

The team won TWO playoff games last year, and as for the games they lost, it doesn't matter if a team loses by one or a hundred. Last year is over.

This is a new team with a new identity. Absolutely they'll have to pace themselves and study the film from the Rose Bowl and the Peach Bowl but how they're rated, history and the expectations of others won't be a priority.

Dan Lanning has to insulate the Ducks against distraction. Fortunately, he's good at that.

This is the season of narratives, and Duck fans will hear a lot of them. Most should be ignored altogether.

Players aren't motivated by rankings, ratings and media perceptions. "When I look into my teammates’ eyes and see how dedicated they are to the game, it makes me play harder for the teammate next to me,” Dante Moore said.

“I don’t intend to look at my competition as much as look at my brothers and know their why, know their reason why they play football. At the end of the day, we just lock in and handle business. My teammates help push me day-to-day. That’s my why, my teammates.”

Given this focus, the hype isn't real. Oregon doesn't have to worry about being "the top dog in the Big Ten." That's a thing to be measured by someone else at the end of the year. Their attention has to be on being the best team on the field against Boise State. Everything else is just noise.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow