Eugene, Ore. – So, how do I want to begin this? The dawn of a new day? A new era is upon us? Big things are happening? Alright, I’ll stop now. Let’s just keep it simple: Oregon, welcome to the Big Ten.
Now, three other universities can say the same thing as Oregon — those being UCLA, USC, and Washington. For the Ducks, however, it’s different. National championship expectations have become affiliated with the Ducks in now the third season of the Dan Lanning era. Oregon opens up the season at No. 3 in the country heading into Week One, their highest preseason ranking since 2014. Ohio State, which will travel to Eugene for a blockbuster matchup in Week Seven, is the only other Big Ten team ahead of Oregon at No. 2.
Big Ten Outlook
And then, there were two… at least for the PAC-12. Oregon State and Washington State remain the last ones standing in the broken conference, while the rest of the pack found new homes. Cal and Stanford jumped over to the crowded ACC, as Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona have set up shop in the Big 12. In the Big Ten, the Ducks headline the four newcomers from the PAC-12. Neither Washington nor UCLA enter the year inside the Top 25. The Huskies suffered many key losses to the NFL draft on offense, not to mention the loss of head coach Kalen DeBoer to Alabama. Meanwhile, DeShaun Foster begins his new coaching tenure replacing Chip Kelly for the Bruins, yet many questions are still to be answered about how this team will stack up against a strong Big Ten schedule. USC finds itself at No. 23 in the nation to open up the year, though a Week One matchup against No. 13 LSU in Las Vegas could either drop or largely better that number.
Let’s get back to the Ducks, shall we? On paper at the moment, Oregon only has two Top 25 opponents on their schedule. Of course, this can likely change as the year goes on, but the Ducks certainly have an easier slate of games in their first season in the Big Ten. Boise State offers a solid early-season, out-of-conference game in Week Two at home, but not exactly comparable to say a Texas Longhorns team that Michigan has to deal with earlier that morning. All eyes understandably stare towards the barnburner against the Buckeyes in Week Seven, a matchup that will arguably be the biggest game ever played inside Autzen Stadium. It was only three seasons ago when an Anthony Brown-led Ducks team went into Columbus and knocked off the Buckeyes. Now with a Heisman Trophy favorite in Dillon Gabriel under center and an inevitably raucous home crowd, Oregon could likely enter that weekend as the favorite.
The other Top 25 contest for the Ducks currently is No. 9 Michigan at the big house during Week Ten. Favorably for Oregon, the Wolverines hold some similarities to Washington. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has now made his return to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers. Quarterback JJ McCarthy has gone to the NFL as well, and a new first-time head coach Sherrone Moore is trying to maintain the winning culture in Ann Arbor. Returning players such as Donavan Edwards at running back can provide a spark at times, but replacement quarterback questions remain to seem confidently answered. In short, patience is needed to see where Michigan will be in two months.
Duck Newcomers
Since Lanning has taken over the head coaching duties for Oregon, he has received healthy recognition for his success in freshmen recruiting, along with his ability to bring some of the top transfers in the college market. Enter the senior transfer from Oklahoma and replacement of now NFL-bound Bo Nix, the quarterback Gabriel. Coming off a year where he unanimously was selected to the All Big-12 first team, Gabriel ranked inside the top five in total offensive yards per game, and top ten in completion percentage, passing yards, and passing touchdowns.
“He’s really done a great job of connecting quickly,” Lanning said during an interview back at the Big Ten media days in July. “I’m excited about the experience he brings to the position.” Gabriel’s first collegiate season was for UCF back in 2019.
Gabriel will not only be paired up with an explosive returning wideout in senior Tez Johnson but also with the junior transfer from Texas A&M, Evan Stewart. Stewart only played in eight of the Aggies’ 12 games a season ago but showed flashes of stellar play in those games. Stewart was the first A&M receiver since 2019 to record back-to-back games with over 100 yards receiving, headlined by an 11-reception, 142-yard outing against Miami.
“I’ve never really had a quarterback to his [Gabriel] caliber, I’ll put it that way,” Stewart said about Gabriel’s talent after being asked how they had been meshing in practice so far. “It’s definitely a good thing to watch every single day of how he prepares himself and how he handles his business.”
On the defensive side, senior defensive back Jabbar Muhammad comes over from rival Washington to become a new leader in the secondary after the late Kyhree Jackson was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the NFL draft. Fellow senior defensive back Kobe Savage makes the jump from Kansas State to Oregon after starting all 12 games last year for the Wildcats and finishing third on the team in tackles.
Players to Keep an Eye On
Quite honestly, you can just look at the running back room for this one. Junior tailback Jordan James split carries with now Tampa Bay Buccaneer Bucky Irving for most of last season, yet was still able to be the PAC-12 conference leader in yards per carry (also good for tenth in the nation). It is expected that James will be the main workhorse this season, yet redshirt-junior Noah Whittington and junior transfer from Northwest Missouri State Jay Harris will likely get their share of touches. Whittington only played four games a year ago before tearing his ACL against Colorado, ultimately leading to the decision to utilize a redshirt. The season prior, Whittington played in all 13 Ducks games and finished with 779 rushing yards and six total touchdowns. As Whittington continues to recover and regain more of a workload, the question is how much will he be given the rock, especially early on.
In his absence back at the beginning of the offseason, transfer running back Harris has and still is giving a solid impression since arriving in Eugene. Harris had the most carries of any running back during the Ducks’ spring game back in April, along with the most rushing yards. His 6-foot-2-inch, 215-pound frame serves him well to potentially produce as a third down or goal-line power back. Look to see how coach Lanning utilizes the running back depth chart in what could very well be a run-filled matchup against Idaho in Week One.
The Ducks take on the Vandals on Saturday at Autzen Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. and will be on KWVA 88.1 with Austin Ota and Brody Napier on the call. This will be the first time in 20 years since the FCS school has faced Oregon. The Ducks have dominantly won each of their last four matchups against Idaho dating back to 1970. No reason to expect anything to change in 2024.