Autzen sucks and so do the Oregon fans! I was there last night as I never miss a Cal game in the Northwest unless it is in Pullman. Every year I get the chance to go to Autzen, I have to deal with "die hard" band wagon idiots who started liking the Ducks within the last seven years. Oregon fans live in a cacoon and think that being a good fan means that you have to disrespect the visiting fans by telling them to F**k Off and such for no reason.

Last night was no different. As they began their second half crushing, we few Cal fans stood loyal to the bone for our boys in the blue and gold (or white). Never disrespecting the experience, other team, their fans or venue. Then, out of nowhere, there were a bunch of thirty something aged fools dressed from head to toe in green and gold and looking like punk ass teenagers standing in front of my 16 year old son and his 15 year old friend. Aparently sporting Cal gear was the problem that they had with my son and his friend because the just started saying they were going to kick their asses for wearing the wrong colors in Autzen (no joke). For what????

Needless to say, I took wife, 4 year old, 16 year olds and myself out of the stadium and professed, NEVER AGAIN!!!!

The last time we were at Autzen, it was something else. The time before (2007), my son and I had to jump over a fence to avoid the shi* that was getting thrown at us and, in general, to avoid being mobbed by masses because we beat them.

I have been to a ton of venues, some are better than others .....

Bottom line ..... Autzen sucks and so do their fans!!!!

PS - AUTZEN IS NOT THAT LOUD EITHER! That is a claim that they made up.

Go Bears!

I second this. I visited Autzen under much happier circumstances in 2007, but the fans are far worse than those I've encountered at any other venue, PAC 10/12 or OOC.

What I haven't been able to figure out is when the cameras scan the fans, why are most of them making hand gestures representing their mothers' genitalia?

Agree with everything you said, up until the part about it not being loud. I wasn't there last night, so I can't speak to that, but it was loud for the first half of the game in 2009. Real loud. After they piled on it wasn't loud at all, but who cared at that point. I was sitting in an oregon section next to the students and band, and it was f'ing loud. And I had multiple people try to fight me by getting in my face, so yeah, right with you about some oregon fans being aholes.

especially with kids. Its becoming a nightmare everywhere.

Oregon fans are terrible.

I know one that said she is a long time duck fan (5 years!) and says it seriously.



The last real run in with a duck fan was marching up with the band in 2006. I cant figure out why a fan from one team would find the need to disrespect the home teams traditions, but he was blocking the band, yelling at the cheerleaders, yelling "OOOOOOH" and crap.

Around Evans I threw him in the bushes, and told him to respect our traditions and support his team.


I cant figure out why no other Cal fan did it before me, but I sure got a lot of "Thank you's" from the band, fans, and dance team.








Anyway, I cant stand Oregon fans in or out of the game enviornment. Worst fans in the country, for about a decade now.

Went to Eugene for the 2009 game and it was like stepping into another world. They are just a completely different breed of people up there. They're almost...inhuman.

Calcoholic;588253 said:

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Went to Eugene for the 2009 game and it was like stepping into another world. They are just a completely different breed of people up there. They're almost...inhuman.

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I was there in 2009. Everybody was very polite, before and after the game. Many people went out of their way to come over to us and welcome us and say they hoped we enjoyed our visit (but not the game). A stranger in the tailgating lot offered me grilled elk meat that he'd bowhunted the previous week. We didn't see any other Cal fans taunted or bothered, either.

I came away very impressed with the place.

Didn't make the trip this year, but my experiences in '07 and '09 were a little different. The stadium was very loud. After our '07 win, the Duck fans were strangely silent as we departed the stadium. We sucked the air out of that place. There were a few stupid, ill mannered teenagers running some weak smack, but we just laughed at them, and most of the saner duck fans acted embarrassed at their behavior. When we retired to the bar of a local restaurant to unwind and celebrate, a half dozed or so duck fans came by, congratulated us on our win, and raised their glasses in a surprising display of good sportsmanship. We were quite taken aback to be honest. Totally unexpected.

My point is that not every opponent's fans are morons. Occasionally (rare, I admit), you may find a human being. (I've never found one at a U$C game.)

