Oregon Ducks 2025 Football Preview, Prediction, Betting Idea

Oregon Ducks

2024 Record: 13-1, Big 10 Champions

View From Afar: It’s hard to imagine 2024 not feeling slightly bittersweet for Ducks fans. Once this team got humming, they really seemed destined for a run at the National Championship. Unfortunately, some dodgy seeding had them face an Ohio State buzzsaw in the Playoff quarterfinal. Having had over 3 weeks with no game, they were no match for the Buckeyes on the day. Having said all that, Dan Lanning proved he could get the big win, which was previously missing from his resume. The regular season win over Ohio State was a signature game of the College Football season, and of course, the Big 10 title in Oregon’s first year in the league was a hell of a statement. I would be remiss to mention, as someone who had wagered Oregon to make the Playoff last year, that after an uninspiring 24-14 win over Idaho and needing some special teams magic to beat Boise State 37-34 in the first two weeks of the season, it certainly looked like I had overestimated The Duck’s potential. This season might be similar from the standpoint of how many walk out the door; it may take this group a few weeks to really click into gear. Stein is back to call the offense, which was in the top 10 by all metrics a year ago, but will replace Dillon Gabriel at quarterback, who ended up a Heisman finalist. Tosh Lupoi is back at the helm defensively for a group that finished 4th overall in PFF defense nationally, so a lot of continuity here coaching staff wise. Dan Lanning is 35-6 in his three years at Oregon; everything about this program from the outside looking in is upward-pointing arrows: the recruiting, investment, and results on the field. Phil Knight will surely be hoping to see a National title in his lifetime for his beloved Ducks. Dan Lanning has proven just about everything else; now, can he prove he can get this team the National Championship they desperately crave in Eugene?

Recruiting: The Ducks finished 5th nationally and second only to Ohio State in the Big 10 in the ’25 class. They finished 3rd nationally and topped the Big 10 charts a year ago. Oregon under Lanning is now a heavy hitter on the recruiting trail; he has the backing and seemingly the willingness to do just about anything to land a recruit! Dakorien Moore is the name everyone is talking about for this season. Especially since Stewart went down with his injury, the 5-star from Texas, who was the top-ranked receiver in his class, will need to step up. Smaller guy, but having seen what Ryan Williams did a year ago in the SEC, I think he can make a huge impact. Na’eem Offord, a 5-star CB, is intriguing as this secondary is certainly not set in stone, let’s see if he can make an impact in year 1!

Portal: Oregon, for the second year in a row, topped the portal rankings in the Big 10. Its almost a pick and choose mentality for the Ducks, getting some of big name’s, at positions of need, how they assimilate now will be another story. World, Harkey, and Pregnon will all likely start on the line. World and Harkey will be stepping up in class from Nevada and Texas State, respectively, but graded out massively well via PFF. Makhi Hughes rushed for over 1400 yards and 15 TDs for Tulane a year ago, the natural replacement for Jordan James at RB. Defensively, Bear Alexander, Dillon Thieneman, and Theran Johnson are the names to watch. Alexander is on his third team; let’s see if it all comes together(maybe don’t hold your breath). Thieneman was third team all American as a freshman! If he get’s back to those heights it would be massive, and lastly Johnson(CB) graded out quite well for Northwestern a year ago, this Duck’s secondary will need them both to hit.

Key Roster Departures: Oregon had 10 players drafted to the NFL: Derrick Harmon and Jordan Burch, both all-Big 10 selections off the D-line, are gone. The aforementioned Jordan James, Tez Johnson, and Terrance Ferguson played significant roles in the offense last year at RB, WE, and TE. All that before, of course, mentioning Dillon Gabriel, who finished his career second in FBS history in career passing yards and started the most games of any QB in FBS history. Say what you want, he clearly was a leader and knew how to win ball games throughout his career.

