College football's leading voice and future commissioner has mixed feelings about the Ducks. After a visit to fall camp over the weekend he sees talent, but potential flaws in their quest for a repeat Big Ten title.
"I am in a weird position with Oregon," Josh Pate said on his podcast Sunday. "I think that's the best collection of talent Lanning's had since he's been there."
"But yet there are some hinge points that are going to determine whether they are capable of competing for the Big Ten Championship this year."
"It's not Dante Moore actually. Dante Moore I feel great about. Dante Moore is gonna be a stud."
"I really wonder if that wide receiver room is going to have the depth that it needs to, the versatility that it needs to it."
"I very much believe in Dakorien Moore. I think they got everything they thought they were getting with him. But just how that wide receiver room shakes out, and how many other guys you have capable of a 650-receiving-yard type year."
Josh Pate was recently in Eugene to check out the Ducks, here's what he had to say about Oregon on his Sunday Night show ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/G9NF5EcRAP
— Ted Leroux (@TedontheDucks) August 18, 2025
"The other hinge point to me is running back depth. Because I kinda had an idea in the spring that I thought I knew how the pecking order, the depth would roll out in spring, but I think it's more running back by committee. Which is okay, that's why you recruit."
Pate suggests that the Ducks seem to have a lot of B+ players, a fair but daunting evaluation for Duck fans. Traditionally championship teams in college football are built around stars and next-level talent. Dan Lanning and Oregon are trying to write a different script for success, one based on everyone doing their jobs and a variety of players playing the star role in different weeks.
If it works, it will be exceptional. Winning big games is all about winning key matchups. The challenge for the Oregon coaches is figuring out how to get the matchups they want, and identifying the players that will execute in those key situations.
Josh Pate's observations, while interesting and carefully stated, aren't necessarily the hinge points within the program. Dan Lanning and his staff have to find their own recipe for winning football, apart from the need for individual stars.
National champions are built around established stars, while the Ducks will try to rely on emerging ones.