Sports

U of O Economics Professor Bill Harbaugh has been in the news recently for his controversial acquisition of internal administrative U of O communications.  Tuesday he chimed in on football coach Mark Helfrich's new five-year, $17 million contract.

Harbaugh says the U of O's success in football comes at the expense of the University as a whole:

Harbaugh: "It's probably a mistake for the University to be so invested in big-time sports, particularly college football.  The University as a whole would be better off with a team that won half the games and had half the budget."

Oregon fans were deflated following the 42 to 20 loss to Ohio State in the National Championship Monday night.

Trailing 35 to 20 halfway through the fourth quarter, the Ducks began playing desperate football. The defense was unable to stop Ohio's running game, and the offense couldn't find their rhythm. When a comeback was obviously out of reach, people began closing their bar tabs and the sour taste of defeat was pasted on everyone's faces. Oregon student Enrique Munoz describes the loss.

The wait is over! Oregon plays Ohio State tonight in the first ever national College Football Championship Game. Eugene area eateries are preparing for a big night.

What goes better with football than pizza? Pizza delivery drivers will be busy tonight.  Tim Hill is General Manager at Track Town Pizza. His crew was rolling out dough this morning in preparation. The restaurant near campus already has an order for 75 giant pizzas for a watch party on campus. Hill expects they'll make and deliver about 500 pizzas.

In a lead up to the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship Game, the Oregon Ducks gave members of the media some time. A few key players gave interviews then all mics pointed toward Heisman winner, Quarterback Marcus Mariota. KLCC's Tiffany Eckert was there and filed this report.

Mariota says as a boy growing up in Hawaii, he dreamed of winning a national championship game. Now he has the chance.

Mariota: "You know I'd trade the Heisman to win this. --no disrespect but it means a lot more because it's a team effort."

Oregon's mountain biking trails are featured in a national magazine this month. Lane County tourism boosters hope the exposure will bring more visitors to the region.

Bike Magazine puts out its Bible of Bike Tests issue every January. In this month's issue, cyclists tested bikes on trails in Oakridge, along the McKenzie River, and in Central Oregon.
Kari Westlund is with Travel Lane County.

Oregon ski resorts are hoping for better weather than last year. Despite record low temperatures and snow throughout the state, snow in the high country had a hard time sticking.

University of Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has won college football's most prestigious award, the Heisman Trophy.

Mariota is the first Oregon player, and the first Hawaiian native to win the award. Mariota was the definitive favorite to win. He accounted for a Pac-12 record 53 touchdowns and led the Ducks to a spot in the first College Football Playoff. In an emotional acceptance speech, Mariota thanked his team, his coaches and the Polynesian community.

Oregon State's longtime football coach Mike Riley has accepted the head coaching job at the University of Nebraska.

Riley is taking over for Coach Bo Pelini, who was fired over the weekend.  Nebraska Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst announced Riley's hiring today. Steve Tannen is host of the daily sports radio show "Crunch Time" on 95.3 The Score in Eugene. He says Riley’s departure could affect recruiting.

The University of Oregon Ducks continued their winning streak against in-state rival Oregon State in the 118th Civil War game yesterday (Saturday). The Ducks routed the Beavers 47 to 19 in Corvallis.

The Ducks went into Reeser Stadium focused on finishing the regular season with a victory against their arch-rivals. The Beavers needed a win just to be bowl eligible. Quarterback Marcus Mariota put on a show throwing for 367 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 39 yards and two more scores. The Heisman candidate praised his teammates for the season they've shared.

Heavy rain is falling in the Willamette Valley, and that means snow in the Cascades. That’s good news for skiers and snow boarders. Mount Bachelor opens Monday, with other resorts following soon.

Mount Bachelor will open one lift and the terrain park Monday. Resort spokesman Drew Jackson is optimistic this weekend’s forecasted snow will allow them to open more for the holiday:

Jackson: “Things are looking good for Thanksgiving weekend. We hope to have at least three lifts open, at least five kilometers in the Nordic Center.”

Today (Tuesday), Doha Qatar was chosen over Eugene and Barcelona to host the 2019 World Track and Field Championships.

It took two rounds of voting for the 27 member IAAF council to reach a decision. After Barcelona was eliminated, Doha received 15 votes and Eugene, 12. Vin Lananna, President of Track Town USA, spoke from Monaco, where the announcement was made:

Lananna: “We appreciate all of the collaboration, the excitement, the encouragement, and having the guts to step forward and take it on the world stage.”

Eugene is in contention to host the largest sporting event in the world in 2019. International track and field evaluators visited Sunday and Monday. Next month, they'll choose the location of the 2019 World Championships.

The Evaluation Commission for the International Association of Athletics Federations has been to Barcelona, Spain. They travel to Doha, Qatar later this week. Eugene is the third contender for the competition. British politician and former Olympic middle distance athlete, Sebastian Coe, is the IAAF's Vice President:

Nick Symmonds represented the USA in the men's 800-meter at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2012 Olympics in London. The Springfield resident has a new book out about his career on and off the track.

Eugene is in the running to host the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2019. If it's selected, this would be the first time it's been has been held in the U.S. since the event began in 1983.

The University of Oregon Ducks have been close to a national championship for the last few years. The football program hosted media today (Monday) to preview the upcoming season.

Last year the Ducks finished 11 and 2, losing to rivals Stanford and Arizona. They won their bowl game against the University of Texas and conference media members picked the Ducks to win the Pac-12 this year. Second year head coach Mark Helfrich says it's great to talk in early August, but predictions don't really matter.