Roster Tidbits: Dante Moore will look to take over from Gabriel at QB. A former 5-star, he got thrown into the fire at UCLA and got hooked after six games. It is interesting going back and looking, he threw for 290 and a TD against a ranked Washington State program with Cam Ward, as well as 234 yards and a TD on the road at Utah. Ultimately, the turnovers killed him, throwing 9 picks with a completion percentage of 53 percent. At the Rose Bowl last season, I recall some of his Oregon teammates saying he would be in Heisman contention this year, high praise for a man who bided his time behind Gabriel. I like the mentality of patience he showed, and now it should be his time to step into the spotlight. The O-line should be a mix of the previously mentioned transfers and Laloulu, the #2 graded returning center. The rest is seemingly unproven, and similar to last year, it may take a few weeks to find the right formula on the line. The RB room will be good with Whittingham joining forces with Hughes; honestly, it could be an electric pairing. Evan Stewart seemed poised for a significant role before getting hurt in the spring, which could be a huge blow. Moore(WR) genuinely might need to be good right away to give this team the spark it needs, Kenyon Sadiq is one of the better TE’s in the conference he was great in the Big 10 title. Jeremiah McClellan, Jurrion Dickey, Justius Lowe were all extremely highly regarded coming out of High School, lets see if any can break out now that there is some space in the room. Defensively is where things get a little bleak seeming for the Ducks. The combo of Uiagalelei and Tuioti coming off the edge will be ferocious, but it could get tricky when you’re almost relying on Bear Alexander on the line. Not to sound like a scratched record but Aydin Breland, Terrance Green, Elijah Rushing, Ashton Porter all 4 or 5 star recruits with now the opportunity to shine, and honestly I could have named a few more! Bryce Boettcher is the sure thing in the LB room, he was second team all Big10 a year ago. The secondary is anyone’s guess, essentially all major contributors from a year ago are gone. The transfers will surely need to play a massive role with Thieneman the key man. The secondary is certainly spooky with so many unknowns, this roster has boat loads of talent when you go through it, but a lot of that talent we haven’t seen much of on the playing field!

Statistical pulse: Sneakily, Oregon only ranked 11th in rushing yards allowed per game in the Big10. They got gashed by Jeanty for 192 yards, and Allen and Singleton each put up over 100 yards in the Big10 title game. This surely needs to be a point of emphasis. Oregon’s pass defense graded out as #1 in the Big10, but remember that secondary has left the building!

Schedule: One thing you have to like is that Oregon will likely get a few weeks to get everything to click. The first two weeks should be pretty straightforward unless Gundy has Oklahoma State completely turned around. I like how the schedule sets up as the first 5 weeks culminate with a trip to Penn State, then a bye week. Iowa and Washington are the toughest trips post-bye, and USC , Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota also come to town in league play. Also, don’t forget the Civil War Rivalry with Oregon State. I think the Beavers will be improved this season, but they are coming to Eugene!

Prediction: If you are high on The Ducks this season, it’s a bet on Dan Lanning and his staff’s culture, development and determination. There is something Georgia/Ohio State/Alabama-esque about what is happening in Eugene right now, in the sense that this team feels like it should be in contention year in and year out as long as Lanning is at the helm. The inability to stop the run is a concern, and the secondary is a massive question mark. But the talent on the roster is there, and the transfers are of a high caliber. I also love how highly teammates have spoken about the QB, a kid who chose to sit, learn, and develop as a 5-star talent who had already started at UCLA. Ultimately, like last season, I could see this being a bit dicey in the first few weeks(GUNDY!!), but once it clicks, watch out. I think the Ducks go 11-1 this season and are right back in the playoff picture.

Actionable: Oregon to make Big10 title game (+130 DK) No Ohio State, No Michigan. Indiana and USC come to your house, I really like the pathway to get back to Indy for the Ducks. Going to Seattle to finish the thing off is certainly scary as they have been a thorn in Dan Lanning’s side, but Kalen DeBoer or Penix ain’t running out at Husky Stadium.