The Ducks named four captains right before kickoff. Among them was quarterback Bo Nix.

After so much speculation — and a little bit of smoke and mirrors from coach Dan Lanning — it was the Auburn transfer who drew the start for the Ducks in the season opener against the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. He served as a team captain alongside offensive lineman Alex Forsyth, defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus, and defensive back Jamal Hill.

Throughout camp, Lanning was quick to shut down the quarterback questions and played coy on the factors that separated Nix from his competition — Ty Thompson and Jay Butterfield.

But Nix was always viewed as the likely winner of the competition after starting for three years at Auburn. In transferring to Oregon this offseason, he was reunited with current UO offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, his OC at Auburn in 2019 when he won the SEC’s Freshman of the Year award.

In 34 starts spread across three years as the Tigers’ starter, Nix completed 59% of his throws for 7,251 yards and 39 touchdowns with 16 interceptions. He began his career with a win over Oregon in another SEC vs. Pac-12 neutral site classic. We’ll see if he can kick off his Oregon career with a similar result.

The Ducks and Bulldogs are currently playing on ABC.