TAMPA, Fla. ? The University of South Florida football team has gotten used to, but doesn't ever seem to get tired of achieving “firsts.” Earlier this season the Bulls received their first-ever top 25 ranking, then top 10 and eventually top five ranking going as high as No. 2 in the nation. Well, tonight USF learned officially that it will notch another “first” when it faces Oregon in the 74th Annual Brut Sun Bowl at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas on Monday, Dec. 31 at 2:15 p.m. Eastern 
(12:15 p.m. Mountain). The Ducks, a member of the Pacific 10 Conference, will be the first Pac-10 opponent that the Bulls will have ever faced.
This is the fourth appearance in the Brut Sun Bowl for Oregon, who last appeared in El Paso in 2003. The Ducks were also in 1999 and 1963 editions of the game.
USF, who finished the regular season No. 21 in the BCS rankings and finished the regular season with a 9-3 overall record and 4-3 in the BIG EAST, will also be the first-ever BIG EAST Conference team to play in the prestigious bowl. It is also just the third team from the State of Florida to take part in the event joining Florida State (1955 and 1966) and Florida (1977).
“We are truly excited about having the opportunity to host the University of Oregon,” said John H. Folmer. “The opportunity to have two former No.2's in the Brut Sun Bowl was something that we could not pass up on. It truly is an exciting storyline that I think fans nationwide would be interested in seeing on CBS.”
Oregon, who finished the regular season with an 8-4 overall record and a 5-4 slate in the Pac-10, enter the Brut Sun Bowl having dropped its final three games of the season after winning eight of its first nine. Just like USF, the Ducks were affected by the No. 2 curse of 2007. Along with Cal, USC and Boston College, unranked opponents defeated both USF and Oregon earlier in the season. Only Kansas and West Virginia has the satisfaction of saying a ranked opponent beat them at the No. 2 spot. The Ducks, however boast wins over five bowl-bound teams, including Michigan in Ann Arbor, USC and Arizona State.
Oregon is coming off a heartbreaking 38-31 overtime loss over Oregon State yesterday in Eugene. Jonathan Stewart rushed for 163 yards on 39 carries but was held scoreless. Quarterback Justin Roper threw for 144 yards on 13-for-25 passing and two touchdowns. He also threw one interception.
The Ducks and the Bulls provide a great story line for the Brut Sun Bowl pitting two former No. 2 ranked teams against each other. USF catches a break not having to face Heisman Trophy candidate Dennis Dixon, who is out for the year with a torn ACL suffered in the loss to Arizona on Nov. 15 in Tucson. Even without Dixon, the Bulls will still have to stop the Pac-10's top offense ? and an offense that is ranked No. 12 in the nation ? that averaged 462.1 yards per game and recorded 55 touchdowns on the year. In addition, Oregon also had the league's top rushing attack, and the eighth best in America, rumbling for 243.25 yards per game, and 31 rushing TD's.
A major part of that rushing attack is the Pac-10's leading rusher, Stewart, who averages 122.4 yards per game. Stewart also finished the regular season ranked No. 10 in the nation in rushing.
The most intriguing part of an Oregon-USF match up will be seeing two of college football's best defenses go head to head. Oregon leads the nation in tackles for loss at 9.3 per game. The Ducks D is even tougher in the red zone with opponents only converting 67 percent of their chances inside the 20-yard line.
Patrick Chung leads Oregon, defensively, on the season with 110 tackles including 65 solo. Nick Reed also paces the team in tackles for loss with 21.5, a total that also includes a team-high 11 sacks. Kwame Agyeman is second in TFL with 10.5 and Jerome Boyd is third recording 10 on the season for the Ducks.
The Bulls will bring a juggernaut on the defensive side of the ball as well. USF comes into the game ranked third in tackles for loss with 8.9 per game and the nation's leader, George Selvie, who is averaging 2.6 per outing.
If the Bulls take on Oregon, they might not recognize the team staring them down from across the field. That's because Oregon has worn a different uniform combination in every game of the 2007 season. Oregon features jerseys and pants in black, green, white and yellow as well as helmets in green, white and yellow. Only the yellow helmets haven't been worn yet this season.
