Tag: Oregon Football

How Oregon Ducks can clinch a Big Ten title appearance, and who they might face

A deep dive into the scenarios for how the Oregon Ducks can clinch a spot in the Bit Ten Championship Game, and who they might face.

In their first year in the Big Ten Conference, the Oregon Ducks are leading the way as we near the end of the regular season. With a spot in Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game up for grabs, Dan Lanning’s Ducks are in great position.

All they need to do is win on Saturday against the Wisconsin Badgers, and they’re in. With a 10-0 record and a 7-0 record in the Big Ten, the Ducks just need to go 1-1 over their next two games in order to clinch a spot in the conference title game.

Who they might face in Indianapolis, though, is a bit more complicated. Let’s run through the potential opponents.

Indiana Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0)

What a story the Hoosiers have been this year under Kurt Cignetti. With an undefeated record going into its bye week, Indiana is in a similar position to Oregon: Win and it’s in.

However, it gets a little bit more complicated because of who Indiana plays. The Hoosiers go on the road to Ohio State in Week 13 for one of the biggest games in program history. If they beat the Buckeyes, they clinch a spot in Indianapolis. However, if they lose, a potential tiebreaker scenario comes into play, assuming Ohio State beats the Michigan Wolverines. Indiana can beat Purdue, and both teams will finish 11-1 (8-1).

In that case, Ohio State would get in due to the head-to-head tiebreaker over Indiana.

Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1)

At this point, it seems as if the Buckeyes are the best bet to meet Oregon in Indianapolis. All they need to do is beat Indiana — no small feat — and then beat Michigan in the final week of the season to secure a spot in the Big Ten championship game. Should they win both of those games, it would give them the same record as the Hoosiers — and the Penn State Nittany Lions, assuming they win their final three games of the year, more on that in a second — but hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Because of that, the game between the Buckeyes and Hoosiers in Week 13 is being viewed as a play-in game for the conference championship. Whoever wins is almost undoubtedly in, provided they take care of business the following week.

Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-1)

The Nittany Lions are the last team who technically have a shot at getting into the Big Ten championship game, though it is a long shot at this point. To get to Indianapolis, they need to win the three remaining games on their schedule — at Purdue, at Minnesota and vs. Maryland. They also need both Ohio State and Indiana to lose one of their two remaining games.

If the Nittany Lions finish with an 11-1 (8-1) record, they would lose in a tiebreaker to Ohio State. If Penn State tied with Indiana, they don’t have a head-to-head matchup, so it would fall to record vs. common opponents, which would get incredibly consuming. Thankfully for all of us, it is unlikely to happen, as well.

In Conclusion…

To sum up, the Ducks have a great chance to make it to the conference title game, assuming that they can win one of their next two games. They will most likely play either Indiana or Ohio State, and it will almost certainly be decided by who wins that game in Week 13.

Who are you putting your money on?

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Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez offers outlook on Badgers current identity under Luke Fickell

Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez offers outlook on Badgers entering closing stretch

Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez offered his thoughts on the state of the Wisconsin football program on Tuesday.

In an appearance on ESPN Milwaukee, the former Wisconsin coach and athletic director was asked about the Badgers’ 42-10 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

“It’s really frustrating for me because there’s no one I’d rather beat than Iowa to start with,” Alvarez said. “I understand fans’ disappointment. I don’t know what to tell you. I’m frustrated.”

During his time commanding the sidelines at UW from 1990 to 2005, Alvarez’s Badgers beat the Hawkeyes five times. It’s safe to say he wasn’t pleased with Wisconsin’s most recent output against a familiar foe.

Alvarez was also asked what he thought of the culture at Wisconsin. When he served as the coach, Wisconsin went 119–72–4 and morphed into one of the more respected programs across the nation.

Now, it’s sometimes hard to even recognize what Alvarez built.

“I can’t answer that,” Alvarez said. “I’d like to see it myself. When I took the job, I looked at the type of players that we could consistently recruit. … I figured we could find some linemen consistently, and that’s where you start in Wisconsin. That was the mantra of our whole program. I’m crying to see the same thing, crying to see the physicality.”

Finally, Alvarez touched on what he hopes to see from the Badgers in their next game against No. 1 Oregon on Nov. 16. After dropping its previous two games against No. 4 Penn State and Iowa, Luke Fickell’s team is 5-4.

Here’s what Alvarez hopes to see on Saturday at Camp Randall:

“I’d really like to see the team show up, really compete hard and get after Oregon,” Alvarez said. “You’re playing the No. 1 team in the country. Instead of showing up and feeling your way around, get after the No. 1 team in the country. Show fans and the Wisconsin people that there’s some fight in this offense and that you’re ready to compete at the highest level.”

Kickoff between the Badgers and the Ducks is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be nationally televised on NBC.

Oregon football’s College Football Playoff bracket outlook: Everything to know

Oregon landed 1st in the latest College Football Rankings. Here’s a playoff picture for the Ducks.

A week ago, we watched as the Oregon Ducks were ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time in school history, matching their No. 1 standing in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the Coaches Poll.

After a 21-point blowout win over the Maryland Terrapins this past week, there was no reason for that ranking to change.

After a weekend of college football saw the likes of No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Miami get upset, Oregon was happy to get the victory at home, though it wasn’t pretty at times. Now they go on the road against the Wisconsin Badgers in their toughest remaining road test of the regular season before finally getting on a bye week once again.

With the chaos around the league, let’s take a look at who fell out of the playoff rankings, and who moved up after Week 11.

