2023 was so close, yet so far, for the Oregon Ducks and their star quarterback Bo Nix. In this last year of the Pac-12, the program out of Eugene made the Conference Championship Game and felt they had the team capable of winning the first-ever National Championship in school history.
However, it wasn’t to be after two close losses, and Nix has been speaking about the season in his 2024 NFL Draft preparation.
Bo Nix Speaks on His Final Season at Oregon
Nix is viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft, entering after exhausting his college football eligibility. He is now in Indianapolis competing at the NFL Combine, where he spoke to the media.
Speaking at the 2024 NFL Combine, Nix reflected on his decision to return for his final season in college football.
“Last year, I felt like there was a lot more in college left, and I wanted to go out there and compete for one of those being a championship. I knew we had a great team coming back,” Nix said. “I knew coach Lanning would put the pieces together, and all we had to do was just go out there and execute.”
“We were honestly a drive or a stop away from being able to do that, but we faced a team like Washington who was really good in their own right,” Nix said, reflecting on how close Oregon came to fulfilling their potential.
The Ducks only lost two games all season, both to the Huskies. However, they ended up being the season’s most important and decisive. In October, Oregon was defeated 36-33 in a tight game in Seattle.
Both teams were so strong in the 2023 season that a rematch was played in the Pac-12 Championship Game in Las Vegas.
The game was billed as a College Football Playoff decider, but the Ducks were on the wrong side of a three-point loss once again, losing 34-31. As a result, the Ducks ended the season ranked seventh by the College Football Playoff committee.
The season didn’t end in the glory that Nix craved. However, it culminated in his strongest season to date, completing 364 of his 470 passes for 4,508 passing yards, 45 touchdowns, and only three interceptions.
Nix continued, “All I wanted was a chance to compete for a championship and go out there and make it complete, put together a full season, and just do all the things that I had done just at a high rate and a consistent rate.”
“And I was able to do that, you know, it was all started. I go back to preparation throughout the week. So when I got to Saturday, I could go out there and really, you know, put my best on the field and put something that I was proud of.”
In just two seasons in Eugene, Nix was able to elevate himself into quarterback relevance again after a disappointing time with the Auburn Tigers.
KEEP READING: 2024 Big Ten Power Rankings
With the Ducks, Nix has resurrected his career and NFL Draft possibilities, becoming third on the list of all-time Oregon passing yards leaders behind Marcus Mariota and Justin Herbert.
Miss any action from the top college QB Rankings during the 2023 football season? Want to track all the movement with the college football transfer portal? College Football Network has you covered with that and more!