The Oregon Ducks are set to embark on a new journey, which sees Dante Moore succeed Dillon Gabriel at quarterback this season.
In doing so, coach Dan Lanning remains committed to the program, and experts are beginning to agree that the Ducks are going to be just fine entering their second year in the Big Ten.
CBS Sports' Will Backus revealed the 25 biggest games when revealing the post-spring rankings. The Ducks' selection is rather apparent.
Round 2.
A Big Ten Championship rematch against Penn State, a national and conference title contender with every reason to be confident that this is their year to knock down the door of being the best.
"Oregon's out to prove that its 2024 Big Ten title wasn't a case of beginner's luck," Backus wrote. "No better way to do that than by opening Big Ten play with a win against Penn State which, as these rankings reflect, will be right in the thick of the conference race all year long."
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
With Lanning shutting down talks of transitioning to the NFL, Eugene remains his No. 1 focus.
"I was a D-coordinator and hadn't been a head coach, right?" Lanning said on "Bussin’ With The Boys." I coached a third-grade basketball team in high school, right? So they gave me an opportunity. Why not do it here? That’s the piece. There's definitely a different quality of life, appreciation in the NFL. They're not recruiting and [wearing] a lot of the hats [we] wear, but every job's got pieces that you’re not in love with. But this is a place that I love doing it."
All that said, Lanning still has goals to reach. Winning a national title is undoubtedly one of them. The Ducks fell short this past season despite earning a first-round bye, losing to eventual champion Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
Beating the Nittany Lions again would assert Oregon's conference dominance, as 10 or 11 wins may be enough to sneak in as one of possibly four Big Ten teams by season's end.
The Ducks now have a chance to prove Moore is a suitable replacement, as the offense runs through him.