Yeah... That was pretty awesome. I was there, in Dallas, in an ice storm, watching Neuheisel call a fake punt up 24.
Phil Knight was there in Dallas too.
The thing is, up until then, Phil Knight had not been a big donor. After the game, Knight and some other rich dudes met with the AD and Bellotti and asked "what will it take to make Oregon truly competitive at the national level?" First step was the IPF.
http://dailyemerald.com/2012/11/15/swoosh-there-it-is/
So, but for that shitty bowl game, we might still be mid-tier meh in the PAC 12 now.
we know the story duck.