“What’s the best version of us?” is the question that head coach Dan Lanning has brought to every season, and that will never change. Oregon’s record has improved each season under Lanning, the last of which contained a perfect regular season and a Big Ten championship before losing in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals. While the results may have improved, Lanning’s approach has stayed the same entering his fourth season in Eugene.

One thing that will be put to the test this year is Lanning’s ability to develop young players. The past couple seasons, he has brought in many players from the transfer portal who already had several years of experience on the field. This year, most of Oregon’s roster consists of athletes who sat back and watched most of last year, getting some reps in practice and at the end of blowout games. At the Big Ten Football Media Day in Las Vegas, Lanning and many of his players spoke on the team’s vision heading into the season.

“This group looks a lot like you want it to look as far as size, speed (and) athleticism,” Lanning said. “It’s our job now to get them caught up to where they can go execute at a high level.”

Playing behind a roster with so much talent and success created a great learning environment for the players who now have the opportunity to step into bigger roles.

“We sent a lot of guys on to the NFL,” Lanning said. “A lot of opportunities. That doesn’t mean the guys behind them aren’t gonna be the same quality players. Every year we’ve had more get the opportunity to play in the league, so I think you’re gonna see some faces that are certainly capable of that. It starts with what they do at Oregon.”

Ten players were selected out of Oregon at this year’s NFL draft, breaking the school’s program record for total drafted players in one year. The number of players drafted in 2024 wasn’t much smaller and 35 players were new faces from the transfer portal. The team chemistry was not there at the start of last season and it showed in the first couple of games, especially on the offensive line. Even though it wasn’t pretty, the Ducks still came out on top in those early season games, and Lanning was able to make adjustments to move the team in the right direction as the season progressed.

“You learn a lot of things about your team,” Lanning said regarding the early season games. “In most seasons, you are going to experience some form of adversity. It’s about how your team handles that, and I thought our guys handled it really well early in the season. There’s gonna be some growing pains. The key is, you hope you can grow through wins.”

Oregon will open the season at home against Montana State University, a top-two Football Championship Subdivision team that should bring a similar challenge to what the University of Idaho (also an FCS school) brought in last year’s opener. The Ducks will also visit four new Big Ten venues at Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers and Iowa. One thing Lanning often preaches is that every game is an opportunity. This season presents an opportunity for a young team to defend the crown of one of college football’s toughest conferences under the brightest of lights.