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Oregon football will have every Big Ten team gunning for the Ducks this fall. Including the defending national champion Ohio State.
The Ducks stood alone as the conference champion. All after officially joining the Big Ten last season.
Oregon will attempt to dethrone OSU. But 17 conference foes want to snatch the top of the conference.
Oregon walks into a much-hyped 2025 campaign. Featuring a loaded defense and a prized former five-star set to take over for Dillon Gabriel. The Ducks are even energizing fans with their recruiting results for the 2026 class. Including landing the prized nephew of the late Kobe Bryant, safety Jett Washington.
Will this lead into a long-awaited national championship crown coming back to Eugene? Time to sort through the way-too-early predictions for the Ducks.
Dante Moore will become better than Dillon Gabriel
That's not hyperbole. Moore possesses more intriguing skills than his predecessor. And Gabriel established himself as a Heisman Trophy finalist in Eugene.
Like Gabriel, Moore is another prized transfer. Though he came from Big Ten rival and former Pac-12 foe UCLA. The former five-star watched and learned from the decorated Gabriel.
Oregon will unleash Moore. Offensive coordinator Will Stein will orchestrate mismatches using Moore's strong arm and athleticism. Stein is additionally known for giving his QBs freedom — the freedom to adjust at the line of scrimmage based on defensive looks.
But Stein runs a zone read and RPO offense that emphasizes quick strikes. Tailored made already for Moore. He once drew comparisons to Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott out of high school. Moore brings potential to follow Gabriel, Bo Nix and Justin Herbert as the next best Ducks QB.
Oregon will turn to prized freshman early
Moore isn't the only intriguing new starter. Oregon landed a prized newcomer on the college football recruiting trail who likely won't stand on the sidelines much.
Five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore will shark his way up the roster and play. Oregon must find its Tez Johnson replacement right away. And Moore is perfect to fill that void.
He's described as a RAC (run after catch) demon in his scouting report by 247Sports. Moore originally appeared to be heading to LSU in 2023. Yet Dan Lanning and the Ducks coaching staff managed to pull off the massive flip on Fourth of July of last year.
Now the Ducks will aim to create new offensive fireworks from the speedy Duncanville WR. Moore will attempt to go deep right away with the cat-quick wideout.
This edge rusher will garner NFL hype
Oregon gets blessed with more than one season of Moore and Moore at QB/WR, respectively. But one talented defender will garner NFL hype and eventually place his name into the 2026 ringer.
Matayo Uiagalelei plastered quarterbacks to the ground with 10.5 sacks. That production plastered his name onto NFL Draft boards.
Uiagalelei will do more than win over teams with his pass rushing. He's big and versatile enough to line up in multiple defensive line spots.
The powerful 6-foot-5, 270-pounder will command top 10 attention if he improves his run defense. But he brings the tools and versatility to draw NFL personnel in to Eugene this fall.
Oregon will be in Big Ten title mix, but won't repeat
The conference will take the Ducks more seriously this time around. That includes the other former Pac-12 teams that crossed over.
Oregon brings enough returning talent to stay in the mix for the conference title. But Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan are three anticipated to pursue a trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship. USC is rising as a dark horse Big Ten contender following an aggressive offseason of changes.
The Ducks jump to 4-0 before the Nittany Lions trip them up. Oregon rebounds the following week by hosting Indiana. The Nov. 22 home contest against USC will come with conference title game/college football playoff implications.
Oregon's ceiling is 10-2, still good enough to earn a postseason bid. They just enter a more competitive Big Ten this time around for the fall.
