The Athletic: Why Oregon Football is Better Prepared Than Ever for a Big Ten Takeover

[Charles Fischer]

I cannot copy it, but Austin Meek, who used to write at the Eugene Register-Guard for six years, gave the nation a fun article shining the spotlight on Our Beloved Ducks. Below are a few quotes...   (And I can't help but be so PROUD!)

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It’s a November morning in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Another college football Saturday has arrived. You wake up, put on a pot of coffee, pull back the curtains and see … a 65-foot tall Duck floating in the Huron River.

 

Welcome to Oregon’s Big Ten takeover.

 

Thursday was a reminder of how much times have changed. Even a few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine an Oregon coach standing on the stage at Big Ten media days, saying this about his program-building philosophy.

 

“You’ve got to win in the trenches at the end of the year,” Dan Lanning said.

 

"This is shaping up to be Oregon’s most consequential season since that CFP trip in 2014. The Ducks have had good teams since then, but none that challenged seriously for a national championship. This team could, in large part because Lanning has built Oregon to look more like the best teams in the Big Ten and the SEC."

 

 

“At Oregon, we’ve been trying to build a great team, regardless of conference,” Lanning said. “You need to be strong in the trenches. You need to have great players outside. You need to have great quarterback play. You’ve got to play solid defense. All those things matter.”

 

“We’re a lot closer to that now,” he said.

 

This Oregon team has a shot to be the best of everything Oregon has been in the past. The Ducks should be explosive on offense, led by a veteran quarterback in Dillon Gabriel and a talented receiving corps. They have the size on the defensive line to match up with the offensive lines they’ll face in the Big Ten, and they brought in one of college football’s top transfer classes to fill the gaps on their roster.

 

There’s a seriousness to the program now, a sense that Oregon doesn’t need tricks or gimmicks to get people’s attention. The Ducks blend in a little more, but as Lanning said, they’re still “mighty different.” People around the Big Ten are going to learn that firsthand, especially if the inflatable Duck shows up in somebody’s backyard.

 

Oregon’s always known how to make a splash.

 

 

[Jon Joseph]

Thanks again, Charles. One article is by Austin Meek and the other is by Austin Mock.

 

Don't mock Mock's mock top 25. Mock is The Athletic's Sports wagering guru and puts his money where his keyboard is.