Big Ten Media Days are in full effect with four new conference members on display in Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington. Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning will lead his team into a new conference in his third year at the helm in Eugene, and he’s bringing linebacker Jeffrey Bassa, tight end Terrance Ferguson and quarterback Dillon Gabriel with him.
What are the three biggest questions that Lanning and company will face in their first year in the Big Ten?
3 Most Significant Questions for Dan Lanning at Big Ten Media Days
1) Could the offense actually be better in 2024?
Oregon was sensational in 2023 offensively, part of the reason the Ducks only lost two games all year to the eventual runner-up in Washington. It seems almost disrespectful to say the Ducks could improve, considering the departures of Bo Nix and all-time leading receiver Troy Franklin to the NFL…but they really might be.
If you have to replace Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel is as plug-and-play a replacement as you might find out there. Nix threw for 4508 yards and 45 TDs with only three interceptions and a 77% completion rate. Gabriel threw for a thousand fewer yards with 3660 and 30 TDs to six interceptions and a 70% completion rate but only played in 12 games.
It doesn’t seem inconceivable that Gabriel could match the production, or transfer quarterback Dante Moore should Gabriel go down with an injury.
They have a bevy of weapons at the wide receiver position, including returning starters Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden at wide receiver and adding Evan Stewart from Texas A&M. Add in a deep group of young but unproven wide receivers, an underrated running back in Jordan James, plus a deep and athletic offensive line group and it stands to reason that Oregon might actually improve on the 531 yards per game they averaged last year.
2) How will the portal additions fit in?
Only Ole Miss had a better offseason in regards to portal additions than Oregon and although the headliner Gabriel has taken up a lot of the conversation, there are lots of additions that could be immediate impact players.
Evan Stewart at wide receiver, Jabbar Muhammad at defensive back, Derrick Harmon and Jamaree Caldwell on the defensive line were all highly rated transfers that should start if not see major contributions.
The fact that so many incoming transfers come on the defensive side of the football shows that Lanning still believes a jump is possible for a unit that ranked top 25 in total defense. With most of the losses being players from the bottom of the depth chart, Oregon has reloaded their already impressive depth with even more talent.
3) What will it take to make it to the college football playoff?
The $45 million dollar question (total of Lanning’s extension) is how the Ducks will avoid last year’s crushing conclusion in losing to rival Washington twice and missing out on the college football playoff by six points total.
The Ducks have improved the roster despite losing some of the best in program history in Nix and Franklin, the defense should be more stout. They’ll need it as they get Ohio State at home, Michigan on the road, have to travel to Wisconsin and will close out the season against the Huskies.
The fates may be in the Ducks’ favor if they can get through the middle portion of the schedule, but it would be a Shakespearean-level tragedy for Puddles & Co. to make it all the way through the season only to lose to Washington again.
It doesn’t seem likely, but if it does happen, Dan Lanning will have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
2024 Big Ten Media Days Schedule: Dan Lanning, Oregon Head Coach
- Date: Thursday, July 25
- Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
- How to watch: Big Ten Network and FOX Sports App
Oregon returns a deep group on both sides of the ball and won big time in the portal with the arrival of Dillon Gabriel. That’s a big reason why their win total via FanDuel is set at 10.5 and why they landed in the second spot in College Football Network’s 2024 Big Ten Power Rankings. Outside of Ohio State, there may not be a more talent-laden roster from top to bottom in the Big Ten.
The other reason the Ducks sit favorably in the power ranking is the favorable schedule they received from the conference. According to CFN’s strength of schedule ranking, the Ducks have the eighth most difficult schedule with the toughest game being on the road at the Big House and the easiest being a home date with non-conference neighbor Idaho. The October 12th matchup against Ohio State is going to be a must-watch matchup, should the Ducks make it out of that game with their feathers intact, it could be a beautiful first season in the Big Ten.
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