This was the entirety of my conversation with the Illinois site:
The Big Ten Conference is set to expand by four for the upcoming 2024-25 academic year, with Oregon, USC, UCLA, and Washington all coming on board.
Illinois football gets a matchup with Oregon in its inaugural season in the B1G, making a trip to Eugene on Saturday, October 26, 2024. It will be just the second time in its history that Illinois has played at Oregon with the last meeting coming in 1995.
Q: What are your thoughts on Oregon joining the Big Ten Conference for the 2024-25 sports seasons, and what has the general reaction been from the fanbase?
SCOTT REED: When the combination of Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 for the SEC was followed by the news that USC and UCLA were leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, there was a certain clarity about what the future of college football looked like and it was critical for teams wanting to remain competitive – especially in the NIL era where the difference in media rights contracts becomes critical in the competition to win big – it was imperative that teams with aspirations of playoff berths find a path to one of two conferences.
The move was a boon for Oregon both in the short run and the long run as the Apple TV deal was based largely on projections that had never been achieved and seemed even less likely in any version of the Pac-12 following the departure of the Los Angeles Schools. By and large most of the Oregon fan base find this to be a great move for football and basketball, but there is the natural concern about two topics: the loss of rivalries, and the cost of travel for non-revenue sports. I think both of those get taken care of in the long run and there are a subset of fans excited to embrace new rivalries, new traditions, and the opportunity to visit new stadiums while also welcoming in fans from teams who have never visited Autzen Stadium.
Q: What are some of the top storylines for Oregon football heading into spring ball? Some team strengths? Some question marks?
SR: The biggest story line is obviously going to be how Dillon Gabriel transitions into the Oregon offense under Will Stein. The Ducks went through a lull at the quarterback position following the departure of Justin Herbert to the NFL. The offense was somewhat bland at times after Herbert and the quarterback play was often mediocre.
The arrival of Bo Nix was initially met with trepidation, but it did not take long for Oregon fans to love what he did and what the Oregon offense was doing on the field. So, there is that natural concern that a new piece will be able to keep the offense humming. Gabriel’s success everywhere else he had been is getting fans excited for what the 2024 season could look like with games against new opponents.
I think the biggest question mark is going to be the defensive backfield. At times the group was very good last year, but the depth lacked quality and was exposed a lot when Khyree Jackson and Jahlil Florence went out with injuries.
The Ducks added a lot of really good pieces to the group this year – especially the transfers of Jabbar Muhammad (Washington) and Kobe Savage (Kansas State). If that group shows improved depth this season, the Ducks should have an even better defense than last season.
Q: The initial Big Ten slate for Oregon football looks daunting. What sticks out to you about the schedule, and what is your early prognosis on the Duck's 2024 season?
SR: I am going to use a sort of cop out for a part of this. I never predict records before spring ball because we just don’t know what anyone looks like yet. We have a pretty good idea of what Oregon is going to look like on both sides of the ball. They return a lot of talent in the tranches and skill positions and have added some gems to the roster that should keep the team in the competition for a double-digit win season and playoff berth.
Michigan and Wisconsin will be the toughest road trips Oregon faces. The Wolverines are the defending national champions, but they also lost a lot of talent. The game isn’t until early November so if Sherrone Moore can keep that ship rolling that will be a very good team still.
The Ducks are fortunate to get Ohio State at home and I think that could be a really good game as it will be interesting to see if Chip Kelly has the mojo he once did now that he will have elite talent on his side of the ball again. I like the Ducks’ chances of competing next season with the talent they have returning and a few bounces going their way could keep the in the hunt for a chance to play in the conference title game. It will be tough, but that is why being in an elite conference matters.
Q: Dana Altman's basketball team has been pretty strong over the years. Can he continue that level of success in the Big Ten?
SR: Altman has had a few average years in a row where the teams do not grow throughout the season which used to be his hallmark. He has struggled a lot with injuries to star players over the last couple of seasons and has not really been able to put together a team capable of making some runs since the 2021NCAA tournament when the Ducks lost to USC in the Sweet 16.
He has continued to recruit very well, but right now, the Ducks look like a middle to lower middle level team in the Big Ten and they are going to need to get some magic going to get to a higher level. Can he make the team competitive in the conference? Yes. But there are probably some coaching staff changes/additions that need to occur for the Ducks to get to where they were a few seasons ago.
Q: Besides football and men's basketball, what other sports at Oregon do you think can compete for Big Ten championships?
SR: The most obvious answer starts with what Oregon is known for: track and field/cross country. The Ducks hired a new head track and field coach in 2022 and he is still trying to put back together a solid roster that was decimated following the departure of several assistant coaches and eventual firing of Robert Johnson.
Outside of that, the men’s baseball team has improved significantly over the past two seasons following the hiring of Mark Wasikowski as the head coach. The women’s volleyball team has been very good making the Elite Eight for two consecutive seasons losing to Louisville in 2022 and Wisconsin in 2023.
Q: Do you think moving to a new conference will impact recruiting? If so, how?
SR: Given their location, Oregon has done an outstanding job branding themselves and becoming a nationwide recruiter. The relentless efforts of this staff and the previous staff to bring elite talent to Eugene have definitely paid off.
Where I think the conference switch helps is the reality that a band-aid Pac-12 was going to be a more difficult sell to recruits who want to compete for national championships. Falling further and further behind in resources each year was going to make competing that much more difficult.
While not many recruits want to go on the record and say that conference affiliation matters, it does matter, and it was going to be used against the remainder of the Pac-12 had it stayed together. From that perspective, being in the Big Ten is crucial for the continued recruiting efforts of the Oregon staff.
Q: What are some things to know about longtime athletic director Rob Mullens?
SR: Mullens is not perfect in his decisions, but who really is? The decision to give Kelly Graves a long-term extension following the historic run of the team anchored by Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard, and Satou Sabally. That team has quickly devolved into the worst team in the conference this season, but an onerous contract makes firing seem unlikely.
Outside of that Mullens was known as a ‘money guy’ before coming to Oregon. From experience I know he manages the budget very well and does not allow a lot of waste. There was some cleanup to do when he first arrived because the Oregon athletic department – administratively – was not yet being run efficiently as a sports business.
They were only a couple of years removed from Mike Bellotti being the athletic director, followed by a booster (though a very disciplined business booster named Pat Kilkenny). He changed the athletic department into what it is today and that has allowed him to become one of the most respected athletic directors in the nation.
From the outside, his last three hires in football were seen as big gambles that could be make or break decisions. But talking to people who were a part of those conversations, these were not gambles. I could give lengthy explanations of each, but the Ducks needed to recruit better and Mullens found a head coach that was able to put together a great recruiting staff.
He followed that with the decision to retain Mario Cristobal. While he may not look organized on the field at times, I can tell you he was absolutely prepared with an in-depth plan for the program from bottom up when he interviewed and it was a very easy decision.
The biggest gamble was the hiring of Dan Lanning, but this one was about long-term commitment and vision and I think Lanning has shown both in his two seasons. How respected is Mullens in the industry? Mullens was named Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) in 2021. He served as the chairman of the College Football Playoff Committee from 2018-19 and served on the committee overall for four years from 2016-19.
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