What Every Big Ten Team Said About Oregon Ducks At Big Ten Media Day

Analyzing the second day of Big Ten Media Days regarding mentions of Oregon Ducks Football and the addition of the four new West Coast teams.

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Jonathan Smith speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Another media day for the Big Ten Conference has come and gone in Indianapolis. As folks debate on social media which uniform looked the best in the mannequin line-up, why UCLA coach DeShaun Foster had such a charmingly awkward opening monologue, and if the giant inflatable Oregon Duck will make its way to other Oregon-related events, it’s time to break down what each speaker and coach said in relation to the Oregon Football team. 

Today’s highlighted Big Ten teams were UCLA, Iowa, Michigan State, USC, Nebraska, and Penn State.

College Football Playoff Executive Director Lieutenant General Richard M. Clark opened for the second day’s showcase. Clark has been in the position for five weeks since retiring from the Air Force. What’s interesting about Clark’s opening remarks is that he mentioned a new twelve-team playoff berth would allow the winners of all five conference championship games to immediately qualify for the playoffs, with four of the best performing teams receiving a bye week.

For those that are counting, Clark implied that the winners of the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, ACC, and (most interestingly) the PAC-12 would all get playoff berths. Clark did not clarify that the PAC-12 will specifically have a conference champion.

“The other thing that they did that I think is very helpful to us is having the first round of games be on campus, and that's going to allow our fans to not have to travel for at least that one game, but what it's really going to do is bring some electricity to the playoff because those campus games are going to be absolutely incredible,” Clark said.

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

The first team up to bat, and arguably the most viral media availability of the day was UCLA coach DeShaun Foster. Foster is returning to his alma mater, as he was a running back for UCLA from 1998 to 2001.

“I'm sure you guys don't know too much about UCLA, our football program, but we're in L.A,” Foster said in his very brief opening statement. “It's us and USC. I'm just basically excited really. That's it. Any questions?”

Though Foster did not directly address UCLA’s September 28th game versus Oregon, Oregon’s first Big Ten matchup, he did address entering a new team and conference after the firing of former coach, and current Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

“The players, they've responded to me pretty well. I didn't have too many guys hit the portal. I think I had three. They're taking on the challenges. They're doing what you would want players to do with a first-time head coach,” Foster said.

“We'll probably do all of that, most likely,” Foster said when asked if he’d implement a Kelly-inspired inside-outside zone offense or if he’d have his own flavor in run schemes.

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Next up to the podium was Iowa Hawkeye coach Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz immediately opened by acknowledging the four new West Coast teams, which includes Oregon.

“We have four new members joining the conference,” Ferentz said “So I certainly want to welcome them, and it's certainly a sign of the times. First time ever our conference goes coast to coast now, so it's going to be a little bit of a different dynamic that way as well.”

As Oregon will not be playing Iowa this year, Ferentz was asked instead about his previous comments criticizing USC’s defense.

“My guess is I know they've taken some steps, and my guess is they're going to be really -- we don't play them this year, so that's not our concern. They're going to be a factor in our conference. I'll go out on a limb and make that bowl prediction that they'll be there when it's all said and done,” Ferentz said.

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Jonathan Smith speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

A familiar name entered the room after Ferentz; Michigan State’s coach Jonathan Smith. You may remember Smith as the previous coach of Oregon State, who promptly left his job, and coaching clothes, up for donation after the Beavers’ disappointing loss to Notre Dame in last year’s Sun Bowl. A good majority of questions asked of Smith were Oregon State related as he’s bringing a West Coast resume to a Midwest team.

Smith was asked about once again facing the Oregon Ducks in Autzen on October 4th.

“Yeah, I have not worn much green leading into this, but I do have green eyes on that end,” Smith said. “Look, I think, yeah, we're going to play the Ducks, and they're going to be a competitive team again. They are year in and year out. That game, there might be some conversation about myself going back there, but that's really about just myself. We've got a bunch of guys that we need to prepare a certain way each week to play our best, and that will be my approach in coaching the guys when we head down there.”

Smith also addressed the amount of coaches he brought with him from the Beavers to the Spartans.

“I feel good about the blend we were able to put together. Yes, we had a crew of guys that came over that I'm deeply rooted with. I think it helps in transition to get started, speaking the same language, have shared experience through the years. So I thought that was real value there.

But at the same time, we're in a different spot, different conference, location, and so I wanted to have some guys with some expertise of the conference,” Smith said.

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Another newcomer to the Big Ten with Oregon is USC. USC coach Lincoln Riley took to the podium with an opening plea to include college football coaching great Mike Leach in the College Football Hall of Fame before diving into USC’s upcoming season and athletes. Though USC did not mention Oregon by name, which makes sense due to the Ducks not being a scheduled opponent this year, Riley did address USC’s entry into the Big Ten.

“Going into the Big Ten Conference this year, we're certainly looking forward to the new venues, the new challenges, getting a chance to compete against other great players, other great coaches throughout the league. The one thing that I've been steadfast on since the day I got to Los Angeles was our standards will never change there. Our standards at USC are to compete for championships, whether we're in the beginning of this rebuild that we undertook two years ago and throughout our entire time here, which is going to be a long time,” Riley said.

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Next up was a team Oregon will also not see on the field this year: Nebraska. Coach Matt Rhule had an especially warm greeting for the four new teams.

“Welcome to the four new teams, especially UCLA, who I spent some time as a student at,” Rhule said. “So UCLA is always near and dear to my heart, so welcome.”

Rhule was asked about how the Cornhuskers will handle the high-flying offenses of the new West Coast teams. He replied by pointing out the obvious tribulations that game travel will have on the entering members.

“In terms of the teams coming in from the West Coast, I don't want to speak for them,” Rhule said. “I do know that travel and weather are going to be real things in this new Big Ten. Having to play and then travel maybe five or six hours and then play again the next week, those are all things that the best minds will find the best solutions to. So we're trying to model everything out as we go. You might play one week, and it might be 85 degrees, and you might play the next week up in Madison, Wisconsin, and it might be really, really, really cold. All of us have our own challenges. I'm kind of focused on ours.”

“This is the NFL of college football in my mind. It stretches from coast to coast, different time zones, different weather,” Rhule also added.

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Finally, Penn State’s coach James Franklin took to the stage. Oregon will play the Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in the back half of their 2025 schedule, but will not face them this season. Franklin also shared a brief sentiment welcoming the four new West Coast teams. He also addressed the unique travel concerns for the university.

“Some of those challenges are magnified for Penn State, being one of the most northeast schools without an international airport,” Franklin said. “For the media that's been to Happy Valley, you know some of the travel challenges that exists there. So we spent a ton of time talking to NFL organizations as well as college programs that have done East Coast to West Coast travel during the season and what are the best practices for that. So put a lot of time into that, and we're excited about those opportunities.”

Franklin was then asked about a speech he made in 2018 after a loss to Ohio State, where he explained some teams are epic, good, great, and elite. He was asked where the new West Coast teams lied on that barometer.

“I think week in and week out the Big Ten is arguably the best conference in all of college football. I've been fortunate to be a head coach in the SEC as well as the Big Ten, so I think I've got good perspective on that. And like you mentioned, adding the four new schools makes it even more challenging. We'll have the opportunity to figure that out and figure that out real quick starting at West Virginia. We're fortunate to play most of those teams that we discussed. We want to play those teams that you discussed, both that have been in the conference historically as well as those that have been added,” Franklin said.

The teams scheduled to speak tomorrow for the final day of Big Ten Media Days is Oregon, Minnesota, Maryland, Washington, Indiana, and Michigan.

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