INDIANAPOLIS —
A giant, inflatable Oregon Duck mascot drifted down the White River on Tuesday, not far from where Big Ten Conference coaches, players and executives converged for the opening day of their annual media event.
It was not an interloper from some faraway place. It was home.
Adding to the surreal feel, mannequins wearing the football jerseys of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington with Big Ten patches on the shoulder stood in a corridor on the bottom level of Lucas Oil Stadium alongside those of traditional conference heavyweights Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.