Was this a successful season for the Oregon Ducks? We look back at the 2024 season that was
The 2024 college football season was one of promise for the Oregon Ducks. It was their first year in their new conference home, no longer residing in the Pac-12 and now playing with the big boys in the Big Ten. They were ranked as the No. 3 team in the country in the preseason AP […]
The 2024 college football season was one of promise for the Oregon Ducks. It was their first year in their new conference home, no longer residing in the Pac-12 and now playing with the big boys in the Big Ten. They were ranked as the No. 3 team in the country in the preseason AP Poll, and they were expected to be a contender for a National Championship.
Oregon got obliterated in the Rose Bowl. We know this. But the season should be viewed as a general success, and one that Oregon fans should be happy with.
We now live in a sports society where many like to view it as "championship or bust." Gone, it seems, are the days where sports fans enjoy the journey, not just the destination. That's a travesty, and is a sentiment that I'm not ready to let go of.
Back during the summer, I wrote a piece outlining Oregon's path to joining the "blue bloods" conversation. This is what I said:
In order to get the same recognition, the Ducks will certainly need to continue to string together consecutive 10+ win seasons, win the conference, and make some runs at the College Football Playoffs.
Oregon wrapped up their second 12+ win season in program history, and recorded their first 13-win season. They've now won 10+ wins in four straight seasons. They finished the regular season as the No. 1 team in the country, they won the Big Ten Championship in their first season in the conference, and they made it into the College Football Playoffs as the top seed.
Yes, the Rose Bowl loss absolutely hurts. It was a painful and embarrassing loss, and is nowhere near the final destination of winning national championships, but Dan Lanning and the Ducks are on an upwards trajectory that shouldn't be ignored. Lanning's first season in Oregon was 2022, where the team went 10-3. The following season, Oregon finished 12-2, losing in the Conference Championship. This season, Oregon finished 13-1, winning the Conference Championship (in a much harder conference) before losing the Rose Bowl.
This team is still growing and learning. As the years have gone on, the team has continued to grow and mold into Lanning's image of what the program should look like. Next season will be no different. The 2025 college football season for Oregon will see the Ducks' roster feature his recruiting classes as they mature, aided by a few transfer portal additions.
It's hard to think of this season as a success with the taste of the Rose Bowl still so bitterly in our mouths, where Oregon hardly looked like they deserved to be on the same field as Ohio State, but with time and perspective, fans will be able to look back on this season as a good one, and one that continues to pave the road of upward success that Oregon is heading on.
And, more importantly, it was fun. The 2024 season saw Oregon pull off an incredible home victory against Ohio State, look like a juggernaut throughout the regular season, Dillon Gabriel being named as a Heisman Trophy Finalist, and Oregon winning the Big Ten Championship. It was fun. For fans, that should matter.
Along the way, Oregon has laid the groundwork for some new Big Ten rivalries, namely with Ohio State. The two don't face each other in the regular season next year, but could once again be on a collision course in the postseason. There is a ton to be excited about with this program. The grass is still damn green in Eugene.
Follow along all year for more Oregon Ducks coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, as well as follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.
