The best football is played in the Southeastern Conference. It always has been and most likely always will be. At the very least, the south has largely dominated the sport with other southern teams not in the conference winning frequently. Outside of Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Michigan, there is not much sustained success that does not appear in that region of the country. But let's step away from the SEC and take a trip to the northwest for the game of the year so far and firstly examine the stunning change happening amidst the pine trees. Oregon welcomed Ohio State into Eugene for a weekend of antics between Puddles the Duck and Brutus the Buckeye flanked by their fans. The town and Autzen stadium were remarkable scenes to watch on Saturday. Take what I am about to say very seriously. We are witnessing the emergence of a superpower program before our very eyes. Everyone knows the blue bloods of college football as perennial contenders and must-see TV. You have Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Michigan as the classics. Texas, USC, Miami, Georgia, and Nebraska are right up at the top as well. Each have numerous Heisman winners, national titles, and more wins than nearly everyone else in the country. There has not been a new team like that for decades. It takes time to build and earn each major accomplishment. It requires a standard that must be followed every second of every day for years on end to attain.

Oregon has become that. No, their uniforms are not traditional. They are not in a football hotspot like the south. Their national title count is the same as their logo. The uniforms may never become streamlined, but those other elements are changing. Oregon has been a completely different program in the last twenty years than they were from 1894 until then. Nike and Phil Knight entered the picture and began to make a change to what the program looks like. Marcus Mariota won a Heisman. They reached a national championship in the first ever college football playoff against Ohio State and played for a BCS title against Auburn in 2011. They did each of these things will an assortment of coaches. Each coach moved on in some capacity, yet Oregon was resilient. Their current head coach has changed the picture for the program and seems to have finally made the next steps into becoming a powerhouse.

Head coach Dan Lanning was hired from Georgia and decided it was time to change the scene in Eugene to fit the south's passion as he saw it. Lanning has brought a new energy and the fans in Autzen have responded with their own. Football finally matters in the state and though it has room to grow, the team is ready to ensure that it does by winning on the recruiting trail and the field.

Everyone learned about the Oregon Trail in history class but now it refers to football recruiting. A major problem for Oregon breaking the barrier into the national title conversation has been their offensive and defensive lines. Talent at “skill positions,” a term that I despise, have not shied away from the allure of the Oregon and Nike brand. Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and defensive backs have been excited to wear the “swoosh” and make the trip to a new place. Those positions also are in healthy supply for talent across the country. The big boys up front have a stiff drop off when it comes to regionality in the sport. They tend to be most talented in the southern states with a few exceptions. When you face off against west coast teams, it is not difficult to win by playing with smaller and less talented linemen but when you compete with the south or Ohio State/Notre Dame/Michigan, it becomes challenging. Winning is done in those regions because it is not hard to draw a recruit from Mississippi to Alabama. Oregon on the other hand has been a lesser-known commodity, playing at later times or just simply without much historical success. The linemen are not as drawn to travel away from family to play for the Ducks and Oregon has not pursued them heavily. Dan Lanning, coming from Georgia, knows what it takes to win major games against the best competition and that is again, the lines. He immediately upon being hired, traveled south to recruit their linemen, and get bigger across the lines of scrimmage. Lanning has not just pursued the talent, but he has been successful. He has marketed the brand to the young, big boys and brought them to Eugene. Oregon is no longer smaller and less physical than their opponents, they are rather bigger and more physical than most if not all in the country. They can now go toe to toe with the best teams.

Anyone who chose to watch the game against Ohio State saw exactly that. What I personally believe I saw was the current two best teams in the country. Ohio State lost, but played an incredibly solid and efficient game, yet Oregon won. This was no fluke. Oregon was just as big up front and arguably displayed more physicality than the Buckeyes. Dillon Gabriel was instrumental in the victory as well. Gabriel had been given the necessary protection up front to pick apart a very good Ohio State defense and he did exactly that. He played his best game since his school record explosion for OU against West Virginia and was clutch in tight moments like he was in last year's victory over Texas. His play was truly outstanding.

Though Gabriel stood out, the game was dead even. The stat line between these teams were nearly identical as the Ducks and Buckeyes accumulated almost the exact same total yards, passing yards, rushing yards, first downs, 3rd and 4th down efficiency, total plays, and punts. The big discrepancy between the two were penalties. Oregon was far more disciplined than Ohio State and they had the lesser of penalty yardage of 25 to 70. Another difference aside from just stats was that Oregon took care of the football and the only turnover they allowed was a turnover on downs. The Duck defense forced and recovered a fumble and their special teams unit pulled off a hysterical surprise onside kick. One other factor outside of the nail-biting stats that influenced the game was a decision that won the game.

Having a 12 men on the field penalty in almost every instance is unacceptable and highly undisciplined. It is even more revolting to see in a competitive and close game towards the end. Oregon's 12 men penalty was a stroke of tactical genius. When that penalty is called it is ruled as a pre-snap penalty that is enforced for five yards and negates the play that was run. What it does not do is reset the clock to what it was before the snap. Dan Lanning intentionally put a 12th man on the field after identifying that Ohio State for some reason would attempt to throw the ball again despite being in game winning field goal position. To prevent a big gain that makes a field goal easier or a scored touchdown, Lanning threw the 12th man on to exchange 4 seconds for 5 yards. Ohio State could not gain more yards than 5 and they would lose the time that it took from snap to finish on the play. This is a loophole that is completely legal, and the knowledge of the rule is a tribute to Lanning's total love of the game. The NCAA at the time of this article has changed the rule to prevent this instance which is rich. With all the issues in the sport that are happening against the rules from NIL violations to tampering to sign stealing, the NCAA is cracking down on a legal rule. While it makes the game better and more polished, it is odd to see such quick movement from a slow moving and poorly run organization. Regardless of what has happened, Dan Lanning followed the rules and succeeded in winning the game and if he knew how to do it that way, there is likely more up his sleeves.

So, what's the big deal? Oregon narrowly beat Ohio State just 32-31. In 2021, they firmly beat the Buckeyes 35-28. What is different? Firstly, this Ohio State team is drastically more talented and physical than their 2021 form. Ryan Day, who I think very highly of, is even more motivated to finish the job than he was, having fallen short to his rival 3 straight times. This was supposed to be, and still very well could be, their year. On the other side, 2021 saw Mario Cristobal at the helm of Oregon and he was eager to jump to his alma mater when given the chance. He did so quickly after that very season ended. Cristobal, a lineman himself, attempted to recruit the lines in the south but failed. He was disconnected from the Oregon program and did not care about long term success there as he wanted to get out. The apathetic approach from Cristobal in recruiting failures and lack of concern for the future in Eugene made it so that Oregon was a good team then but not on the verge of anything special. Dan Lanning is. Lanning cares about Eugene and has successfully recruited and built his program since taking over for Cristobal. He knows how to build an SEC team and he is doing that in the northwest. The Oregon Ducks have looked special under Lanning. They were close under Bo Nix, going 12-2, only failing to beat Washington twice. They then declined to take a rebuild year after Nix was drafted, bringing in Dillon Gabriel from Oklahoma, and Dante Moore, a former commit who was a UCLA. Moore is insurance for the year but the future of the program. Gabriel is the win now QB. Oregon under Lanning has set themselves up to chase a title not only this year but years on end after. That is what a perineal contender does. That is what a superpower does. Oregon is no longer who we knew them as. They are to be welcomed to the Big 10 but also the national picture. Lanning and the Ducks are aggressive and are not showing up just to be there, but to win. I believe they will do just that. Do not be surprised when the Ducks win a title in the next few years. Do not be surprised when their first title is not enough. They are here to stay.