When Oregon players Terrance Ferguson, Jeffrey Bassa and Dillon Gabriel left Lucas Oil Stadium in July after participating in Big Ten media days, they fully expected to be back.
Despite entering a new conference based mostly multiple time zones away, the Ducks had confidence they would succeed right away, and they backed it up. Oregon was the only FBS team to get through the regular season at 12-0 and will face Penn State on Saturday night in Indianapolis for the Big Ten title and a spot in the first 12-team College Football Playoff.
"We expected this, we had goals set of being in this championship game," said Ferguson, a senior tight end with 35 receptions. "The guys who were sent there, me, Jeff [Bassa] and Dillon [Gabriel], we knew we were going to be coming back. We booked Airbnbs, my family did, because ... we knew the work that we put in, we put countless hours into that. That comes from confidence, from your own preparation. It's not a cocky thing."
Oregon reached the Pac-12 championship game in 2023 but fell to archrival Washington, a loss that cost the Ducks a spot in the four-team CFP. They entered this season ranked No. 3 but had to navigate a schedule that included Ohio State, Michigan, Washington and others in league play.
The Ducks are aiming for their first league title since winning consecutive Pac-12 championships in 2019 and 2020 under previous coach Mario Cristobal. Oregon joined Washington, USC and UCLA in moving from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten this fall.
Texas (SEC), SMU (ACC) and Arizona State (Big 12) also reached championship games in their first seasons in new conferences.
"If we didn't think we'd be there, then I wouldn't have attended [media days]," said Gabriel, Oregon's starting quarterback and a transfer from Oklahoma. "Just felt really good about it, glad we were able to go see it, feel it, smell it, the whole nine. It was a good experience, but now that we're going back with the whole squad, everyone's excited for it."
Bassa said Oregon isn't focused on the likelihood of earning a bye into the CFP quarterfinals if it beats Penn State. The four highest-rated conference champions do not have to play first-round CFP games.
"When you get to a championship game and you come up that short like we did last year, it stays with you 365 days," Ferguson said. "A lot of the seniors and anybody who was a part of that team last year knows what it takes to get to a championship. We're just all putting everything we've got into this week and the opportunity to be a part of this Big Ten championship."