As Dan Lanning and his Oregon Ducks get set for the upcoming 2024 Oregon football season, it shouldn’t come as much of a shocker that one topic folks seemingly can’t stop talking about is the move to the Big Ten.
It’s a big deal!
Oregon helped shift the entire college football landscape being one of the teams that ditched the Pac-12 for greener pastures and a more functional conference. And while the Ducks were really good a season ago, some have started to wonder how things might translate in a conference like the Big Ten, where things are just different than out on the West Coast.
Colin Cowherd, in an interview with Lanning, happened to bring that up.
Advertisement
Cowherd did note that he believes Oregon is well situated to be able to be one of the programs running the Big Ten for the foreseeable future.
“I think you and Ohio State are equipped to really control this conference for the next several years going forward. You have quarterback play, you have the coach, you’ve got the infrastructure,” Cowherd stated.
Still, even Cowherd seems to believe that the transition from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten could make things interesting for Lanning and the Oregon football program. Partially given the climate and the way Big Ten football traditionally exists.
“The Big Ten, Dan, it’s different. You play in the rain, it gets cold. It’s physical, it’s two tight ends, are you looking at the film and thinking ‘we’ve got to tweak some stuff here?’”
But, as Lanning explained, “winning football is winning football and it starts in the trenches.”
Advertisement
It’s not like the bulk of Lanning’s coaching experience is located out on the West Coast. This is a coach who learned from guys like Nick Saban and Kirby Smart deep in the South. Lanning has coached in the Southeastern Conference and he’s seen how styles of football can differ in different regions.
And the way that he seems to be building the Oregon football program sure resembles a program that is prepared for a more stereotypical “physical” brand of football.
“You have to be big up front, you have to be able to win on the line of scrimmage,” Lanning said. “I don’t think that formula changes, but what we’re doing right now in the office is truly studying some of those opponents that we’re going to be seeing next year.”
It would be interesting to understand more in depth about what Lanning and the rest of the Oregon football coaching staff are exploring in terms of what the various teams on the 2024 Oregon football schedule do well.
The schedule itself features a variety of teams that are operating in several different ways, especially on offense. The Purdue Boilermakers and Wisconsin Badgers both have Air Raid guys as the architects of their offenses. Not that the Air Raid can’t have physical, tough elements to it, but it’s not the “two tight end” stereotype of a Big Ten offense.
Advertisement
It seems likely that Ohio State is going to run the absolute heck out of the ball this season, but it remains to be seen exactly what the Buckeyes’ offense looks like.
To some degree, teams like Michigan, Washington, UCLA, and Oregon State (not Big Ten, but still on the schedule) are going through various different levels of ideological shifts because of coaching changes. So, it’ll be interesting to see what those offenses look like.
I guess I say all that to say: hey Dan, if you ever want to explain more of what the Ducks are trying to examine across the Big Ten (and the schedule as a whole), I’d love to chat sometime to learn more. Just have your people call my people.
As Lanning told Cowherd, there are going to be some adjustments that the Ducks have to make throughout the year.
“There might be a package here or two that we have to carry that’s a little bit different for some of the teams we’ll face, but ultimately what’s going to win games is us playing our best ball,” Lanning explained.
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
Advertisement
The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
Advertisement
Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
Advertisement
UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
Sign up today for OPB’s “First Look” – your daily guide to the most important news and culture stories from around the Northwest.
Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
Advertisement
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A New Jersey man was sentenced to federal prison last Friday for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Mark T. Eager, 34, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for human life by trafficking fentanyl across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “My office will continue to pursue those who profit from poisoning our communities, and we will use every available resource and partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking and keep Oregonians safe.”
“This investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from across the nation,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Homeland Security Investigations special agents from Portland, Newark, and Houston contributed to the case, along with the Portland Police Bureau and HIDTA HIT officers, who were instrumental in identifying Eager. His 11-year sentence sends a clear message: no matter where you are in the country or the world, if you attempt to sell narcotics online to Americans, we will find you.”
Advertisement
“Fentanyl trafficking poses a grave threat to communities across the United States, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “This case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, leveraging resources from across the country to hold traffickers accountable and protect the American people. We will continue to pursue those who endanger lives through the distribution of dangerous synthetic opioids, and we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard our communities from the violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations.”
“By following this offender’s digital trail, Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners nationwide executed federal search warrants, dismantled an active dark web fentanyl packaging operation and recovered deadly amounts of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and a trove of electronic devices and packaging materials,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “This case is a powerful example of how coordinated, data-driven investigations can disrupt dangerous networks and help protect our communities from lethal synthetic opioids.”
According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 2024, Eager and his co-conspirator sold fentanyl on the Dark Net and Telegram. Eager operated as the vendor WRSEH10 and marketed the fentanyl as “China White Synthetic Heroin.”
In June 2024, HSI agents executed search warrants on two residences associated with Eager in Kearny, New Jersey, and seized over 360 grams of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit M30 pills, drug ledgers, cellular phones, two computers, and drug packaging consistent with three deliveries that were sent to Oregon.
On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Eager with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
Advertisement
On February 4, 2026, Eager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI Portland and HSI Houston investigated this case with assistance from HSI Newark, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey assisted the U.S. Attorney’s in Oregon in obtaining the search warrants that were executed in Kearny.
