3 most important games for Oregon football in 2024

1. Ohio State (Oct. 12)

This was a fairly obvious No. 1 choice for me.

I mentioned earlier that Michigan won the national title last year but lost a lot of key figures from that run. The Wolverines will be good, but I admitted that I don't think they're the toughest opponent on the schedule. That distinction, in my opinion, goes to Ohio State.

The Buckeyes are arguably the best team in college football heading into the season with elite talent at every position and some incredible portal additions -- Quinshon Judkins and Caleb Downs.

The only real question mark is at quarterback, but Ryan Days likes what he has in transfer quarterback Will Howard. If he lives up to expectations, Ohio State will be the best team in the country, rivaling Georgia in the SEC. Even if he's not quite as good as expected, the Buckeyes are talented enough to run the table anyways.

Oregon gets the advantage of hosting Ohio State in October and if the Ducks can pull off the win, they'll hold that No. 1 spot in the Big Ten standings until at least the Michigan game in November and potentially the entire season. A win for Oregon could set up an Ohio State rematch in the Big Ten title game.

This is easily the most important game on the schedule.