No. 2 Ohio State has been dominant thus far in 2024, beating every team by what feels like a million en route to a 5-0 record. Oregon football also sits at 5-0 after a perfect start, but it hasn't been quite as easy as the Ducks escaped disaster in the first two weeks with tight wins over Idaho and Boise State in Eugene.
While Oregon has gotten off to a rocky start, it has rebounded with three straight blowout wins over UCLA, Oregon State, and Michigan State.
Both teams have climbed into the top three nationally and this might just be the best game of the season so far and this will likely rival the Alabama vs. Georgia game from a couple of weeks ago.
Let's dive into some bold predictions.
1. Dillon Gabriel puts on a masterclass
While I'm certain Ohio State has one of the most talented defenses in the country, I can see some cracks which could mean Dillon Gabriel will exploit a couple of weaknesses.
Ohio State hasn't really seen any explosive offense yet en route to a dominant 5-0 start with no team scoring more than 14 points against the Buckeyes. The only offense that may have had a pulse thus far has been Michigan State and maybe Iowa, but neither is setting the world on fire.
The Buckeyes are in for a rude awakening against Oregon and I see Ohio State struggling against Dillon Gabriel, the most complete quarterback it's seen thus far. He'll have over 250 yards through the air and three passing touchdowns, rebounding nicely from a two-interception game last week. Oh, and he won't throw any picks.
2. Jordan James out-duels Ohio State's backs
TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins both average over 7.0 yards per carry which makes Ohio State's backfield one of the best in the nation, but Jordan James can't be overlooked.
The Oregon running back has over 500 rushing yards this season and he constantly gets overlooked on a national level but he's going to show out when the lights are the brightest.
James has three 100-yard games over the past four weeks and he'll make it four on Saturday night against a stingy Ohio State defense. He'll rush for 140 yards while the Buckeye running backs each have under 75 yards and neither breaks off a big run. He'll win this backfield battle.
3. Oregon pulls off the "upset"
If you've checked out what Vegas thinks about this game, you'd realize that it's high on the Buckeyes. In fact, Ohio State is favored in this road game by three points which is kind of wild when you consider the home-field advantage that Autzen Stadium brings.
A lot of experts are already counting the Ducks out, but I think Dillon Gabriel, Jordan James, and Dan Lanning have what it takes to pull off the "upset" over the No. 2 Buckeyes.
This game will go down to the wire, but I see Oregon escaping thanks to a late touchdown throw from Gabriel to Tez Johnson with two minutes left.