The future isn't written: that's why college football is so compelling.

Every season has its rhythm and plot lines, its unexpected twists and turns, moments of glory and disbelief. There's the seemingly overwhelming adversity and miracles of belief. There is triumph, pleasure and disappointment. Few seasons are perfect, but perfection is always an elusive possibility. The Ducks came damn close a couple of times. And they've shot themselves in the foot more than once.


If you follow a team closely enough and lovingly enough, you'll experience the lows of a disaster in grello helmets, losing by 30 to Brigham Young in a lackluster bowl game, an underachieving team dogging it the desert after an underachieving and injury-riddled season, leaving their games in the casinos and gentlemen's clubs a few days before kickoff. Coach made embarrassing excuses, questioned how poorly the opponent would have played in the PAC-10. He vacillated between one quarterback and another. Johnathan Stewart was bottled up, hemmed in on the ground, just 7 carries for paltry 21 yards. After beating Oklahoma and starting 4-0, the Ducks finished 7-6. 2006 was a bad, crazy year.

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