As the final seconds ticked away in the young college football season's most impactful result, Oregon players streamed onto the field at Ohio Stadium having pulled off something that, just a week ago, would have seemed nearly impossible. The Ducks did not just beat the Buckeyes, 35–28, in the sold-out Horseshoe. They bullied them, pushing around the Big Ten powerhouse from the opening possession and ushering in a new narrative as the highest-ranked team from the Power Five's least-respected league.
The 2021 campaign is still in its infant stages, but the past two weeks have given the Pac-12 more to thump its chest about than in the previous four years combined.