As the Oregon Ducks departed Lucas Oil Stadium back in July following Big Ten Media Days, a sense of destiny filled the air. The players who represented Oregon that day – Terrance Ferguson, Jeffrey Bassa and Dillon Gabriel – left Indianapolis fully expecting to return in December for the Big Ten Championship Game. Fast forward to the present, and their premonition has proven true.
Oregon completed a perfect 12-0 regular season, the only FBS program in the nation to achieve that feat this year. Now, they stand on the precipice of capping an incredible debut campaign in the Big Ten by facing Penn State for the conference title and a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.
A Season of Dominance and Determination
The Ducks entered this season ranked No. 3 but faced a daunting task – navigating a loaded Big Ten schedule featuring powerhouses like Ohio State, Michigan and more in their first year in the league after moving over from the Pac-12. However, Oregon rose to the occasion each and every week, showcasing their talent, depth and resilience.
Despite the challenging road, the confidence within the Oregon program never wavered. As Terrance Ferguson, the Ducks’ senior tight end, explained:
“We expected this, we had goals set of being in this championship game. The guys who were sent there, me, Jeff [Bassa] and Dillon [Gabriel], we knew we were going to be coming back. We booked Airbnb’s, my family did, because … we knew the work that we put in, we put countless hours into that.”
Terrance Ferguson, Oregon TE
That belief stemmed from the endless hours of preparation and the bitter taste left by falling short in last year’s Pac-12 title game against rival Washington, which cost Oregon a CFP berth. This time around, the Ducks are laser-focused on seizing the moment.
Hunting For Hardware and History
An Oregon victory over Penn State would deliver the program’s first conference title since winning back-to-back Pac-12 championships in 2019 and 2020. It would also punch their ticket to the playoff, likely earning a first-round bye as one of the top 4 conference champions.
Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel, who transferred in from Oklahoma, echoed Ferguson’s sentiment about the championship expectations:
“If we didn’t think we’d be there, then I wouldn’t have attended [media days]. Just felt really good about it, glad we were able to go see it, feel it, smell it, the whole nine. It was a good experience, but now that we’re going back with the whole squad, everyone’s excited for it.”
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon QB
Playing For Each Other and the Program
While the bright lights and big stage await in Indianapolis, Oregon remains grounded in what got them to this point. Jeffrey Bassa emphasized the team is locked in on the task at hand, not looking ahead to potential playoff positioning.
For the Ducks, this game is personal. The sting of last year’s title game loss has fueled them for the past 365 days. As Ferguson passionately declared:
“When you get to a championship game and you come up that short like we did last year, it stays with you 365 days. A lot of the seniors and anybody who was a part of that team last year knows what it takes to get to a championship. We’re just all putting everything we’ve got into this week and the opportunity to be a part of this Big Ten championship.”
Terrance Ferguson
One more win separates this Oregon team from achieving the goals they set for themselves long ago. With unshakable confidence, unbreakable bonds and a chance to make history, the Ducks descend upon Indianapolis once more – this time to finish the job.
