The No. 6 Oregon Ducks enter their second bye week of the season with a 7-1 record following a 21-7 home win over the Wisconsin Badgers. With four games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Ducks are in prime shape to reach the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive season.
The four games remaining on their schedule, however, won’t be a walk in the park for the Ducks as they’ll have to face two tough road tests and another challenging home matchup. Oregon’s remaining schedule includes road tests against Iowa (Nov. 8) and Washington (Nov. 29), as well as two home matchups against Minnesota (Nov. 14) and USC (Nov. 22). Here’s a prediction for the Ducks’ four remaining games of the season.
The Oregon Ducks will face off against the Iowa Hawkeyes for the first time as Big Ten teams coming out of the bye week. The game will also be the first meeting between the Ducks and the Hawkeyes since 1994, when Oregon won 40-18 in Eugene.
This matchup has the makings of a November upset that shakes up the playoff race in the Big Ten. Kinnick Stadium has provided several top-10 upsets in previous seasons, and Oregon could be the latest to suffer that defeat.
Iowa has momentum entering the game with a 6-2 record and a three-game winning streak. The Hawkeyes are coming off a dominating 41-3 win over Minnesota. Oregon coach Dan Lanning will have the Ducks ready for the challenge against the Hawkeyes. Oregon’s offense will find a way to beat Iowa’s defense in a game that will come down to the fourth quarter.
Oregon will face off against PJ Fleck and the Minnesota Golden Gophers in their lone Friday night Big Ten game of the season. Last season, the Ducks defeated Michigan State 31-10 at home and Purdue 35-0 on the road in their two Friday night games.
Against Minnesota, the Ducks will find success running the football against Minnesota’s rush defense with Noah Whittington, Jordon Davison, and Dierre Hill Jr. in front of a hostile Friday night crowd at Autzen Stadium.
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The Nov. 14 matchup will be the first meeting between Oregon and Minnesota since the 2003 Sun Bowl, which the Golden Gophers won 31-30. Minnesota leads the series 3-1 over Oregon, with the Ducks’ lone win also coming in the Sun Bowl in 1999, winning 24-20.
Oregon’s matchup against the No. 23 USC Trojans on Nov. 22 will be a battle of two of the best offenses in college football. The game has the potential to be a high-scoring affair, making defense a huge key in the matchup.
Depending on how the Trojans’ games against Nebraska, Northwestern, and Iowa end up, USC could be playing to keep its playoff hopes alive against the Ducks. It will also be the first time the Ducks and Trojans will be facing off as Big Ten teams. Their last meeting came in 2023, when Oregon quarterback Bo Nix beat USC’s Caleb Williams 36-27 in Eugene.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore will have to be efficient and outperform USC quarterback Jayden Maiava if it ends up being a high-scoring game. Oregon’s defense will arguably face its toughest test since playing No. 2 Indiana, and this time it results in the Ducks pulling away in the fourth quarter to win.
Similar to USC, the Washington Huskies could be fighting for a spot in the playoff when they host the Oregon Ducks on Nov. 29. The Ducks earned a convincing 49-21 win over the Huskies in Eugene last season. Washington would like nothing more than to avenge that loss with an upset victory in Seattle.
The last time Oregon played Washington in Seattle in 2023, the Ducks lost 36-33 on a missed field goal as time expired. Later that season, the Ducks’ playoff dreams were crushed by the Huskies in a 34-31 loss in the final Pac-12 Championship game.
Oregon will aim to avoid history from repeating itself in its regular-season finale. The Ducks will do just that, making enough plays on offense to win the game. The biggest key for Oregon will be stopping Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr and forcing him to commit turnovers.
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