The hype in Eugene is real. Quarterback Bo Nix’s Heisman billboards going up across the country only strengthen it.

Year 2 of the Dan Lanning/Nix era kicks off in a week and a half with Portland State coming down for the interstate opener. A lot of questions should be answered then. Who’s done enough to secure a starting spot? How will the offensive line settle in? Can new coordinator Will Stein’s offense transition seamlessly?

Lanning and Nix both talked with media for the final time before gameday after practice Wednesday. Here are the five most significant takeaways ...

The announcement of Nix’s return for year two in Eugene and his fifth season overall in college football may have surprised some. With former OC Kenny Dillingham leaving and the opportunity to turn pro after a career-best season, he chose to come back for one main reason.

“I came back to win a championship,” Nix said. “I came back to play with my teammates one more time and play at Oregon one more time. Have a season with the fans and the history one more time.”

The decision to come back has not been taken for granted by anyone around the program. Nix’s goal is shared by everyone in the locker room, and the belief is there. The university has bought in as well, with billboards of Nix going up in New York and Dallas to gain even more national attention.

“Yeah, when it was brought to me, I said that sounds like an awesome opportunity for us to get recognition for our guys,” Lanning said. “I think the biggest thing that proves is at the University of Oregon, you’re gonna have the opportunity to be recognized, you’re going to be seen not just at a local level but at a global level. Obviously, Bo has done a phenomenal job and deserves recognition as well as his team, right? Bo was grateful for the opportunity. On the same note, that’s not Bo’s focus. Bo’s focused on Game 1 just like everybody else in our program — he’s focused on what does he have to do to perform better.”

The transition of summer to fall is right around the corner, and with it brings the return of college football. The Ducks have a vastly different opening opponent this season, with a home matchup against Portland State offering a far less daunting challenge than taking on the defending champs in enemy territory like last year.

Though no games in college football can be taken lightly, there is far less anxiety for Ducks fans leading up to this season opener.

“One thing, when you play Game 1s, who are you going to see, who are they going to be? Each team is different, especially in college football now, from last year to the next year,” Lanning said. “I will say this, I have a lot of respect for their coach and their coaching staff. They’ve been there for a long time. They have some continuity there.”

The Vikings are coming off a 4-7 campaign and, like the Ducks, brought in a new offensive coordinator for 2023.

“We’re ready to hit another team,” Lanning said. “You know, it’s been a long time going back to the very end of July right now, where you’re playing the same team every single day. There’s some challenges presented when you get to practice against something you haven’t seen every single day or play against something you haven’t seen.”

The Ducks have added transfers, freshmen and even a track star to the roster, but despite the turnover there has been tangible collective growth for the program.

“I think overall, as a team, we’re tackling better,” Lanning said. “I think that and then just really execution on offense. Recognizing and being able to execute plays at a high level, everybody knowing their assignment, their job, and still there’s room for improvement in both those areas.”

More specifically, Lanning talked about a few first-year players.

Outside linebacker Blake Purchase and defensive back Collin Gill, both freshmen on the defensive side, could sneak their way into some playing time this year, while Oregon track star Micah Williams may be a wildcard on special teams thanks to his unbelievable speed.

“First day, it’s like [Blake]’s trying to figure out where to line up,” Lanning said. “But when you let that guy go, he’s got explosive power. He’s got quickness, he’s got a want to be better, and it’s certainly showing up on the field. [Collin]’s probably working more at STAR for us more than anything right now. He had a couple of interceptions on Saturday, which is pretty impressive for him. Still, at times he’s got to get figured out where he’s supposed to line up but he’s a willing tackler, willing to hit, and he has done a good job when the ball has been thrown his way. [Williams] is progressing, you know, every single day and got to see what it looks like for him long-term.”

All and all, the consensus has been that fall camp has been great for the Oregon Ducks.

Yes, Nix has been a big reason for that. With the Heisman Trophy as an obtainable goal, he doesn’t seem to pay much attention to the personal accolades but rather to the main goal of finishing his collegiate career the right way. His teammates' improvement on both sides of the ball over fall camp intensifies those beliefs.

“I think [the defense], with all the new pieces, have made a lot of strides as far as scheme and fitting in the scheme and how they may learn it,” Nix said. “They look really good right now, they got a lot of depth so they're playing a lot of guys and they're doing a good job of playing their role and doing it well. When I see a defense like what we got, you know it's exciting to go against every day because you know that’s what opponents are going to go against too.”

Offensively, things are going well too. The defense has sharpened up and made things hard for Nix’s group, which only helps in the long run. Oregon’s offense returns a majority of its weapons from last season and added talent at receiver, with the offensive line being the only real area hit hard over the offseason.

“Our competition level as a team is very high,” Nix said. “We really compete at practice with one another. We compete amongst ourselves, amongst position groups. We got a healthy balance of competing, but also appreciating and respecting the person across from you and next to you, even in a position battle.”

There isn’t a whole lot left to be added over these last couple of practices. Schemes are in place and the depth chart should be close to complete. These last 10 days before Game 1 will be used on making sure the little things are correct and making sure everyone is ready for the speed of real game action.

“Fall camp goes by really quickly, you’re kind of in practice mode so you get locked in with that,” Nix said. “Once you get into game week, as we’re approaching, things start to slow down. You get to start to target opponents and looking at other defenses besides yourself. I'm tired of going against the same defense every day — those guys are good.”

The plan is simple for the remaining days of fall camp -- make sure everyone is healthy, and make sure everyone is ready to play.

“Tomorrow will be an off day for us,” Lanning said. “It’d be, you know, a little less intense, more meeting time. A chance to really recover, and then we’ll kind of hop into the game prep for Portland State.”