BearsWiin;588260 said:

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I was there in 2009. Everybody was very polite, before and after the game. Many people went out of their way to come over to us and welcome us and say they hoped we enjoyed our visit (but not the game). A stranger in the tailgating lot offered me grilled elk meat that he'd bowhunted the previous week. We didn't see any other Cal fans taunted or bothered, either.

I came away very impressed with the place.

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You didn't notice anything weird about the place? That the entire population of Eugene seems to be Kevin Federline clones?

I would be interested to know your experiences leaving the stadium. Most ducks were semi-civil before the game, when there was a chance they could lose, but as soon as the game was over, they turned into hooligans. Leaving the stadium, we couldn't walk 10 feet without people getting in our face, blocking our path, and generally making unwanted contact. I'm finding it hard to believe that any Cal fan was able to avoid that. Were you wearing Cal gear? Did you leave early or something?

You said it yourself - bandwagon. There's plenty of good folks in the Autzen crowd, but unfortunately the new levels of success have allowed a, well, shitty element to be magnified. (And btw I feel it relevant to point out that I've had some pretty memorably poor experiences walking past the greek houses to and from memorial in Duck gear...)

and for the record I was talking a lot of **** elsewhere last night when our fans were booing. Bunch of idiots..

I don't think last night makes a good example for how loud Autzen is, as already pointed out above. But having said that I think the success definitely breeds a certain amount of complacency, and the noise level has sort of dipped as a result. Still - if you came in as a top 10 team and kept it close late, your ears would be ringing this morning.

Phantomfan;588240 said:

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Oregon fans are terrible.

I know one that said she is a long time duck fan (5 years!) and says it seriously.

The last real run in with a duck fan was marching up with the band in 2006. I cant figure out why a fan from one team would find the need to disrespect the home teams traditions, but he was blocking the band, yelling at the cheerleaders, yelling "OOOOOOH" and crap.

Around Evans I threw him in the bushes, and told him to respect our traditions and support his team.

I cant figure out why no other Cal fan did it before me, but I sure got a lot of "Thank you's" from the band, fans, and dance team.

Anyway, I cant stand Oregon fans in or out of the game enviornment. Worst fans in the country, for about a decade now.

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Good story. Sometimes just telling the person is all it takes (although yours really sounds like the bushes were the best option). We had a REALLY obnoxious Tennessee fan sitting in front of us when we played them. One of my friends quietly told him to respect our cheering and that he should think about supporting his team instead of mocking us (it was still early in the game). He ended up being quite friendly the rest of game.

Nouveau riche fans. I think many Oregon students and alums, the pride comes from their athletics, not necessarily their academics. So you have to milk it as much as you can. On Twitter, I've never experienced more rude, boorish and even just plain sick (I don't know if any of you remembered what I encountered last year - not that I want to remember that) sports fans than Oregon. One was on there last night saying expletives and using the #gobears hashtag as to go out of his way to rub it in our faces. Thankfully, no one responded to him, but I couldn't block him for some reason. That said, I have plenty of classy and cool friends who are Oregon alums. I doubt they are down with this kind of boorish, anything goes so long as we have scoreboard, culture.

Calcoholic;588285 said:

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You didn't notice anything weird about the place? That the entire population of Eugene seems to be Kevin Federline clones?

I would be interested to know your experiences leaving the stadium. Most ducks were semi-civil before the game, when there was a chance they could lose, but as soon as the game was over, they turned into hooligans. Leaving the stadium, we couldn't walk 10 feet without people getting in our face, blocking our path, and generally making unwanted contact. I'm finding it hard to believe that any Cal fan was able to avoid that. Were you wearing Cal gear? Did you leave early or something?

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We stayed the whole game, then went to the apparel store by the stadium to do a bit of shopping. Then we went by some eternal flame thing, and walked back to our car. We came into contact with a lot of Duck fans after the game, and every one of them was nice, cordial, and polite. My father, BIL, and I were all decked out in Cal gear. No problems whatsoever.

I was definitely surprised. Given what I'd heard about the way Duck fans treat Beaver/Husky/Trojan fans, I was expecting at least a bit of trouble. We gone absolutely none.


Edit: and as for the type of people in Eugene, you should try spending a Father's Day dinner at the Medford Hometown Buffet. THAT is freaky.

