College Football Analyst Believes Oregon Ducks Can Win National Title: 'That's How You Do It'

College football analyst Josh Pate praised Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning and his team for their shutout win over Purdue, predicting that the Ducks have what it takes to compete for a national championship.

Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers running back Reggie Love III (23) is tackled by Oregon Ducks linebacker Teitum Tuioti (44) during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks are the No. 1 team in the country in the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time since 2012, and the Ducks have a legitimate chance at making a run for the program's first national championship. CBS Sports' Josh Pate had high praise for Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks on "Josh Pate's College Football Show."

"Oregon beats Ohio State on Saturday. They're in West Lafayette, Indiana, the next Friday night. It's a tough spot, I don't care who the opponent is. It's a tough spot, and they won 35-0. I think that game won't be remembered by anyone. That is as good an indicator that you've got a program with its act together and a coaching staff with its act together as anything," said Pate.

Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers running back Reggie Love III (23) is tackled by Oregon Ducks linebacker Teitum Tuioti (44) during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Ducks played some close games in the start of the season, beating Idaho 24-14 and No. 17 Boise State 37-34. Lanning's team has started to look the part, defeating Ohio State in a historic matchup on Oct 12.

Oregon is the fourth team to be ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Poll in the 2024 season. Georgia started the season at No. 1, but Texas took the top spot after a convincing win over Michigan on the road.

After Alabama beat Georgia in one of the best games of the year, the Crimson Tide became the third team to be ranked No. 1. However, Vanderbilt beat Alabama the following week, and Texas was back on top.

Oct 19, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) throws a pass against the Georgia Bulldogs in the fourth quarter at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. / Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Most recently, Georgia knocked Texas from the No. 1 ranking. After the Ducks beat No. 4 Ohio State in Autzen Stadium, they took care of business on Friday night against Purdue and took advantage of Texas' stumble.

Oregon's ability to dismantle Purdue on a short week following an emotional win over the Buckeyes caught Pate's attention.

"'Bama beat Georgia a couple of weeks ago, and then they pissed it away the next week because they came up to Vanderbilt and lost," said Pate. "Oregon did what elite teams do. They beat Ohio State, and then they went and just drug a team in their own backyard, and gave them no reason to even have hope. They never allowed them to have a breath of oxygen. Done, over. That's how you do it. You want to win a title, that's how you do it."

The Ducks look to continue their undefeated season against No. 20 Illinois on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT on CBS.

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