'Everybody’s big game’: Oregon Ducks OC Will Stein highlights challenges in move to Big Ten

As Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks make the move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, the Oregon Ducks football program is entering into a new era. And as they gear up for this transition to the Big Ten, Ducks offensive coordinator Will Stein shared his thoughts on the upcoming move during a recent interview with Andy Staples.

Stein, who joined Oregon's coaching staff ahead of the 2023 Oregon football season, expressed excitement about the opportunity to compete in the Big Ten. 

 "It's really cool," Stein said. "I have the utmost respect for the Big Ten."

He also noted that there will be challenges for the Ducks up ahead.

“We’re going into environments that are extremely hostile,” Stein noted. “Going to Camp Randall, going to the Big House, going to West Lafayette to play at Purdue, we understand that we’re going to be everybody’s big game.”

And as Stein noted, the Ducks are going to get a lot of attention from the longstanding members of the Big Ten.

"It’s the Ducks, it’s the new guys in the league, it’s a top-three opponent coming to these venues," Stein explained. "It’s something we don’t take lightly.”

Oregon football: Ducks offensive coordinator Will Stein notes challenges the Big Ten will present

Part of what will make the move to the Big Ten so difficult? 

Well, it’s not just the venues that Oregon will get to play in as they move from the Pac-12. As Stein noted, there’s going to be some tricky defenses that his offense will need to navigate around as the Ducks make this move.

“For instance, Wisconsin, they’re sixth in the league in scoring defense at around 20 [points] a game, but compare that to the national picture, they’re in the top 25,” Stein explained. “Every defense we see each week is going to be stout, it’s going to be sound.”

So yeah, there are certainly a few daunting tasks up ahead for the Oregon football team, but it’s not like the Ducks don’t have a bunch of talent on this roster. Dan Lanning has done a great job of bolstering Oregon’s strength on the offensive and defensive lines and there’s also a wealth of talent at the various skill positions.

That’s not to say that Oregon is perfect, but the Ducks do have a solid roster put together for this season. And with an offensive coordinator like Stein as the architect of the offense, expect some points to be scored this year.