EUGENE, Oregon — Oregon’s first season in the Big Ten will begin today, as the Ducks play host to Idaho to kick off the 2024 NCAA football season.

New quarterback Dillon Gabriel will look to put the Ducks on the right track to start the year, and they have genuine national title hopes in Eugene. This Aug. 31 game will air on Big Ten Network and is available on multiple streaming services for free.

Saturday’s game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. (4:30 p.m. Pacific). Fans without cable can catch the game for free on FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which both offer free trials. Another option is SlingTV, which has promotional offers for new customers.

Oregon enters the new-look Big Ten as one of the favorites to not just win the conference, but win the national title.

Coach Dan Lanning, now in his third year at Oregon, is looking to turn the corner after a 2023 season that was filled with close losses in major games against Washington. If he does that, he’ll have the Ducks competing amongst the best in college football.

Oregon’s start to the season is favorable, as it will play Idaho, Boise State, Oregon State, UCLA and Michigan State before a massive clash with Ohio State on Oct. 12. Should the Ducks take care of what they need to, they’ll enter that game unbeaten.

Here’s more information on how to watch this game on TV and streaming services:

What: Oregon vs. Idaho

When: Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024

Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern (4:30 p.m. Mountain)

Where: Autzen Stadium | Eugene, Oregon

Channel: Big Ten Network

Best streaming options: FuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and Sling TV (half off first month)

Cable Channel Finder: AT&T U-Verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon Fios

Here is more background on Oregon from the Associated Press:

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel likens taking over the offense at No. 3 Oregon to driving a new car.

“I knew what the difficult part of it was going to be, as time is of the essence and learning an offense and having command and control of it. It’s like getting a new car, there’s new buttons and accessories, but you’ve got to go out and race it,” Gabriel said. “And as you find more about it, you can do more fun tricks and kind of show off while doing it.”

There’s a lot of newness around Oregon this season and it starts with the move to the Big Ten. Then there’s Gabriel, a first-team Associated Press All-Big 12 quarterback last season, when he threw for 3,660 yards and 30 touchdowns for Oklahoma.

He replaces Bo Nix, who threw for a national-best 45 touchdowns last season as the Ducks’ steady leader. Nix was the No. 12 overall pick in the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos this spring.

With Gabriel, Oregon expects to maintain an offense that averaged 531.4 yards and 44.2 points per game — ranked second nationally in both categories — last season. The Ducks finished 12-2, getting close to the playoff before losing to rival Washington in the final Pac-12 championship game. Oregon capped the season by beating Liberty 45-6 in the Fiesta Bowl.

Gabriel, in a nod to the Ducks’ past, will wear No. 8, the same number worn at Oregon by Marcus Mariota, who also hailed from Hawaii.

Gabriel is eager to show what he can do at Oregon.

“It’s not managing expectations or letting the hype get around us. Shoot, we have a lot of talented players on this team. That’s why there’s a lot of noise,” he said. “But, at the end of the day, talking does nothing for you and you’re going to have to strap up your chin strap and let it go fly.”

Jermar Jefferson’s solid performances during training camp and preseason earned him a spot on the Detroit Lions’ practice squad.

A day after being cut as the Lions’ reduced their roster to 53 players, the Lions signed the former Oregon State Beavers’ star running back to their practice squad, the team announced Wednesday. The Lions also signed former Beavers’ defensive tackle Kyle Peko to their practice squad.

Jefferson, who scored two touchdowns during the Lions’ 24-17 preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, ran 14 times for 38 yards during the preseason. The Lions’ seventh-round pick (No. 257) in the 2021 NFL draft has also shown vision and explosiveness on the field, but what may have helped him this year was improvement in pass protection.

Jefferson, who hasn’t played in a regular season game since his rookie season, gets another opportunity to receive a promotion to the active roster during the regular season.

Peko, 31, signed a free agent deal with the Lions in May, but didn’t appear in any preseason games. He started in 10 games with the Tennessee Titans in 2023 and has appeared in 42 games (12 starts) since he signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2016.