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INDIANAPOLIS — From the moment a giant inflatable duck floated along the White River within a few blocks of Lucas Oil Stadium, the Oregon football program had the Big Ten within its sights.
It was at football media days back in July when the Ducks preceded their formal Big Ten introduction with that humorous sight. But it also was symbolic. The Ducks had no plans to meekly waddle into their new conference. Nobody was going to overlook them, and with their dazzling excellence, nobody could.
By midnight Saturday, confetti fell, swirled and stirred among the No. 1 Ducks after a 45-37 win against No. 3 Penn State in the Big Ten title game. The victory was both electrifying and consequential. It ensures Oregon of the No. 1 overall spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff and a national quarterfinal in the Rose Bowl.
And it’s not done yet. Not by a long shot. The Big Ten invited Oregon to join the conference barely 16 months and the school took it hostage. Now, the Ducks have eyes on winning it all.
“That’s something we started at the beginning of the season, talking about how you get an opportunity to invade a new environment and somewhere maybe you didn’t belong and get the opportunity to take over that environment,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “We said this is the last step for us to become that. I’m really proud of our guys buying into that thought and building off of it.”
“It all adds up to this moment,” said quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who threw four touchdown passes and 283 yards. “We have a lot more to go, but we are going to enjoy this one.”
