Ahead of Big Ten Media Days tomorrow in Las Vegas, CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli asks a burning question for each conference team, and the article is a pretty good read, setting up the storylines that will dominate the early weeks of B1G football, which is now 40 days away.
About Oregon, Fornelli asks, "Can Dante Moore keep this offense humming?"
Fornelli rightly notes that with the way Dan Lanning and his predecessor Mario Cristobal have recruited over the last five cycles, the Ducks have more talent on their roster than most of the teams on their schedule.
They should be able to win eight games or more relying on the running game, special teams and defense. To have a truly special season or make the playoffs, Moore has to be the quarterback teammates and insiders say he is, a rocket-armed pro prospect who has grown and matured studying under Dillon Gabriel.
So I did a QB production draft with @Andy_Staples on today's show. One QB had to be from the G5. Who won? pic.twitter.com/uzJIYznUi5
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) July 21, 2025
Moore doesn't run as as well as Heisman finalists Gabriel or Bo Nix, but he can throw the deep ball and distribute. He projects to be more accurate and less mistake-prone in a better system with a better offensive line and support system than he had as a true freshman at UCLA.
The Ducks have some question marks in the receiver room after losing their top four pass catchers (Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden and Terrance Ferguson to the NFL, Evan Stewart to a summer injury) but there's a wealth of talent in left in that group, starting with five-star Dakorien Moore and athletic wonder at tight end (6-3, 250 with 22 mph speed) Kenyon Sadiq.
Wide receiver is about the easiest place to break in a new player, and the Ducks have Jeremiah McClellan, Gary Bryant Jr., Malik Benson, Justius Lowe, Dillon Gresham, Kyler Kasper, Cooper Perry and Louisville tight end transfer Jamari Johnson all competing for roles in the new offense.
Which points to Oregon's true burning question: How will Dan Lanning and the Ducks handle a transition year with still-high expectations?
Up and down the roster and in every position group, quarterback and receiver included, Oregon has tons of talent. The problem is that a lot of it is unproven talent, and many of these guys haven't played together as a starting unit.
Darren Perkins at fishduck.com made this point in an article today. This edition of the Ducks is short on household names. Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti and Bryce Boettcher anchor the defense, but everyone else is new to the team or young.
At Pro Football Focus, the Ducks had just two players who made the Top 50 players in college football, safety Dillon Thieneman and running back Makhi Hughes. They have a lot of good players, but they don't have a lot of recognizably great players going into the season.
For Oregon to make the playoff and go a little deeper this time, some of those good players have to emerge as great ones. Coach Lanning is always asking, "How do we go from good to great?" T-Ferg, Tez and Jordan James, Derrick Harmon, Jordan Burch and Jabbar Muhammad are gone now. Someone else has to make those big plays.
Oregon has promising elements on offense, lots of potential. They brought in three top-tier offensive linemen from the portal in Isaiah World, Emmanuel Pregnon and Alex Harkey. There's Benson with his 10.4 speed, Makhi Hughes with over 1,900 yards after contact.
With each and every one of these guys, there's the nagging question of how well will they play together? How well will they adjust to a new level of competition? It has to happen quickly. Their biggest game of the year comes September 27th.
Lanning has earned the benefit of the doubt. He's molded two veteran teams into conference contenders and won at a high rate and a high level, 25-3 after some growing pains and strategic stumbles in the first year, still a 10-win season.
But the burning question of this year is how much they grow and develop over the season. The potential is tremendous, but all potential means is that you've haven't done anything yet. A big part of this team's No. 6 preseason ranking is based on the credibility Lanning built up in those first three seasons and the Top Ten recruiting classes. Will it translate to wins?
Watching this inspiring hype video, it's cautionary how much of the production in the brief film is no longer here. New playmakers have to be identified, especially to win those games where the talent level is closer, like Indiana, Iowa, USC and Washington.
Those are the games where Dante Moore's development and development throughout a young roster will make the most difference. Their growth defines Oregon's ceiling.
People keep saying Oregon's best chance at a championship is 2026 but it's hard to be sure about that. There are six seniors on the offensive line and key players like Uiagalelei, Moore, Tuioti, Laloulu, Stewart and Sadiq are draft eligible.
That's the trouble with transitions, especially when a coach recruits NFL talent. They keep coming.