Josh Pate Names Biggest Red Flag For College Football Playoff Contender

The Oregon Ducks are expected to be one of the best teams in college football entering the 2024 season.

Georgia, Ohio State, Texas – Dan Lanning's Ducks are also in the conversation to win it all as they get set for their first season in the Big Ten.

Oregon returns the seventh-most production in its new conference and added a pair of high-profile transfers in wide receiver Evan Stewart and quarterback Dillon Gabriel to replaced Bo Nix.

Gabriel is one of the most experienced passers in the sport as he enters his sixth season after stints at UCF and most recently Oklahoma. He passed for 3,660 yards with 30 touchdowns to six interceptions for the Sooners last season. Gabriel also added 373 yards and 12 scores on the ground.

While Gabriel's production is undeniable, CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate says there are coaches that don't see him as a big-time playmaker like Nix developed into.

"What one of the things that's not a weakness, but could be a little bit more of a, you know, red flag than some realize is Dillon Gabriel," he said. "I talked to a couple of coaches that will end up facing them... They said, 'Hey, um, that guy's not as good as Bo Nix.'"

Nix finished second in the country in passing yards (4,508) behind Washington's Michael Penix Jr. in his final season in Eugene. He also accounted for an astonishing 51 touchdowns while leading the Ducks to a Pac-12 championship appearance.

According to Pate, coaches don't see Gabriel matching up to those numbers. The Ducks scored 41.4 points per game last season.

"They said, 'He is a volume guy,' great kid, really talented kid, but he's the kind that is not going to necessarily transcend the system he's in," Pate said.

Evaluations aside, Gabriel has yet to take a snap as Oregon's signal-caller. He will have the opportunity to prove doubters wrong, or right, this season as the Ducks chase the College Football Playoff.

Oregon will kick off the season at home against Idaho on Aug. 31.

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