BellottiBold;588287 said:

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You said it yourself - bandwagon. There's plenty of good folks in the Autzen crowd, but unfortunately the new levels of success have allowed a, well, shitty element to be magnified. (And btw I feel it relevant to point out that I've had some pretty memorably poor experiences walking past the greek houses to and from memorial in Duck gear...)

and for the record I was talking a lot of **** elsewhere last night when our fans were booing. Bunch of idiots..

I don't think last night makes a good example for how loud Autzen is, as already pointed out above. But having said that I think the success definitely breeds a certain amount of complacency, and the noise level has sort of dipped as a result. Still - if you came in as a top 10 team and kept it close late, your ears would be ringing this morning.

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BB, while many times we don't agree with you, you are civil and generally restrained on our board as if you act like a guest, so I appreciate that.

BearsWiin;588297 said:

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We stayed the whole game, then went to the apparel store by the stadium to do a bit of shopping. Then we went by some eternal flame thing, and walked back to our car. We came into contact with a lot of Duck fans after the game, and every one of them was nice, cordial, and polite. My father, BIL, and I were all decked out in Cal gear. No problems whatsoever.

I was definitely surprised. Given what I'd heard about the way Duck fans treat Beaver/Husky/Trojan fans, I was expecting at least a bit of trouble. We gone absolutely none.


Edit: and as for the type of people in Eugene, you should try spending a Father's Day dinner at the Medford Hometown Buffet. THAT is freaky.

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LOL. Is there a Golden Corral nearby too?

KoreAmBear;588302 said:

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LOL. Is there a Golden Corral nearby too?

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No idea, after dinner we quickly retreated to the hotel.

I've been to away games at UW during the height of their success and I've gone to Oregon games at their height of theirs. Here's the difference as I see it.

Washington fans were extremely pleasant, to the point of being condescending. They knew they were going to beat our ass, so there was no point in rubbing it in our faces. While arrogant, at least they have manners.

Oregon fans are boorish, drunken buffoons who find vicarious self worth for their inconsequential lives in the success of their football team.

The difference is that one population lives in Seattle, the other in Eugene. Success, liquor and a gigantic chip on your shoulder is never a good combination.

BearsWiin;588306 said:

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No idea, after dinner we quickly retreated to the hotel.

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But BW, if you were wearing a flannel shirt, you would have clearly fit right in.

:cheer

north west cal fan;588185 said:

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Autzen sucks and so do the Oregon fans! I was there last night as I never miss a Cal game in the Northwest unless it is in Pullman. Go Bears!

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I pretty much agree with you regarding Oregun fans. The good news is the NCAA will catch up with the cesspool known as Oregun athletics and then reality will strike. I think fallout will be worse than SC since Oregun fans have nothing else going for them. Meth sales will skyrocket.

If you want to experience the best fans in the Pac-12, I suggest you start going to Pullman. Been there twice recently for Cal games and each time their fans were polite and almost happy to see us. We got a lot of "Thanks for coming", which was unexpected considering we killed them both times. We bought seats in their season tix sections both games. First time, some guy started in with the Berkeley hippie stuff and the people around him told him to shut up. Both times we got free parking on campus within an easy walk to the stadium, which is right in the middle of campus. Of course, both our visits were in September and the weather was great.

Sure, Pullman is not easy to get to. But, it can be the perfect antidote to places like Autzen, SC and ASU, my bottom 3. Plus, you can take the kids to their world famous Bear research center. An awesome way to see real bears up close without gettting torn to pieces.

BTW, the Colorado people were extra nice this trip. However, I think they may have been on their best behavior trying to make a good impression on their new conference mates. Probably still real thankful they're out of that hole of a conference, the Big XII-II (can't be XII when you have only X!). Hope that wasn't the case, because that's a great road trip and the fans we met were really nice without exception.

It seems to me that the older Oregon fans for the most part are very cordial and welcoming. They are good fans who travel, and also went through the down years of Oregon football. It's the young/new fans that are the bad seeds. They get wasted and use the Oregon success to be jerks, since they feel entitled. I tend to give the students a break - they are young, dumb, and drunk. We've got just as many (well, maybe not as many, but we've got 'em) who harass opposing fans needlessly. I was in Beta, so I'm definitely not throwing stones here - our deck was always full of kids talking smack to opposing teams. If you are going to pass frat row, expect to get harassed, and that's at any school in the country. But threats of violence are boorish and unbecoming, regardless of whether its in the stands or at frat row.

