Getting a degree isn’t what it used to be, particularly in education. If some of the coeds want to seek other career opportunities, good for them. Their chances are about as good as a highs school athlete making it into the major leagues. Looking good is hard work too you know.

Um...go beavers!?

The swoosh will cover the important parts.

Your "UC Nike" moniker seems too charitable to U of O. The UC system is marked by a degree of academic excellence (especially at Berkeley and UCLA) that is sadly lacking anywhere in the Oregon University System.

This is pretty wholesome, too:
http://deadspin.com/5510947/nyc-subway-attacked-by-peppy-oregon-students-humming-rick-astley-tune

Now I get the next lyric of that song!

Hey Anon - why don't you think there is any academic excellence in the Oregon university system? Seems pretty elitist to paint an entire state university system as lacking academic excellence. But maybe that's how you roll.

Gary,

I didn't say there was no academic excellence at Oregon's public universities. I said that they are much less academically excellent than the University of California system. Berkeley and UCLA in particular are truly world class research universities; U of O and OSU are not. 4 UC campuses rank in the top 20 world universities by academic excellence, and 7 rank in the top 100. No Oregon university cracks the top 100. (Check out arwu.org if you're curious.)

But, when you dump hundreds of millions of dollars toward athletics rather than academics, these results aren't shocking. Last I checked, though, a thriving local economy depends more on having a well-educated workforce than a top-25 football program.

I'm not sure the economy/education connection is working for you. Unless the California economy turned around when I wasn't looking.