Oregon football quarterback Dillon Gabriel is not taking No. 4 Penn State lightly ahead of the Big Ten championship game. Head coach Dan Lanning‘s team finished a perfect regular season in its first year in the conference. The key to this run has been a balanced attack on offense and defense and a one-week-at-a-time mentality, an approach that Gabriel credited in the Washington postgame.

Even though the Nittany Lions will likely be a top-3 team in the upcoming playoff rankings, many experts will largely favor the Ducks in this matchup due to their impressive resume. Oregon has beaten three top-25 teams, with their standout victory coming over No. 2 Ohio State. On the other hand, Penn State has just one win against a ranked team, at home against No. 23 Illinois.

Despite the disparities, Dillon Gabriel showed great respect to his opponent in a recent interview, according to Penn State football insider Audrey Snyder of The Athletic.

“It’s a damn good team,” Gabriel said of the Penn State.

Oregon football’s two potential paths in the College Football Playoff

The Ducks are in a very interesting spot heading into Saturday. Dillon Gabriel and company have already locked up a spot in the College Football Playoff. The question is, which seed will the Ducks ultimately get? If Oregon football wins on Saturday, it will be the undisputed No. 1 seed in the twelve-team playoff. However, Dan Lanning’s team will likely get the fifth seed if Penn State pulls the upset.

From a purely strategic standpoint, many programs would envy either of those seeds. Oregon football gets an automatic bye with the No. 1 spot and will face the winner of the 8/9 matchup. There is a chance one of those teams will be No. 7 Georgia. While the Bulldogs have been inconsistent, the win against No. 3 Texas still gives an indication of how dangerous they could be.

The five seed, on the other hand, also provides an exciting path for the Ducks. In that case, Oregon would likely host the lowest-ranked conference winner, like Clemson or Arizona State. After that game, depending on the Mountain West championship game’s result, Dan Lanning’s team could rematch No. 11 Boise State. While the Ducks know not to take the Broncos for granted, they are probably an easier matchup than the Bulldogs.

Nevertheless, Dillon Gabriel and company should be confident they can beat anyone, anywhere, anytime. Oregon has been the country’s most consistent team and is improving weekly.

Gabriel’s comments about Penn State reflect the focus this program has had this entire year. Should the Ducks keep this mentality, they will bring home their first national championship in school history. The two paths that Oregon football could take will not be the deciding factor. But a Big Ten title would be a great way to keep this momentum.