Bo Nix 'in shock' his college career is likely over

Some 60 games after it began, Bo Nix’s college football career is more or less over — he could play in the Fiesta Bowl for Oregon, which he said he plans to do. And after five-straight years of starting as a Power 5 quarterback, three at Auburn and two at Oregon, Nix can hardly believe his college career in functionally done.

After Oregon lost the Pac-12 Championship Game to Washington, Nix reflected on the reality that the next truly meaningful football for him will likely be in the NFL.

“I think that’s why I’m in shock. Expecting a game next week. I’m expecting to go prepare for another opponent. I played five really long seasons in college football. A lot of stuff has been going on from conference realignment to NIL to COVID. I think me and several other guys, our year, we’re one of the few guys that got to experience normal and crazy football in college. We really experienced each year something different. Each year was something new,” Nix said. “So, I mean, I’m going to miss college football. I know it was my goal my whole entire life to be a college quarterback, to play and win a national championship. Even though that may be off the table and it’s not necessarily something that can be obtained anymore, it was still a goal and I work for it every day.”

Nix explained that going from pushing for College Football Playoff bid to a season effectively being over in a matter of minutes contributed to the feeling of shock.

“This is a time to where, again, you get knocked back down, things didn’t go the way you wanted them to. But that is life. I know tomorrow the sun will come up and the Lord will still be sitting on the throne. There’s way more to life than football and college football. Right now I’m just going to enjoy the moments I have with my teammates. As crazy as it sounds, I’m going to enjoy this plane ride home around the guys because I’ve had many of ’em before, but not sure how many of ’em I have in front of me,” Nix said.

Eventually, too, the shock will wear off — and probably has by now for Nix. But sitting there in the postgame press conference, even his own awareness that time and space would help alleviating all the negative feelings swarming his head wasn’t going to do anything to make it better in the moment.

“As bad as it feels, that’s why you play the game. That’s why you go out there and put it all out there, not be ashamed to do it. I think one of my critical errors was the turnover. We had a chance to go right back down and score. They just gave us one. I gave it right back, so…,” Nix said. “It’s those kind of things that just leaves you scratching your head. Just hurts. Like I said, it’s life. I’m going to be okay. We’re all going to be okay. We’re going to get up tomorrow and go back to work and see what life provides in the future.”