I typically always root fot pac 10/12 teams in out of conference games especially against the SEC. But Man, these grasshole oregon fans make that very difficult.

"We had no trouble at the game last night. We just told everybody that,
'We're from France!' and that seemed to work."

Related question: Just how big is the redneck factor in Eugene and the surrounding area, anyway?

I wonder, because when I think of Oregon, the first thing I imagine is Portland, a city that has a lot in common with the Bay Area. But then I remember comments I've heard about how "the rest of the state" is nothing like Portland, and Eugene is, well, part of the rest of the state.

These kind of threads always crack me up...cant tell you how many times I have heard the line "worst fans I have ever seen"...Oregon fans said same thing about LSU fans as they got spit on, cussed at, harassed, etc...and this was done to women too.

Bottom line is this, there will always be the 10-20% of fans who are immature, young , drunk, angry...this exists where ever you go...you will less of this at Cal and Stanford, as they are known to be docile for whatever reason.

But at its core, humans are human...doesnt matter whether you are in WA, CA or OR...you will see a few bad apples no matter where you go, esp in college sports...come on, if you are over 30-35 yrs of age, do you really want to fight another middle aged man who needs viagra just to watch porn?....you really want to dump beer on someone?...spit on someone?...in reality, you're trying to get home to beat traffic and thanking god you havent soiled your Depends yet.

510Bear;588406 said:

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Related question: Just how big is the redneck factor in Eugene and the surrounding area, anyway?

I wonder, because when I think of Oregon, the first thing I imagine is Portland, a city that has a lot in common with the Bay Area. But then I remember comments I've heard about how "the rest of the state" is nothing like Portland, and Eugene is, well, part of the rest of the state.

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I lived in Portland for three years and I call Oregon the Appalacia of the West. They do not like outsiders.

Oregon is pretty heavily rednecked. Eugene is hippie-redneck mixed together somehow. And don't be fooled, although it's fairly progressive, Portland is very, VERY white and insular.

Oregon should provide us with water and wood and marijuana. In return for same we would allow them some acreage to provide subsistence and skins to clothe their body. In no way should they be allowed to make decisions for themselves as this will overly tax their minds.

A lot of stuff gets written on "most obnoxious fanbase" and "least favorite team in the Conference." I've long wanted to write something up on this to get people's views; it seems like we always talk about this behavior monolithically as if there were one way we interract with fans and that way defines them. For me, there are three:

1. Behavior in online forums (posting on fansites and on "neutral" sites like ESPN).

2. Behavior on game day, both when at home and when visiting us.

3. Behavior when interracting in the "real world", whether at the supermarket, at work, on vacation, etc.

You could probably come up with more, but this is how I always think about it. Personally (and I'll acknowledge that this is totally anecdotal and based on my individual experiences), Oregon fans are flat out, hands down, undisputably the worst in two of these three categories. I've liked the Oregon alumns I've met in the real world. But in terms of the unbelievable whining and self-entitled nitwhittery that gets posted online (I'll exempt BB here - I think he's actually totally civil) it's not even close. The crying about the rain at Memorial in 2008, the insistence that we are even dirtier than they are in terms of the Lyles saga, and the unbelivable faux outrage over the "fake injury" incident from last year puts them at the bottom of the heap.

And that pales compared to game day behavior. I've seen things at Memorial - including the incident that Phantom relayed at the 2006 game - that were beyond boorish. And that really is nothing compared to what they act like at home. Thuggish doesn't even begin to describe it. These people and their team represent the antithesis of what college football should be.

The only reason I'd like to see a Pac-16 is so we could create a California pod and get away from them at least every couple of years or so. Yuck.

BearsWiin;588297 said:

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We stayed the whole game, then went to the apparel store by the stadium to do a bit of shopping. Then we went by some eternal flame thing, and walked back to our car. We came into contact with a lot of Duck fans after the game, and every one of them was nice, cordial, and polite. My father, BIL, and I were all decked out in Cal gear. No problems whatsoever.

