CBS College Football analyst has questions about Dan Lanning this season

The Oregon Ducks enter their inaugural season in the Big Ten, looking to prove they belong with the other premier programs. Whether it’s the mascot’s tour across the country or head coach Dan Lanning wanting to be called “That team out west,” Oregon wants to make its presence known in the Big Ten.

Lanning’s team has no shortage of talent, as they bring in Oklahoma transfer and Heisman Trophy favorite QB Dillon Gabriel to orchestrate the offense.

But will this talent handle a brutal travel schedule that includes 12,000 miles of road trips to stops such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Purdue?

CBS College Football analyst Josh Pate loves the Ducks’ talent this year. However, he questions whether Oregon can capture a signature win this season.

“Look up and down this list, you know which games would be the signature wins,” Pate said Thursday night on his show “Late Kick.” “Dan Lanning last year had two shots at Washington; they didn’t get it done. So {Oregon} had a really good year, but folks looked and said, ‘He lost the big one; he couldn’t win the big one.’”

That “Big One” this year will come on October 12, when Oregon will host the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium. It’s a game that pins the two favorites to win the conference head-to-head, giving the winner a much better chance to reach Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship.

The Ducks open the season in Eugene against the Idaho Vandals. They will also face some familiar foes from the Pac-12 early in their schedule. Oregon takes on in-state rival Oregon State as well as UCLA during the first four weeks before their first true Big Ten test against Michigan State on October 4.