Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde Includes Phil Knight in His List of "12 Angry Men"

Each week of the college football season longtime Sports Illustrated columnist Pat Forde runs through a fast-paced, breezy list of the happenings in college football, eponymously named The Forde-Yard Dash. With an eye to the playoffs today's column featured a bit called "Twelve Angry Men," notable figures already growing restless about their team's chances.

The list led off with the usual suspects, boosters and ADs from Michigan, Notre Dame and Florida State, angst-ridden programs that have already wet the bed in terms of making the 12-team field at the end of the year.

By the time Forde got to the end of it he was apparently stretching for his iconic movie reference, so he took a shot at one of sport's visionaries, Oregon benefactor and Duck legend Phil Knight:

The Swoosh King makes a second straight appearance on the Twelve Angry Men list, after a second straight wobbly victory by his Oregon Ducks. They defeated the state of Idaho 65–48 the first two weeks of the season, not what anyone had in mind from the preseason No. 3 team in the country. Oregon’s offensive line is shaky, producing just 2.96 yards per carry so far and surrendering seven sacks.

Not so fast, my friend. Lumping the Ducks in with those other LOSERS seems like a reach, given that they're still 2-0 and ranked number 9 in the country. Dan Lanning and his squad admittedly have work to do and things to clean up, but the decisive difference between them and the ignominious eleven is that they found a way to collect themselves, make a clutch drive in the fourth quarter and hold off the upset.

The experience of prevailing in two tight games will only make them stronger, and no one understands that better than their biggest fan, the Nike Chairman Emeritus. He's got a firm grasp on the nature of competition and how to prevail when things get tough. When he takes his seat in Corvallis for the Civil War he'll do so with a serene expression and a deep commitment to being in the moment, just like he was when he witnessed Lebron James setting the all-time NBA scoring record.