The Oregon Ducks are major players in college football's conference realignment. Will there be growing pains for the Ducks as they join the Big Ten Conference this season and face off against some of the best talent in the country in the Ohio State Buckeyes and reigning national champion Michigan Wolverines?
Oregon is new to the Big Ten Conference and is positioned to win immediately thanks to the perimeter speed of its wide receivers and secondary. The speed of the Ducks' offense is balanced by an aggressive offensive line, a plethora of returners and a physical brand of intimidating defensive line.
Expectations are high for Oregon in 2024 after coach Dan Lanning secured the Big Ten's top transfer class (including top transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who will replace Denver Broncos rookie Bo Nix) along with the addition of a highly-touted freshman class that could make an immediate impact.
Oregon also returns some exciting veterans, including receiver Tez Johnson and linebacker Geoffrey Bassa, who will teach the newcomers “team DNA.”
“(Practices) are so competitive,” Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson told Oregon Sports Illustrated's Bri Amaranthes. “Practices are so intense you wonder who you're playing in the national championship game.”
“We work hard for everything,” Johnson told Amaranth, “and I can't say enough how much Coach Lanning stresses to us about going to school and going to class. We have a bunch of class checkers making sure we're in class. They don't let us miss class here.”
“… That's the standard. If you want to be elite, do your job on and off the field.”
The Ducks will look to show that hard work and grit in the biggest matchups of the college football season, hosting Ohio State on Oct. 12 and Michigan on Nov. 2.
If Oregon can beat Ohio State at home and Michigan on the road, the Ducks have a good chance of finishing their first season in the new conference undefeated.
Oregon is already thriving in its new conference space, with SI's College Football HQ predicting the Ducks will be the team to “break through” in the conference realignment. Fellow newcomers USC Trojans are projected to “break through,” while the Washington Huskies are projected to “falter,” with the Huskies expected to win just six games under new coach Jedd Fisch.
The Ducks will host rival Washington at Autzen Stadium on Nov. 30 and will not play USC this season.
Coach Lanning has a physical, fast roster of veterans and rookies, including the best transfer quarterback in the country in Gabriel, and is leading the Ducks into Big Ten Conference play with practices that are preparing the team for the College Football Playoff…the Ducks are on the rise.
