Moving to a new Conference with tougher opponents, which requires you to play half of the season in a different time zone and climate, is a massive hurdle to overcome for any team right? Well, in Year One, the Oregon Ducks put together an undefeated regular season, rolling to a Big Ten Championship and a College Football Playoff appearance. Heading into the Ducks' second season in the Big Ten, the team is expected to take a big step back.
The reasons for the step back are a massive overhaul to the roster, which leaves this group with plenty of questions to answer. Dante Moore is tasked with filling the shoes of Dillon Gabriel, which is a tall task for any player, as Gabriel's experience allowed him to carve defenses. The offense loses three of its four leading pass catchers while the 4th Evan Stewart may miss the entire season with the injury.
While the Ducks have a ton of holes to fill, this roster is still good enough to go on a run in the Big Ten and possibly make the College Football Playoff once again. Part of that is the roster as the Ducks roster is made up of 78% blue chip recruits which is the 5th best in the Country. On the other hand, the schedule is what makes the Ducks one of the best contenders for the Playoff this year.
Oregon's schedule is so favorable, the Ducks have to be front runners
When you look at the Oregon Ducks schedule, even if the talent level is down, this team should be favored in most of its games. The team starts the season hosting Montana State and even if the Ducks spotted the Bobcats 40 points before the game kicks off, the Ducks should still win the game easily.
After hosting Montana State, Oklahoma State comes to Eugene for Oregon's first Power 4 game of the season. Oklahoma State will be a step up in competition, the Ducks are far more talented and should win this game with ease. The Cowboys are coming off of a 3-9 season where they went 0-9 in Big 12 play which should make this an easy outing for Dan Lanning's team.
The Oregon Ducks then kick off their Big Ten slate facing off against Northwestern on the road. David Braun's group should take a step forward after a 4-8 season but, Oregon is still more talented at every position.
The Ducks next test comes against the Oregon State Beavers in a rivalry matchup which means you throw all stats and logic out of the window. The Beavers have a ton of veterans returning this season while adding a solid veteran quarterback in Maalik Murphy which should help the team's passing attack improve after ranking 95th in passing yards per game and 98th in points per game.
The first true big game for the Oregon Ducks comes when they travel to State College to take on a loaded Penn State team. Going on the road to Happy Valley is a tough task for any team and it'll be the loudest road environment of Dante Moore's career to this point. The good news is for Oregon that James Franklin has been brutal in big games and even if Oregon loses the loss will age fine and they'll have wiggle room.
After facing Penn State, the Ducks face another College Football Playoff team in Curt Cignetti's Indiana Hoosiers. Coming off a run to the College Football Playoff, Cignetti returns a roster capable of making a run once again. The biggest change comes at quarterback as the Hoosiers landed Cal star Fernando Mendoza to lead the offense. Oregon should have the talent advantage again, but this is another potential toss-up game.
Following the game against the Hoosiers, the Oregon Ducks once again dive into a softer portion of the schedule. Rutgers and Iowa should be improved over last season, but, at the end of the day, the Scarlet Knights remain one of the bottom-tier teams in the Big Ten, while Iowa will need to figure out its offense.
The final three regular season games may truly decide how Oregon's season plays out, as the Ducks play a group of teams that will either be competing for the Conference Championship or massive disappointments. Minnesota has a talented roster, but, will need to break in a new starting quarterback this season. USC is looking to impress this season, but Jayden Maiava will need to show he can be an elite quarterback. Washington will be defined by Demond Williams' growth, which will either make the Huskies a Playoff team or a failure.
Overall, there are 5 games that Oregon can truly lose when they'll face off against Penn State, Indiana, Minnesota, USC, and Washington. If the Ducks go 3-2 or better in those games, they're a lock to go to the College Football Playoff, and if they're able to go 2-3 with the right wins, they can still make the Playoff.
The Ducks will get to host Indiana, Minnesota, and USC this season while they will travel to face Penn State and Washington. Overall, the Oregon Ducks got one of the most managable schedules in the Conference which should get this team back into contention for a College Football Playoff bid.