Remade in Mario Cristobal's image, Oregon aims to muscle its way into the College Football Playoff

The Ducks are clear Pac-12 favorites entering a defining season for the league

Kayvon Thibodeaux remembers the Oregon version of a hazing ritual. Nothing abusive, mind you. But college football has its customs, and breaking in a highly-touted freshman is a common one.

Two years ago, Thibodeaux, a blue-chip defensive end from Los Angeles, was matched up against already legendary left tackle Penei Sewell.

"They were scary at first," Thibodeaux said of those early practices. "When I first got there, it was, 'He's the guy, and I gotta show what I can do.' Once you take a few reps, [you realize], he's getting me better. Once I realized like, 'Damn they keep calling me out. There goes that No. 1 player [designation].'"

Thibodeaux made it through those early days as the nation's top recruit and is primed to continue dominating the college game. Sewell left Oregon as one of the best offensive linemen in program history, selected No. 7 overall by the Detroit Lions in the NFL Draft.

Their early battles serve as a proper backdrop for Oregon's current culture. Coach Mario Cristobal has built his program from the inside out with strong lines on both sides of the ball. That is not unlike the Miami team for which he played offensive tackle under Jimmy Johnson, winning national championships in 1989 and 1991. It's certainly not unlike the Alabama teams where he coached offensive line from 2013-17.

That culture hasn't been this clearly defined in Eugene, Oregon, since Chip Kelly's heyday. Back then, you were going to be outrun, outschemed and outscored. These days, well, you don't want to face these Muscle Ducks.

"Coach Cristobal prides himself on the physicality," said star center Alex Forsyth. "It's got to come down to the dudes up front. That's got to be the DNA of the organization."

That DNA gives Oregon the best chance of representing the Pac-12 in the College Football Playoff. It's been five years since the conference nosed its way into CFP. To heap more pressure on Oregon, it has become the Pac-12's flagship program.

"I had a tough time digesting it in my simplicity mindset," Cristobal said. "I never, and we will never, see ourselves as a program with bullseye on us, a target on us."

Forging Oregon under Cristobal has become sort of a feats of strength competition. The coach can ask as much of his players because the man has lived it himself. Upon being cut by the Denver Broncos years ago, Cristobal took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and Muay Thai.

The message was received when Cristobal reminded a reporter at last month's Pac-12 Media Day that a negative story might come with some repercussions.

Cristobal's philosophy has taken Oregon all the way to the top of the conference where the Ducks are only the second program since 2011 to win back-to-back Pac-12 titles. Oregon won three in a row under Kelly from 2009-11.

"What excites me the most is we're throwing some serious adversity and challenges at these guys," Cristobal said. "We're pushing them hard. The only response has been, 'Bring it.'"

Watching these Ducks is watching a program's culture change before our eyes.

While it's been eight years since Kelly was in Eugene, the program's previous reputation endured. Kelly's offensive coordinator, Mark Helfrich, took over before being fired in 2016. The Willie Taggart disaster lasted one year in 2017 before his offensive line coach (Cristobal) was elevated.

Recruiting has been dominant. Initially, that might have been the main reason Cristobal replaced Taggart. He was -- and is -- the program's best recruiter. Since 2019, Oregon has led the Pac-12 and finished no lower than 11th nationally, per the 247Sports Composite team rankings. The latest class included eight players rated in the top 10 nationally at their positions.

This might be Cristobal's best team. The entire offensive line returns, averaging 323 pounds. (Sewell opted out in 2020 due to COVID-19.) Thibodeaux, a 2019 Freshman All-American and 2021 Preseason All-American, is a defensive player of the year candidate. Linebacker Noah Sewell (Penei's brother) is a budding star.

There's more than 4,500 career rushing yards and 2,400 career receiving yards returning. After a clunky COVID-19 season, offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead is expected to rebound with his creativity.

As of Thursday, Cristobal had not named a starter at quarterback. Boston College transfer Anthony Brown was the favorite coming into camp, but five-star freshman Ty Thompson may be making a late push. Brown made 28 career starts at BC and replaced Tyler Shough (now the starter at Texas Tech) in the Fiesta Bowl.

"He's poised, he's calm," Forsyth said of Brown. "He just has that quarterback mentality. He doesn't freak out. He's just a flat liner [is what] we call him. It's not he's friggin' dead."

Whoever wins the job will have to live up the culture the coach has established.

"Cristobal was an offensive lineman," said Thibodeaux, who has become a de facto spokesman for the team. "Him being an offensive lineman helps me and my personal game. When I first got here, I wasn't that big, but I realized the line of scrimmage is how you dominate.

"Whoever dominates the line of scrimmage wins the game. It's like rebounding in the NBA. Whoever wins the rebounding margin wins the game."

Thibodeaux might be the Ducks' best Heisman Trophy candidate. A force off the edge, in 20 career games, he already has 23.5 tackles for loss. Opposing teams using a single lineman to stop him will do so at their own risk.

"If you want to let me go one-on-one, so be it," Thibodeaux said. "If that's what you feel, let it be. Anybody that is smart won't let it happen. Every play I would have a tight end [block me]. Why would you not? Look at the rate of destruction."

For the Muscle Ducks, that rate -- and the pain associated with it -- could be significant.