I was definitely surprised. Given what I'd heard about the way Duck fans treat Beaver/Husky/Trojan fans, I was expecting at least a bit of trouble. We gone absolutely none.


Edit: and as for the type of people in Eugene, you should try spending a Father's Day dinner at the Medford Hometown Buffet. THAT is freaky.

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Hmm. In that case, I can only conclude that you are 6'6', 280 lbs, and have a tattoo of a pentagram on your forehead.

Sebastabear;588438 said:

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A lot of stuff gets written on "most obnoxious fanbase" and "least favorite team in the Conference." I've long wanted to write something up on this to get people's views; it seems like we always talk about this behavior monolithically as if there were one way we interract with fans and that way defines them. For me, there are three:

1. Behavior in online forums (posting on fansites and on "neutral" sites like ESPN).

2. Behavior on game day, both when at home and when visiting us.

3. Behavior when interracting in the "real world", whether at the supermarket, at work, on vacation, etc.

You could probably come up with more, but this is how I always think about it. Personally (and I'll acknowledge that this is totally anecdotal and based on my individual experiences), Oregon fans are flat out, hands down, undisputably the worst in two of these three categories. I've liked the Oregon alumns I've met in the real world. But in terms of the unbelievable whining and self-entitled nitwhittery that gets posted online (I'll exempt BB here - I think he's actually totally civil) it's not even close. The crying about the rain at Memorial in 2008, the insistence that we are even dirtier than they are in terms of the Lyles saga, and the unbelivable faux outrage over the "fake injury" incident from last year puts them at the bottom of the heap.

And that pales compared to game day behavior. I've seen things at Memorial - including the incident that Phantom relayed at the 2006 game - that were beyond boorish. And that really is nothing compared to what they act like at home. Thuggish doesn't even begin to describe it. These people and their team represent the antithesis of what college football should be.

The only reason I'd like to see a Pac-16 is so we could create a California pod and get away from them at least every couple of years or so. Yuck.

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I'd like to add my two cents to what was said by sebastabear (since we are all getting stuff off our chest). Every time this topic comes up, we have people saying that we shouldn't generalize fanbases and that there are always "a few bad apples." I'm so tired of that argument. While I guess it is true that there are always a "few bad apples" some schools have WAY WAY more than most. Again, I've been to a lot of away games (and have been to several venues more than a few times) and I've never had a problem with the vast majority of fans. In fact, SC fans I think get a bad rap. I mean they are arrogant and all, but really, all of my interactions with SC fans have been all in good fun, and nothing I've seen has ever amounted to anything close to actual violence. UCLA fans are super tame. Stanford is stanford. Washington is pleasant. WSU ditto. Tennessee, Maryland, Michigan State fans went out of their way to be nice. U of A and ASU fans are too busy thinking about how beautiful they look. So that leaves Fresno St, whose fans are awful and violent; and Oregon fans who are just plain drunk and obnoxious beyond belief.

And as for behavior online, I'm going to say it (because I know everyone else is thinking it) some schools are smarter than others, thus some schools have more intelligent discourse on their forums than others. I know we're not supposed to say that for fear of seeming like a stanford alum, but everyone here knows its true. Its just a fact that people on the Cal board are going to be smarter than everyone else's board (except our neighbors across the bay). I don't understand why we have to hide that fact. I mean, just look at the level of discourse you get on the Cal and Stanford boards, and the level of intelligence shown on say, educk. We all know its true. So my point is this; what I really don't like about Oregon fans is that they are beyond ignorant. I can stand arrogance (SC) and when all is said and done I think we all have a sort of mutual respect for Stanford. But when Oregon fans go on and on about Lyle's and how the NCAA is just out to get them or that every school has arrests; its just beyond what I can handle. If that makes me a furd, then so be it.

What about OSU? Are their fans as bad as Oregon's?

(Or...is the obnoxiousness of Oregon fans a U of Oregon thing or a state of Oregon thing?)

510Bear;588560 said:

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What about OSU? Are their fans as bad as Oregon's?

(Or...is the obnoxiousness of Oregon fans a U of Oregon thing or a state of Oregon thing?)

