EUGENE — Oregon did not have many glaring weaknesses last season, at least statistically, but the few that there were are where the Ducks are aiming to correct ahead of a season with extremely high expectations.

Offensively, Oregon ranked at or near the top of the Pac-12 and the country in most major stats and defensively it made major jumps nearly across the board from 2022 to finish with a top 10 scoring defense. But penalties, particularly on offense, were a season-long issue and red zone defense saw a dip from the year before, while third down defense was improved but bolstered by strong play against weaker teams.

“Going back off of last year’s assessment, something we got to get better at is red zone defense,” defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi said. “We did a lot of things this offseason, looking at possible different schematics and then taking what we do and doing it better. We made a jump and improved, had some critical success on some third downs but consistently that’s something a goal of ours, where we want to be winning at a much higher percentage on third down as well, continue that trend continuing upward.”

The Oregon Ducks have almost officially joined the Big Ten Conference.

Yes, football coach Dan Lanning spoke at Big Ten Football Media Days last week in Indianapolis and volleyball coach Matt Ulmer already voted for preseason awards ahead of their media days next week, but the date everyone has had circled for a year is Aug. 2. That’s the day the Big Ten officially grows to 18 members with the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington.

With the league growing, the Big Ten Network is has programming that will honor the new additions. BTN will debut brand-new original programming dedicated to each school, along with classic games showcasing memorable moments across various sports. Throughout the celebratory day, there will also be interviews and analysis with key figures from all four programs.

Coverage begins with four hours of classic games from all four schools, beginning with USC Volleyball Classic: USC at UCLA – 9/20/17 at 5 a.m. PDT and followed by UCLA Women’s Soccer Classic: USC at UCLA – 11/3/17 at 6 a.m. PDT. Oregon Volleyball Classic: Oregon at Penn State – 8/27/11 debuts at 7 a.m. PDT, with Washington Soccer Classic: Washington at Indiana – 9/1/23 at 8 a.m. PDT.

A special one-hour edition of B1G Today debuts at 9 a.m. PDT, hosted by Dave Revsine, Rick Pizzo, and Jake Butt, as they discuss the four new programs joining the Big Ten. The episode will re-air at 2 p.m. PDT and again at 9:30 p.m. PDT.

As for the four individual schools, they will each have two hours of dedicated programming. The programming for each school will include B1G Welcome, The B1G Moment, and B1G Trailblazers.

Oregon’s dedicated two hours on BTN begin at noon PDT, with B1G Welcome: Oregon, giving fans an inside look at the Ducks. That will be followed by The B1G Moment: Women’s Track Triple Crown, which highlights the historic achievements of the 2017 women’s track team. Finally, B1G Trailblazers: Tinker Hatfield provides a sit-down with Hatfield and tells the story of his time at Oregon and his legendary career at Nike.

The B1G Moment for the other schools include features Tyus Edney (UCLA), The Catch (USC), and Isaiah Thomas (Washington). B1G Trailblazers will look at Ann Meyers Drysdale (UCLA), Lizette Salas (USC), and Detlef Schrempf (Washington).

Also airing on Aug. 2, a new episode of Campus Eats: West Coastin’ debuts at 9 p.m. PDT, where Jenny Dell and Troy Johnson visit El Cholo at USC, Killer Burger in Eugene, Perry’s Cafe and Beach Rentals near UCLA, and Ivar’s Salmon House right off the Washington waters.

The full programming schedule can be found below.

How close was Oregon Ducks transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel to joining the Ohio State Buckeyes for his final college football season? After deciding to leave Oklahoma, Gabriel disclosed the fact that shortly after entering the transfer portal he spoke with Ohio State coach Ryan Day about the possibility of playing for the Buckeyes.

“It was good (conversation),” Gabriel said. “I think with anything, throughout that process, it’s just gaining information on one another. But I think the recruiting process is what it is, and I think everyone that was a quarterback in the portal was able to have conversations with different schools.”

In this case, timing played a crucial role in Gabriel’s decision. Day was certainly interested in the former Oklahoma star quarterback but wanted to take time to evaluate the play of Devin Brown in an upcoming bowl game. Former Ohio State quarterback, Kyle McCord, had announced his decision to enter the transfer portal in early December and Day was faced with finding a suitable replacement.

Gabriel, on the other hand, did not want a lengthy process and committed to coach Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks long before Ohio State’s bowl game appearance.

“I think going through my third recruiting process, I know it’s a stressful time for anyone who’s transferred,” said Gabriel.

“Although there’s beauty in new beginnings and all that, everyone knows the stress and a lot that comes with it, whether it’s the moving, the moving companies, the moving in, there’s just a lot that comes with it. So, the faster you can make a decision and feel good about it, be decisive, then it allows you to act accordingly.”

In the “what if” hypothetical, Gabriel was asked if he would have signed with Ohio State had an offer been forth coming. He declined to play that game.

“I don’t even know,” said Gabriel. “That’s in the past. I’m focused on the now.”

This would be an intriguing story if it ended here, but there are some details that add to the already hyped interest. Consider that Gabriel and the Ducks will host Ohio State at Autzen Stadium in early October as Oregon enters Big Ten Conference play in 2024. Ohio State will likely open with Will Howard, a transfer portal quarterback addition from Kansas State. That may not be a fair comparison as Gabriel is the odds-on-favorite to win a Heisman Trophy. Howard, on the other hand, is still in a battle for the starting job in Columbus.

Oregon’s offense exploded last year with former Ducks’ quarterback and Denver Broncos draft pick, Bo Nix at the helm and expects to repeat that performance behind Gabriel. Ohio State, while always a formidable opponent, is facing some questions. Day hired former Oregon and UCLA coach Chip Kelly as his new offensive coordinator. Speculation as to how Kelly will use Howard indicates that he may be more of a “caretaker” than a focal point of the offense. As such, he just needs to avoid turnovers and get the ball to one of his talented play makers.

Like Gabriel, who declines to wonder “what if,” Ducks’ fans can simply focus on the future, knowing that Gabriel made the right decision to come to Oregon. This can be further demonstrated on October 12 when the Buckeyes arrive for a game that has already been noted as one of, if not the most significant 2024 regular season games in college football.