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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/usffan on 2025-08-16 12:09:26+00:00.
The cumulative link to the preseason rankings can be found here.
We did it, everybody! We made it through the offseason, since one week from today real football games will actually be played, and we can talk about actual matchups, point spreads, injury reports and regular season stuff instead of showing off your favorite alternative jersey colors. Which, I suppose, is an appropriate segue to the #7 team in our countdown, Oregon (high = 4, low = 13). The Ducks had what can only be considered the absolute best 2024. In fact, Oregon was the only team in FBS to not lose a single game the entire year, starting with an absolute thrashing of Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl and then going 13-0 in the regular season, beating then #2 Ohio State in a rulebook changing all timer, running through their inaugural B1G schedule unscathed (including dodging a close game in Madison) and knocking off Penn State to bring home the Amos Alonzo Stagg trophy to Eugene and secure the #1 seed in the CFP. But then the calendar switched over to 2025, Atticus Sappington kicked off to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and the clock struck midnight. The Ducks fell behind 34-0 and the memes about what the O on the helmet stands for lived on for at least another season. So as Dan Lanning begins his 4th season in charge (and, let’s face it, Ducks fans have to be getting nervous since the last guy to stay at Oregon for more than 4 years as head coach was Mike Bellotti), how do they respond to getting punched in the mouth?
Roster outlook
To say Oregon lost a lot would be an understatement. They set a school record last year with 10 players drafted in the NFL. From a statistical perspective, the biggest name was QB Dillon Gabriel, who’s one of 475 guys vying to be the next disappointing QB for the Cleveland Browns. But the Ducks will feel the loss of all the other draft picks. On offense, both tackles (Josh Conerly and Ajani Cornelius) are gone, as are RB Jordan James, WR Tez Johnson and TE Terrance Ferguson. On D, 3 DL (Derrick Harmon, Jordan Burch and Jamaree Caldwell) were all drafted, as was LB Jeffrey Bassa. Throw in 4 DBs (and a WR) who signed on as UDFAs, and Oregon really does look like a significant rebuild, which is why the Ducks rank 109th in returning production. So why are they still ranked as the #7 team in the country? Well, Lanning brought his SEC roots with him to Oregon and has been building the roster for a while. He already had backup RB Noah Whittington and WR Evan Stewart in place as the next men up, though Stewart was lost for the season with a patellar tendon tear. He also had former 5 star QB recruit Dante Moore getting a year of practice under him in preparation for this season. But he assembled top 5 recruiting and portal classes in the country, giving Oregon the #3 overall incoming class for this year. Probably the biggest name in that is former Tulane RB Makhi Hughes, but he rebuilt the OL with 3 transfers (5 star LT Isaiah World, plus 4 star RT Alex Harkey and 4 star LG Emmanuel Pregnon). The other incoming contributor on offense is true freshman Dakorien Moore, the #1 rated WR recruit in the 2025 class. After the success of true freshman WRs last year, I wouldn’t scoff at that. Former USC DT Bear Alexander and Purdue standout S Dillon Thieneman will also step in and start on defense.
Schedule and outlook
The Ducks OOC will be played exclusively at Autzen, opening up with Montana State (the #2 team in FCS) and Oklahoma State before finishing up with (don’t call it) the Civil War against Oregon State. They’ll also get their first taste of Big Noon Kickoff in week 3, playing in Northwestern’s temporary field. So by rights Oregon should be 4-0 as they head into State College for a night game White Out against Penn State in a rematch of last year’s B1G championship game. The rest of the B1G slate has 4 games in Oregon (Indiana, Wisconsin for that sweet Grateful Dead themed-game, Minnesota and USC), plus road games at Rutgers, Iowa and Washington. Those last two roadies could get tricky, but the rest of the schedule more or less sets up so that Oregon should be in prime position to go back to the CFP.