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OSU fans are like Cal fans in that their team has been sufficiently crappy for a sufficiently long time that they are pretty humble, regular folks. The recent national success of their in-state rival has only accentuated this inferiority complex. Beaver fans are way cool.

The UofO fanbase thuggery is partly just due to them picking up a large unseemly element. But it should be said that Eugene/Springfield is a trailer trash armpit of a community. The university alters that dynamic some (producing the aforementioned bizarre hippy/redneck mix) but the stereotypical redneck element never went anywhere. Springfield is to Oregon at least what Fresno is to California. Maybe more.

Though I will say they have one of the most beautiful and productive fly fishing rivers around. I've hooked a lot of trout in the McKenzie

Calcoholic;588513 said:

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Hmm. In that case, I can only conclude that you are 6'6', 280 lbs, and have a tattoo of a pentagram on your forehead.

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6', 178 lbs, no tattoos. Skinny jaw, glasses. Maybe they took pity on me.

ducky23;588550 said:

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I'd like to add my two cents to what was said by sebastabear (since we are all getting stuff off our chest). Every time this topic comes up, we have people saying that we shouldn't generalize fanbases and that there are always "a few bad apples." I'm so tired of that argument. While I guess it is true that there are always a "few bad apples" some schools have WAY WAY more than most. Again, I've been to a lot of away games (and have been to several venues more than a few times) and I've never had a problem with the vast majority of fans. In fact, SC fans I think get a bad rap. I mean they are arrogant and all, but really, all of my interactions with SC fans have been all in good fun, and nothing I've seen has ever amounted to anything close to actual violence. UCLA fans are super tame. Stanford is stanford. Washington is pleasant. WSU ditto. Tennessee, Maryland, Michigan State fans went out of their way to be nice. U of A and ASU fans are too busy thinking about how beautiful they look. So that leaves Fresno St, whose fans are awful and violent; and Oregon fans who are just plain drunk and obnoxious beyond belief.

And as for behavior online, I'm going to say it (because I know everyone else is thinking it) some schools are smarter than others, thus some schools have more intelligent discourse on their forums than others. I know we're not supposed to say that for fear of seeming like a stanford alum, but everyone here knows its true. Its just a fact that people on the Cal board are going to be smarter than everyone else's board (except our neighbors across the bay). I don't understand why we have to hide that fact. I mean, just look at the level of discourse you get on the Cal and Stanford boards, and the level of intelligence shown on say, educk. We all know its true. So my point is this; what I really don't like about Oregon fans is that they are beyond ignorant. I can stand arrogance (SC) and when all is said and done I think we all have a sort of mutual respect for Stanford. But when Oregon fans go on and on about Lyle's and how the NCAA is just out to get them or that every school has arrests; its just beyond what I can handle. If that makes me a furd, then so be it.

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I've got to agree with ducky on this. Particularly his point refuting the old canard about how we shouldn't generalize and all fan bases have a few bad apples, blah, blah, blah. [I could say something here about how since canard is French for duck this is actually a pretty good pun, but there's a line between being educated and being obnoxious and I think that might cross it :p]. Bottom line is you go to enough football games in your life, meet enough fans and read enough posts and you can get a sense of who a fanbase "is." Basically you couldn't pay me to be a Duck fan given who I'd be associating with - I don't care if they win every football game they play for the next 100 years. In the words of Dean Wormer, "Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life."

I've had nothing but good experiences at Autzen. I hate Wh*regon (the program), but I've always had a lot of fun going down to games in Eugene. I have a lot of friends who are UO grads. A couple people have yelled "Huck the Fuskies", but that is pretty minor compared to what I've dealt with in Pullman. Every fan base has some bad fans. Autzen Stadium is pretty insane, almost as loud as Husky Stadium during some of the glory years. Eugene has one of the best bars I've ever been to - the Bier Stein. They have something like 700+ different types of beer from all over the world.

I unfortunately encountered some wannabe gangster Raider fan types at Memorial Stadium. Same thing at the Coliseum.

However, the worst fans in the conference are Arizona fans. Complete trash and I absolutely hate Tucson. What a run-down ****ty city. I like Boulder, but Colorado fans also suck.