Oregon launches massive floating duck in Indy river as Big Ten Media Days kick off

The Oregon Ducks are now in the Big Ten and they’re announcing themselves in a big way at media days by launching a massive floating duck in an Indianapolis River as media days kick off.

The image posted to social media shows an absolutely massive inflatable Oregon Duck mascot that’s visible from a park. At the same time, it does appear to have a problem where it’s too big and won’t be able to float underneath the river’s bridges.

You can see the massive Oregon Duck floats in the White River in Indianapolis, here:

Oh it’s a new day in @bigten country!

The MASSIVE @oregonfootball Duck floats the White River in downtown Indy! pic.twitter.com/Qxsp4y7AKT

— Chris Dion (@ChrisMDion) July 23, 2024

In a way, it makes sense to launch the Oregon Duck as a float in the water. After all, there are bound to be other ducks hanging out in the area, making everyone feel at home in Indy.

Expectations are high for Oregon in the Big Ten. In the initial Big Ten media poll, Oregon was ranked second and alongside Ohio State was one of only two schools in the conference that received first-place votes. On top of all of that, both quarterback Dillon Gabriel and head coach Dan Lanning have been honored after being voted the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Lanning was voted the Preseason Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Given all of that talent and the success that Oregon has had success in recent seasons, it’s no surprise that Paul Finebaum expects the Ducks to be the best of the four newcomer schools to the Big Ten.

“That is the story right now. When you think about Oregon moving over to the Big Ten, nobody really saw this coming a couple of years ago but they’re really on the same level as Ohio State. I think Dillon Gabriel may be the difference, and the game being out there really favors Oregon,” Finebaum said.

“I think Dan Lanning is one of the best coaches in the country right now. Remember we talked about him possibly going to Alabama a year ago? He stayed put and you better watch out for the Ducks.”

After being in the Pac-12 since 1964, 2024 will be the team’s first in the Big Ten. These will also be their first media days, with Oregon taking center stage on Thursday. However, it’s going to be difficult for the team to upstage their giant inflatable duck when they get to the mic.

Oregon will play its first Big Ten game in late September against UCLA, another new team in the conference.