Living in Portland has its perks – and its maladies, especially now.  There’s a contagious infection going on throughout the state, and I’m catching a mild case.  It’s called “Duck Fever.”

Let me explain how.  Currently, I am a suffering Gator fan.  Stepping down under duress after a season of disappointment, Will Muschamp relieved himself of Gainesville’s on-campus pressure to become defensive coach of Auburn.  And under athletic director Jeremy Foley’s aegis, the Gators’ football team is undergoing renovation courtesy of Colorado State’s former gridiron coach, Jim McElwain, whose $7.5 million buyout sets an all-time record.

Meanwhile, the Gators basketball team opened a challenging season by fading down the stretch when its opposition played tough.  Lately, the team has begun to gel, but there’s a way to go.  As Gator Nation awakens from its state of hibernation, it prompts the question, “What’s a Gator to do?”

Stage right center, the Oregon Ducks football team finds itself on the precipice of a national championship.  With their Heisman-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota certainly the resident darling, only one obstacle looms: Ohio State led by its photogenic coach, Urban Meyer.

Gator fans do not like Meyer much after he left the team in a state of ruin following a national championship in 2008.  Certainly, he went through the anxieties that are endemic to media-crazy Florida as the University rose in national stature.  But he was paid well, albeit for a 24/7 position.

After saying he was retiring, Meyer accepted the football coach’s position at Ohio State and doesn’t seem to be looking back, currently being paid $4.6 million a year.  That hasn’t stopped him, though, from speaking out about the pressures at Florida and blaming that for depression and chest pains while competing for prestige and power.

Was that the reason for the downfall of Florida football after he left?  Gator fans are inclined to curse his legacy.

Now here I am in Portland where sports fans have only one professional team, the NBA Trailblazers, for whom to root.  Then the Oregon Ducks began wowing the locals under Chip Kelly, but never grasped the brass ring during the dynasty he constructed.

Yes, after living in the Philadelphia area and watching Kelly be wooed to the NFL by the Eagles, I am now in the Portland area.  And just in time, I am ripe to catch Ducks Fever, under replacement coach Mark Helfrich, who has kept the ball rolling in Eugene.

Being called national champion is a booster shot for local pride, and Oregonians appear hungry for the chance.  Local TV stations have earmarked key staffers to follow the team to Dallas, and the airwaves are saturated with every little move team members make.

Maybe it will go away after Monday night’s big game.  But I’m not sure.  This Gator fan has checked himself in the mirror and suspects he is getting webbed feet.  Is this what they mean by a Quack Attack?

I can only see what happens after kickoff Jan. 12th at 5:30 pm Pacific Time, 8:30 on the East Coast.  If worse comes to worse, perhaps I’ll need reconstructive foot surgery.  Stay tuned.