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Oregon makes a rare appearance on CBS tomorrow when they play Illinois. The shift from the SEC to the Big Ten has been a strange adjustment for many fans to get used to. The strangest occasions are when the former PAC-12 members of the Big Ten play on CBS. Tomorrow will be the sixth time in the last 70 years that Oregon has appeared on CBS.
Oregon's Sun Bowl appearances in 1999, 2003, and 2007 come to mind when associating Oregon with CBS. The Ducks split meetings against Minnesota in 1999 and 2003 while blowing out South Florida in 2007. Oregon's two matchups with Minnesota produced two of the greatest Sun Bowls ever. In 1999, a Joey Harrington touchdown pass to Keenan Howry with 1:32 left gave the Ducks a 24-20 win. Four years later, the Gophers got revenge when a Rhys Lloyd 42-yard field goal gave Minnesota a 31-30 win. The 2007 Sun Bowl was not as close when Oregon's Jonathan Stewart ran for a Sun Bowl-record 253 yards in a 56-21 win over South Florida. The ratings were strong for all three games as noted below:
Oregon had not appeared on CBS before the 1999 Sun Bowl for over three decades. That last appearance came in 1963. Before the 1963 season, CBS picked up Oregon's October 5th visit to Arizona as part of a regional slate featuring Pittsburgh at West Virginia and Purdue at Michigan. Oregon responded well to the TV exposure, winning 28-12 thanks to 112 yards by future Hall of Famer Mel Renfro. Ironically, Oregon appeared in the Sun Bowl at the end of the season before it began its longtime partnership with CBS.
Oregon's first CBS appearance came in 1955 when the network aired its game against Stanford on November 12th to a regional audience. Oregon was less fortunate in their 1963 CBS appearance, losing 44-7 to the Cardinal. Future 49er great John Brodie threw for 122 yards, while the Cardinal ran for 273 yards.
Although Oregon's history on CBS is limited, the Ducks should be a fixture on the network in the coming years due to its recent success. The Ducks play Michigan on CBS the following week. Oregon's increased presence on CBS remains one of the more intriguing quirks of conference realignment.
