It seemed, at first, like an odd fit. A West Coast power, known for its flash, paired with a conference known for its bulk and corn-fed brawn. A year of questions about toughness and physicality from the rest of the Big Ten had suggested as much about Oregon, which, outside of the Dan Lanning era, hadn’t offered much reason to believe they belonged in the premier old-school football conference.
But never had the preseason doubt in Oregon felt so misplaced as it did last Saturday, when the Ducks rolled over Washington and punched their second perfect regular season in program history.
However, there’s a sentiment around these parts that makes this year even more special. Oregon is 12-0 and there’s still room for these Ducks to improve.
Take last year for example. Head coach Dan Lanning’s team was unbelievably talented, yes. However, it didn’t have the same close-game experience (on the winning side) as this year’s squad does. In 2023, Oregon won conference games by point differentials of 36, 36, 14, 29, 44, 9, 36 and 24, ending the regular season largely unchallenged. Oregon went on to lose one of its rare tightly-knit games — ending its championship aspirations.
In 2024, however, the Ducks have carried a different sentiment: they can win ugly.
Early season matchups against Idaho and Boise State — two games in which the Ducks won by just 13 points — proved to be an excellent barometer for what the Ducks’ floor could be if things didn’t shape up well.
“Everyone was telling us how crappy we were,” Lanning acknowledged after the Ducks win over Washington.
While Lanning surely loves the stress-free nature of such lopsided wins, there’s something to say about a team knowing how to persevere despite a somewhat lackluster performance.
Save the tight-rope win over Wisconsin and the nail-biter over Ohio State, the Ducks were largely dominant in their remaining contests. However, the experience of going on the road to a hostile environment and winning a tight game is something Lanning expects to pay off going forward.
“We can handle critical moments,” Lanning said after Oregon’s three-point win over Wisconsin. “We can handle when it’s tough, and at some point, that experience is going to pay off for us.”
With Washington and Michigan (two teams that had a combined 10 one-score game wins last season) paving their path to a National Championship Game bid a year ago, there’s a hope that those same DNA traits established in big games will pay off for the Ducks as the competition gets fiercer.
“I think the best part is we haven’t really talked about it,” quarterback Dillon Gabriel said of the win over the Huskies. “We’re just so present and that’s hard to do. It’s very easy for us to look forward to the future. But, you know, we’ve just been living in a time where tomorrow’s fiction. Tomorrow is not real in our books. We’re just focused right where we’re at.”
The Ducks are the only undefeated team left and a shoe-in for the College Football Playoff regardless of the result of their Big Ten Championship showdown with Penn State. While that’s pretty sweet, there’s an unwavering sense of belief within Lanning’s squad that they can pull out wins regardless of their flaws.
“College football is hard,” Lanning said. “It’s tough to be consistent, and to be resilient and consistent, and [winning] some tight games and [having] some battles throughout really shows some character of our team.”
