Big Ten preview: Is it Oregon's turn for a nationa...
Key takeaways
- If the Big Ten is to continue its recent streak of a different national champion for each season -- Michigan in 2023, Ohio State in 2024, Indiana in 2025 -- Dan Lanning's Ducks are the most likely beneficiary.
- This is certainly a heck of a streak, perpetrated by three different coaches and capping three very different cycles.
- The Ducks' quest for the promised land has lasted a couple of decades and has been piqued by their three-year unbeaten streak against anyone that didn't eventually reach the national title game.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
If the Big Ten is to continue its recent streak of a different national champion for each season -- Michigan in 2023, Ohio State in 2024, Indiana in 2025 -- Dan Lanning's Ducks are the most likely beneficiary.
This is certainly a heck of a streak, perpetrated by three different coaches and capping three very different cycles. Michigan's title was the culmination of a nine-year quest and a three-year cycle of increasing brilliance. Ohio State's was the once-per-decade aligning of the stars for college football's consistently elite program. Indiana's was the cap of a two-year bolt from the blue, maybe the most unexpected rise the sport has ever seen.
Maybe it's indeed Oregon's turn. The Ducks' quest for the promised land has lasted a couple of decades and has been piqued by their three-year unbeaten streak against anyone that didn't eventually reach the national title game. USC also has ramped up its recruiting in its chase for old glory, and virtually everyone else in the conference has to be telling themselves, "Well, if they can do it, why can't we?" in regard to the Hoosiers' surge.