Oregon Ducks vs Ohio State Buckeyes: 2024 summer preview, prediction
By Ethan Lee
If you don’t already have October 12, 2024 circled on your calendar, go ahead and do that now. That’s because Dan Lanning and his Oregon football team are set to host the Ohio State Buckeyes in Autzen Stadium during one of the most anticipated matchups that we’ve got lined up on the 2024 college football schedule.
These two powerhouse programs are set to make things interesting this season. They both have a ton of talent and they’re both aiming to win a national title this year.
So let’s examine a few things ahead of the start of the 2024 Oregon football season.
Historical context
There hasn’t really been a ton of meetings between the Ducks and Buckeyes. So far, the two programs have met a grand total of 10 times since their first Rose Bowl clash in 1957. And for decades, this series was incredibly one-sided as the Ohio State Buckeyes won the first nine meetings.
But, maybe things are turning around in Oregon’s favor a bit as the Ducks stunned the Buckeyes back in 2021 with a 35-28 win over Ohio State in Columbus. That win can certainly serve as a potential turning point for Oregon in this series as they finally managed to upend the perennial Big Ten contender after years of falling short.
We might actually get this series turning into a rivalry as the two are both in the Big Ten moving forward. That could certainly be fun.
Current program trajectories
Things are pretty good for both the Buckeyes and the Ducks as both programs enter 2024 with legitimate Big Ten and college football playoff championship aspirations.
Ohio State is clearly one of college football’s elite programs and that still remains a fact to today, even if they come up a little short of winning a national title here and there over the past few seasons. Ryan Day has pretty much routinely competed for Big Ten championships and playoff berths with the Ohio State Buckeyes. And this season, the Buckeyes are loaded with a roster full of NFL talent. This is true blue blood program that is looking to get back to the top of college football.
Meanwhile, the Oregon Ducks have done well to establish themselves as a national power over the past two decades. They’ve taken a different approach to program building and with Dan Lanning at the helm, the Ducks have continued their ascent towards the top of college football’s hierarchy.
With a high-powered offense and a ton of talented recruits, Oregon’s trying to break through to the very top. The move to the big Ten will present challenges, but also it gives the Ducks opportunities as they aim to prove they belong at the top.
Oregon vs. Ohio State preview, prediction
When looking at things from this far out, it’s hard to get an accurate read of everything. But right now, this game seems to have everything necessary to be an instant classic.
Ohio State has a ton of offensive weapons and will be bringing a stout defense to Eugene. That said, Oregon’s ability to score is absurdly impressive and the Ducks will have the home field advantage to go with their own stout defense that has improved in recent seasons.
Go ahead and expect Autzen Stadium to be a little raucous as Oregon looks to make it clear to the rest of the Big Ten that the Ducks are an impressive program.
Score prediction: Oregon 31, Ohio State 27
This game should be a close one. And while there are impressive offenses for both teams, there’s too much defensive talent to just assume that this will be a shootout.