Oregon Ducks To Release Hard-Knocks Style Documentary Series: How To Watch

Oregon Ducks football announced the upcoming release of a four-part documentary titled "That Team Out West", patterned after HBO's renowned series, "Hard Knocks". The show will give Ducks' fans near-unlimited access to all that is Oregon football. The first episode will air on Tuesday, Aug. 6 with new episodes every Tuesday through the month on Ducks social accounts.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel looks to pass during practice with the Ducks Thursday, April 11, 2024, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Oregon Ducks are now an official member of the Big Ten Conference and that means stepping the game up.

They have not wasted any time in announcing their presence, from the large floating duck in the White River during Big Ten Football Media Days, to the road trip the Oregon Duck mascot is making with visits to the 14 schools that made up the Big Ten prior to the addition of Oregon, Washington, UCLA and USC. Sounds impressive, but as the saying goes “you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

On Thursday, Oregon announced the debut of a documentary series, "That Team Out West," patterned after the popular HBO show, “Hard Knocks.” For those who may be unaware, "Hard Knocks" follows an NFL team during training camp with a behind the scenes look at life in the NFL.

This four-part series will premier on Aug. 6 on Oregon Football social media accounts, with new episodes airing each Tuesday throughout the month. This ground-breaking step in college football coverage will chronicle the Ducks’ training camp work but also offer personal glimpses into people like coach Dan Lanning and Heisman Trophy candidate, Dillon Gabriel. Fans will have access to never-before-seen footage of events like Lanning’s coaches retreat before fall practice.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during practice with the Ducks Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Not only is the documentary timely in terms of the transfer to the Big Ten, but more so given the expectations of a run to the Big Ten Championship and chasing the new 12-team College Football Playoffs. Fans want to know how their team is preparing for this new adventure.

Following the announcement, Zachary Neel and former Duck running back Johnathan Stewart of “Bleav in Oregon Podcast” sat down with Scott Anderson, Senior Associate Director of Video for the Ducks. Anderson acknowledged the deep traditions in the Big Ten and the link to the title of the documentary.

For background purposes, the most heated rivalry in the Big Ten is between Ohio State and Michigan. To that point, it’s said that Buckeye fans will not call the Wolverines by name. Instead, they refer to Michigan as “That Team Up North,” something that Anderson thought would generate immediate feedback.

Michigan defensive lineman Kris Jenkins (94) celebrates a tackle against Ohio State during the Wolverines 30-24 win in Ann Arbor. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

“Yeah, that is the reaction we wanted, right” Anderson said. “It was wanting to hit on some of those Big Ten traditions and we want to be a part of those. If you are an Ohio State fan, like we want you to hate us. That’s the goal, we want to be known as (That Team Out West).”

The Ducks have never been shy when it comes to making comparisons against teams like USC, UCLA, and Washington. This documentary takes that a step further in that Oregon is claiming this title, something that these other new Big Ten schools may wish to dispute.

“Whether it’s audacity or us just kind of acknowledging that ‘Hey, that’s how we feel,’ this year we are that team that is the premiere team out West,” Anderson said. “But we have work to do, and you’ll hear that in the show as well. Whatever the outside noise says doesn’t really matter.”

Once again, Oregon Ducks Football has taken the lead when it comes to promoting the brand and connecting with fans worldwide. Since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, expect to see Oregon overwhelmed with flattery as other schools attempt to create a similar program in coming years. In the meantime, this program gives Ducks’ fans more access to their team than any other college program—one more reason to take pride in That Team Out West.