Dan Lanning's Ducks have been one of the most dominant teams in the nation over his three-year tenure. Under Lanning, Oregon has won at least 10 games every season, with the total win count of each year rising from ten, to twelve, and thirteen in 2024.
A stamp of a great program is the ability to beat teams they should every time. For the most part, the Ducks have done this, outside of the disaster against good Oregon State and Washington teams in 2022.
Outside of those two losses, Lanning's only dropped games have been to teams who won, or appeared in the national championship (Georgia in 2022, Washington twice in 2023, and Ohio State in 2024/25). Let's take a look at the three games Oregon could run into the most trouble in.
1) Week 5 at Penn State
The 2025 edition of Penn State is following a formula familiar to their Big Ten foes Michigan and Ohio State when they took home national championships the last two seasons.
They have allocated their resources into player retention, keeping their best guys around. Quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, and defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton are just a few who opted-out of the NFL draft.
While the Nittany Lions do see some of their high-end talent depart, notably edge rusher Abdul Carter and tight end Tyler Warren, they still have an elite team.
Even if the talent on the Penn State roster was not at the level it is, going on the road to play the Nittany Lions is a tough, tough task. It is one of the most racous environments in the nation, and never make it easy on visitors.
The Nittany Lions run game gashed the Ducks in their previous matchup in the Big Ten Championship. Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton combined for well over 200 yards in an effort that wound up in a loss. It will be up to A'mauri Washington, Bear Alexander, Bryce Boettcher and co. to stop the dominant ground game Penn State returns.
It is also worth noting that Oregon will enter the game having played four straight games, while Penn State has a bye week prior to this matchup.
Previous matchup: December 7 2024, Oregon 45 Penn State 37 (Big Ten Championship Game)
2) Week 11 at Iowa
Iowa's home field, Kinnick Stadium, has been a troublesome environment for highly ranked teams, which Oregon should be heading into this late season bout. The Hawkeyes have defeated four top five teams at home within the last 15 years.
All of these aforementioned ranked wins at home for Iowa have occurred in either October or November, with four out of five being played on October 30 or later.
Iowa under long time head coach Kirk Ferentz has an established identity: a smothering defense and an often dormant offense. Even if this is the case for the 2025 Hawkeyes, it could still be troublesome for Oregon.
A young quarterback going into a cold, loud environment against a stout defense is not a good combination. The good news: Dante Moore is from the state of Michigan, so perhaps the cold could not be as big of a factor for him as you may assume.
Iowa will also be starting a new quarterback in 2025. They added former South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski, a three star transfer who has arguably been the best the FCS has to offer the last two seasons.
This game has a similar feeling to two of Oregon's away games in 2024. Wisconsin and Michigan. While the Ducks won both contests, the games were dramatically different. Wisconsin was a major scare, as Oregon squeaked by 16-13. Against Michigan, the Ducks comfortably won 38-17.
Previous matchup: September 24 1994 Oregon 40 Iowa 18
3) Week 14 at Washington
Dan Lanning seemed to have answered his Washington problem, as the Ducks trounced the Huskies 49-21 in 2024. Prior to that game, he was 0-3 versus Washington, though those particular losses came to very good and elite editions of the Huskies.
While Oregon clearly possesses a much more talented roster, and they should be favorited in this matchup, Husky Stadium is never an easy environment. The forecast is loud with a (very good) chance of rain.
Perhaps the more interesting aspect of this game is the (sadly unnamed) rivalry between Oregon and Washington. Every year in college football we see teams lose when they should not, or have rivalry games be much closer than expected because of the stakes and heated nature at play.
This matchup could be no different. While Duck fans are most familiar with Demond Williams being on his back, and in the grasp of a defensive lineman or linebacker, he could be an elite quarterback. He possesses elite traits, particularly with his legs, and is reminiscent of Kyler Murray - or at least that is his highest ceiling.
Oregon's dominance in their 2024 matchup cannot be understated. Jonah Coleman, projected to be one of the nation's best tailbacks in 2025, rushed for a measly three yards on eleven carries against Oregon. Also, the Ducks tied a program record for single-game sacks, with ten.
Expect an exciting game in a hostile environment in rivalry week between two of the West's best.
Previous Matchup: November 30th 2024, Oregon 49 Washington 21
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