Oregon Ducks season preview: Expectations, keys to success, and a chase for excellence

Setting expectations for the Oregon Ducks this year is challenging. On paper, this is one of the best Oregon squads that there has ever been. It's rich at positions of importance, is full of playmakers capable of making a difference, and has the right coach in place to lead a charge.

They're ranked as the No. 3 team in the country in the AP Preseason Poll and Coaches Poll , echoing the sentiments that this team is one of the lite programs in the country, capable of making a run at their first National Championship. Is that were the expectations should be set? Is it "Championship or bust" for the Ducks?

What expectations should we have for the Oregon Ducks?

This team is capable of a Championship run, absolutely – but I'm not ready to say anything less than a championship would be a disappointment. In fact, I don't think it's fair to ever enter a season with that mentality.
Winning a championship is brutally hard. I know the Nick Saban-era of Alabama made it look easy, but it's far from it. If this team, on any given year, is winning big games, making the College Football Playoffs, and at least entering the conversation of teams that could make a run at it, then that's all that fans, at the highest level, could hope for. That's a success.

Here's the line I'll set for the Ducks – with the resources, the recruiting, and the talent on the roster, this is a team that should be in the Big Ten Championship game in their first year, and should, at a minimum, be an at-large big into the new College Football Playoffs format. As long as they do that (which is still a high bar to set), then Ducks fans should call it a successful season that will have provided a ton of excitement and enjoyment.

Keys to success for the Oregon Ducks

There are a few things that need to go right in order for the Ducks to be good, and things that need to go very right for them to be great.

It's going to start with quarterback play . The country has high expectations for Dillon Gabriel , who has shown to be a gamer and someone capable of making the big throws, but is he capable of being one of the best quarterbacks on the country and leading a team towards championship aspirations? That remains to be seen.

After Gabriel, the pass rush is something that will need to be top tier. If Oregon is going to compete for hardware, then the pass rush is going to have to live in opposing backfields, making life difficult for the quarterbacks they go against. Oregon returns Jordan Burch , Teitum Tuioti, and Matayo Uiagalelei as their best pass rushers, a trio that combined for only 7.0 sacks last year. They will need to take a big step up in 2024.

Run defense is another element that is going to be crucial. The new additions in the interior of the defensive line for the Ducks in nose tackle Derrick Harmon and defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell will need to anchor the interior and absorb blocking to free up linebackers Jestin Jacobs and Jeffrey Bassa to clean up the tackles. Oregon's biggest competition in the Big Ten is Ohio State, who has the best running back duo in the country with Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. Stopping the run will be crucial.

If Oregon is capable of checking those boxes, then they will have every opportunity to compete for a National Championship. They have that much talent.

Related: Oregon Ducks defense will look to dominate with stud offseason transfer portal additions

Follow along all year for more Oregon Ducks coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on X @JonHelmkamp , as well as follow our main page @AtoZSportsNFL for all the latest news.