Opinion: Losing Travis Dye sucks, but losing him to the USC Trojans makes it hurt more

Over the past couple of weeks, I think that a lot of Oregon Duck fans had come to grips with the real possibility that running back Travis Dye would not be returning to Eugene for the 2022 season.

After he entered the transfer portal and proclaimed that he would be weighing his options, also considering a move to the NFL by staying in the 2022 draft, it was clear that Dan Lanning was going to have a lot of work to do to get him back.

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That weeks-long saga came to an end on Friday afternoon when Dye announced that he would be transferring to USC and joining the Trojans in Los Angeles.

That hurts.

Of course, good for Dye. We hope that he can continue the storied college career that saw him become one of only 5 Oregon players to rush for over 3,000 yards. He is a California native who knows the lay of the land and will now have a featured role in Lincoln Riley’s offense at USC. In a perfect world, Duck fans will be able to root for him from afar and see him finish out his college career in style while upping his draft stock ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.

But now let’s talk about the pain. Losing Dye to USC really hurts for an Oregon fan. While the past decade has been pretty nice with the Ducks holding bragging rights over the former big brother down in Los Angeles, there seems to be a shift taking place over the past few months that started with Riley leaving Oklahoma and taking the head job for the Trojans. Recruits are flipping there, transfers are choosing to go there, and the future is starting to look a little too bright in sunny California.

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That’s part of what makes this Dye news so shocking. He doesn’t feel very LA, to me. He isn’t a flashy player who is decked out with a visor or arm bands. He doesn’t even wear gloves, for crying out loud. He is an undersized runner who is better than you’d expect when looking at him on the sideline.

I personally thought he would end up at Miami (Fla.) with Mario Cristobal and the bulk of his former coaching staff. That made sense to me. If not there, then maybe a smaller school like Fresno State, where he could step in as the undisputed premier player on the offense and potentially rush for 2,000 yards in his final season. I didn’t see him going to USC and potentially playing alongside Caleb Williams, Brenden Rice and 2022 5-star RB commit Raleek Brown.

More power to him. Here’s to hoping that Dye finds happiness in his new home and can finish his college career with a great season.

For the Oregon Duck fans out there, though, don’t feel bad if this one hurts a bit. For years it’s felt like the Ducks have been holding off the Trojans, and they’re making up ground fast. I just didn’t think Travis Dye was going to help them do it.

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