Ducks Digest

How Oregon Ducks Football Can Earn "That Team Out West" Moniker

If Oregon football is serious about becoming "That Team Out West", there is some business they'll need to attend to in order to earn the respect, and hate, of the rest of the conference to the east.

Kaleb Henry

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Oregon Ducks are officially members of the Big Ten Conference, and with that comes expectations as well as ridicule.

This past week, the Ducks announced a new four-part documentary series titled "That Team Out West". The project will be in the style of Hard Knocks, following Oregon through fall camp and telling the stories of players and coaches on and off the field.

If you're new to the Big Ten's history, like most in Ducks Country are for a number of things, "That Team Out West" is modeled on the heated rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan. Former Buckeye coach Woody Hayes coined the phrase "That Team Up North" so he would not have to say the word "Michigan".

So how can Oregon successfully become "That Team Out West"?

First, you have to put up with the ridicule of trying to force something.

Hayes lived the hate he had for Michigan, something that Ohio State fans have had for the Wolverines for more than a century. Simply walking into the league and declaring yourself something won't get the respect, or hate, needed for such a title, especially in the era of social media.

Next you have to win against the traditional powers. It does not matter that you've beaten Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State in your most recent matchups. You have to win now.

All of three of those programs are on the schedule this season: Oct. 4 vs Michigan State, Oct. 12 vs Ohio State, and Nov. 2 at Michigan. There's also the likelihood of seeing one of these team's again in the Big Ten Championship. Taking the league crown another piece of beating the traditional powers.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (12) is tackled by Oregon Ducks safety Verone McKinley III (23) and Oregon Duc
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (12) is tackled by Oregon Ducks safety Verone McKinley III (23) and Oregon Ducks cornerback DJ James (0) on a punt return during Saturday's NCAA Division I football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on September 11, 2021. / Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Winning against the traditional powers won't be enough if you're not taking care of business at home. Three other programs are "out west", so you not only have to beat them, you have to dominate.

Oregon plays Washington annually going forward, and USC and UCLA are on rotations. Over the next five seasons, Oregon will play these three programs 11 times. It is not an understatement to say that the Ducks need to win nine or more of those games. Domination out west is the only way to get the rest of the league to think solely of you when it comes to success from the west coast.

Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson returns a pass for a touchdown as the No. 6 Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans Saturday, Nov.
Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson returns a pass for a touchdown as the No. 6 Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Finally, you have to get that elusive national championship. Making the College Football Playoff as the No. 1 seed and 13-0 but not winning it all will not go anywhere for the teams back east as they can always point to that goose (duck) egg next to national titles, just like in the social media post above.

The only thing keeping Oregon above Purdue, Indiana, and Northwestern in the eyes of the league is the 2014 Heisman Trophy win by Marcus Mariota. Everyone else either has a national championship or multiple Heisman winners.

Flashy uniforms and a high powered offense? Zero national titles. That's the reputation to overcome.

Be thick-skinned, beat the traditional powers, dominate the west coast, and get that coveted national championship. If Oregon is serious about becoming "That Team Out West", and not just producing a gimmick from the new kid on the block, it all begins this fall.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans.He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team.

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