INDIANAPOLIS – It’s been a blast for the Oregon Ducks and their old conference for what feels like forever.

They are too offensive, too tricky and too careless in defense.

Too soft.

So when the Ducks made the transition to the big, bad, beefy Big Ten, the old guard agreed that this new, headline-grabbing program — with its flashy uniforms and Nike-backed coffers — was all sizzle and no steak. They said Oregon was in for a rude awakening on the way to America’s heartland.

But a funny thing happened in the Ducks’ first foray outside the Pac-12: The new kids on the block beat up the Big Ten bullies.

The No. 1 Ducks rounded out their debut Big Ten season with a dominant conference championship, defeating Penn State 45-37 in front of 67,469 at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night, keeping their perfect season alive and their status claimed as the class of college football.

The win gave Oregon (13-0) a first-round bye and all but assured the team the No. 1 seed in the revamped 12-team College Football Playoff, a milestone for a program that threatened to topple the Blues Sports. And as they left Indianapolis early Sunday morning, the sweet smell of cigar smoke wafting from their locker room, the Ducks made one thing clear:

They are not soft. And they’re not going anywhere.

“We knew a lot of people would doubt our physical ability and our toughness,” said safety Jeff Bassa. “So if we go undefeated in this conference and then come here to Indianapolis — great place, great stadium — and come away with a win as well, that means we’re here and we’re not messing around.”

They didn’t just beat the Big Ten in their first season – they crushed them.

The Ducks won in the Big House. They outlasted Ohio State. They waxed Wisconsin at Camp Randall. And finally, they survived Penn State. Oregon managed it for eight grueling weeks without a bye, often in dominant fashion. Seven of Oregon’s conference victories were by three or more touchdowns.

The bluest of all blue-bloods went down easier than a sack victim from Matayo Uiagalelei.

It was an impressive performance against an intimidating schedule and was anything but gentle. The Ducks have had to deal with that cliche label since joining the sturdy old Big Ten, and senior tight end Terrance Ferguson couldn’t help but laugh Saturday night as he thought back to the last time he played this building for the Big Ten attended media days.

“Everyone was asking if a Pac-12 team was ready for Big Ten physicality,” he said. “We hang our hat on physicality. I think if you go back and watch Oregon football, at least since I’ve been here, you know the O-line has always been good. We were always good (along the) D-line and ran the ball. And that’s something we’re proud of and something we’ll continue to do no matter what. We have Tuesday practice – full pads, all full, full incline – (every week). I think everyone sees the West Coast as soft. The Pac-12. But I’m glad we showed everyone that we weren’t.”

They say the ducks are a “keystone species.” It’s a little something coach Dan Lanning came up with in fall camp, one of those motivational tactics designed to motivate the group.

Oregon was marching into a new conference and it was up to them to impose their will and make an early impact, he told them. Would they live up to that old “soft” stereotype or build a new reputation? Lanning mentioned the term “keystone species” regularly during fall camp, hammering the message into his players’ psyches until it eventually simply became part of the Ducks’ DNA.

“It’s something that’s just us, it’s our identity,” defenseman Dontae Manning said. “So that’s us. We are the keystone species of the Big Ten.”

Bassa added: “It means we should be here. That means…we are the top of this conference. We dominated this conference and took over the conference.”

Manning said Saturday that motivation is “overrated.” Execution is the priority. And the Ducks performed quite well in a game that was anything but their A game.

Dillon Gabriel solidified his Heisman candidacy with another efficient and electrifying performance, completing 22 of 32 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Tez Johnson had a career night, catching 11 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore tight end Kenyon Sadiq leapfrogged Penn State defenders — literally — for touchdowns. And the two-headed running back monster of Jordan James (87 rushing yards, two touchdowns) and Noah Whittington (82 yards) was dominant against the Nittany Lions’ stout defense.

The Ducks defense struggled through its worst game of the season, allowing 518 yards and five touchdowns. But with the game on the line in the final minutes, it forced a crucial three-pointer and secured the victory with a crucial interception.

And when it was over, green and yellow confetti fell and the Ducks celebrated in a way many of the old guard thought was unimaginable.

The keystone species won a Big Ten championship.

“He wanted to be the game changer in the Big Ten,” safety Kobe Savage said of Lanning. “He wanted to usher in a new era, a new wave in the Big Ten, bring a new kind of flavor into it. And I feel like we definitely succeeded in doing that this year. We just wanted to go out and show the world that we could play in the Big Ten.

“I remember early fall camp. He kept saying “keystone species.” No one really knew exactly what it meant until he repeated it over and over again throughout the weeks of fall camp and then finally got into the Big Ten. We understood that we are a different race. That’s why we have to do it differently every time. We are not the Pac-12. We’re not the Big Ten. We are Oregon.”

— Joe Freeman covers that Oregon Ducks. Reach him at 503-294-5183 or @BlazerFreeman. Listen to this Ducks Confidential Podcast or subscribe Ducks Roundup Newsletter.