The Oregon Ducks are the No. 1 team in the nation, are 11-0 for the first time since 2010, and have punched their ticket to the Big Ten Championship game to cap off their first season in the conference. However, the championship game won't be an easy task for head coach Dan Lanning and his squad.
Against the Wisconsin Badgers in Week 12, some flaws started to show on the offensive end of the ball for Oregon. Since wideout Tez Johnson went down with an injury versus Michigan, quarterback Dillon Gabriel hasn't seemed quite himself without his go-to guy down the field.
Gabriel threw zero touchdowns against the Badgers and had an out-of-character interception in the first half. He was sacked twice and only had 225 total yards. Since the loss of Johnson at wide receiver, Gabriel earned a less-than-ideal QBR of 63.3 against the Badgers and Oregon's Week 11 opponents, the Maryland Terrapins.
So, with an offense on the rocks but a defense that still commands its end of the ball, Oregon is almost ready to finish the season perfectly.
Oregon has officially introduced themselves to “Big boy football.” #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/JypHphWbyS
— Cameron Derby (@CamDerbyTV) November 17, 2024
However, with a game against Washington pending and the Big Ten Championship at the end of the year, the Ducks' conference opponents may present a problem.
More likely than not, the Ducks will face the Penn State Nittany Lions or the Indiana Hoosiers in the conference championship game. Shockingly, Oregon should be more nervous for the Hoosiers than the Lions.
Indiana has played nearly perfect football this season and head coach Curt Cignetti is quickly leading the Hoosiers to their first-ever Big Ten Championship. While the Hoosiers still have to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 13, Indiana sits at 10-0 and has looked unstoppable through their first seven conference games.
The biggest "stumble" was when the Hoosiers only beat the Michigan Wolverines by five points. Other than the game against Michigan, Indiana has scored an average of 43.2 points against Big Ten opponents and has only allowed a minimal 16.5 points by said teams.
As Indiana prepares to take on the Buckeyes, and then the Purdue Boilermakers, the Ducks will be focused on taking down the Washington Huskies, who Lanning has yet to beat since taking over the Oregon program.
When all is said and done, Oregon is the No. 1 team in the country and should be able to surpass anyone it faces in the Big Ten Championship game. However, Duck fans shouldn't look at any conference opponent with just a grain of salt.