With the SEC and Big Ten both expanding to 18 teams this season, there are some new teams laying down foundations of what could become conference rivalries. On Saturday night, we saw one such meeting, as No. 2 Ohio State traveled to Eugene to face No. 3 Oregon in the game of the week, with the winner positioning themselves as the frontrunner to make the conference title game and have an inside track to a high seed in the expanded College Football Playoff.
While this game doesn’t come with the same fan emotions of Ohio State-Michigan, the stakes of the game meant there were plenty of juices flowing, and unfortunately for the Ducks, a bit too much for one of their stars. Oregon’s second-leading receiver on the year Traeshon Holden picked up a 15-yard penalty and an ejection from the game early in the second quarter when he got into it with Ohio State defensive back Davison Igbinosun and decided to spit in Igbinosun’s face right in front of an official (watch here).
That will earn you an ejection every time, and it’s just some really poor decision-making on Holden’s part. For one, don’t spit on people. For two, definitely don’t spit on a guy wearing a visor where you’re just going to leave hard evidence of your transgression. There was no getting away with this — and, again, just don’t spit on people in general — and now the Ducks will have to finish out their biggest game of the year without one of their best playmakers.