College Football Playoff bracket: Who’s in, who’s out

It was expected, but Georgia and Miami moved down in the rankings after suffering upset losses in Week 11, while the likes of Alabama, Ole Miss, and Colorado moved up. What’s interesting to see is that the BYU Cougars moved up three spots in the rankings to No. 6 after their narrow and controversial 22-21 win over Utah on Saturday night.

Latest CFP rankings

  1. Oregon Ducks
  2. Ohio State Buckeyes
  3. Texas Longhorns
  4. Penn State Nittany Lions
  5. Indiana Hoosiers
  6. BYU Cougars
  7. Tennessee Volunteers
  8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  9. Miami Hurricanes*
  10. Alabama Crimson Tide
  11. Ole Miss Rebels
  12. Georgia Bulldogs
  13. Boise State Broncos*
  14. SMU Mustangs
  15. Texas A&M Aggies
  16. Kansas State Wildcats
  17. Colorado Buffaloes
  18. Washington State Cougars
  19. Lousiville Cardinals
  20. Clemson Tigers
  21. South Carolina Gamecocks
  22. LSU Tigers
  23. Missouri Tigers
  24. Army Black Knights
  25. Tulane Green Wave

Oregon’s projected CFP opponent

With the No. 1 seed, Oregon would be in line for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. After that, they would play the winner of either No. 8 Tennessee or No. 9 Notre Dame.

How many teams in College Football Playoff 2024?

For the first time, there will be 12 teams participating in the College Football Playoffs. There are five automatic bids for each of the Power Four conference champions and one to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion. The remaining seven slots are given to the seven at-large teams.

When next College Football Playoff rankings come out

  • Tuesday, Nov. 19: 7 p.m. ET
  • Tuesday, Nov. 26: 8 p.m. ET
  • Tuesday, Dec. 3: 7 p.m. ET
  • Sunday, Dec. 8: Noon ET

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Oregon Ducks named semifinalist for Joe Moore Award

After a rough start, the Oregon Ducks offensive line has gelled into one of the best in the nation and are up for the Joe Moore Award.

After the first two games, no one this would be possible.

For the third-straight season, the Oregon Ducks offensive line is up for the Joe Moore Award. This honor recognizes elite O-line units for their unparalleled toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique, and ability to finish.

In the first two games, the Ducks offensive line had a tough time protecting quarterback Dillon Gabriel or opening up holes for the tailbacks on a consistent basis or just gelling as a unit.

But once Iapani Laloulu was moved to the center position and A’lique Terry found the rotation of players upfront that fit the best, everything fell into place. Oregon is tied for third in the Big Ten with 10 total sacks allowed this season, but the Ducks have given up just three total sacks over their last eight games. They have allowed zero sacks six times, and has racked up 127 total knockdowns this season including 102 over the last seven contests.

All of a sudden, Gabriel was sitting in the pocket with little to no pressure and the duo of Jordan James and Noah Whittington were running wild.

Among those also in the semifinals for this award are Alabama, Army, Indiana, Iowa, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas, and Tulane.

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How to watch CFP rankings for Oregon football fans: Time, live stream, channel

2024’s first CFP rankings will offer an early look at the playoff bracket for Oregon Ducks football. Here’s how to watch.

A week ago, we got a first glimpse at how the College Football Playoff committee views the top of the sport going into the month of November.

And then some chaos happened.

While the No. 1 Oregon Ducks and No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes got through Week 11 unscathed, the same couldn’t be said for the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 4 Miami Hurricanes, as both suffered upset losses on Saturday.

So how will that change things this week once the second official batch of playoff rankings are released? We can project how things should look, but it will be interesting to see what exactly the committee chooses to do with teams like Georgia and Miami, and teams like Ole Miss and Alabama, a pair of SEC teams that got big wins last weekend.

How to watch College Football Playoff rankings show

TV Channel: ESPN

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch CFP rankings reveal live on Fubo (free trial)” link=”https://www.fubo.tv/welcome/leagues/191261?irad=399332&irmp=1205322&subId1=SMG&subId2=NCAAF&subId3=2024″]

College Football Playoff rankings release date:

Date: Tuesday, November 12

What time is CFP rankings release?

Start Time: Airs at 6 PM PT (* (Estimated ) between games from Champions Classic Basketball Doubleheader

Oregon football CFP rankings projection

After the Ducks were ranked No. 1 in the CFP rankings a week ago, there is no reason to believe that they will move at all after a 21-point win over Maryland on Saturday. At this point, it’s fair to expect Oregon to keep the No. 1 ranking throughout the month of November until their next big game — a potential Big Ten Championship matchup against either Ohio State or Indiana.

How many teams in College Football Playoff 2024?

For the first time, there will be 12 teams participating in the College Football Playoffs. There are five automatic bids for each of the Power Four conference champions and one to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion. The remaining seven slots are given to the seven at-large teams.

How does the College Football Playoff format work?

The top four seeds will be on a bye as the CFP kicks off. The next four highest-seeded teams will host on-campus playoff games as follows:

  • No. 5 vs No. 12, winner will play No. 4
  • No. 6 vs No. 11, winner will play No. 3
  • No. 7 vs No. 10, winner will play No. 2
  • No. 8 vs No. 9, winner will play No. 1

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Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo updates Badgers quarterback situation

Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo updates Badgers quarterback situation

Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo provided an update on the Badgers’ quarterback situation on Monday.

When asked whether the Badgers could turn to true freshman quarterback Mabrey Mettauer, Longo quickly put the idea to rest.

“Mabrey is progressing,” Longo told reporters. “I think we’re not at a point right now where we’re going to do anything.”

The Badgers offensive coordinator made it clear Wisconsin will continue to put its faith in redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke.

In eight games this season, Locke has completed 117 pass attempts for 1,418 yards and eight touchdowns. The Rockwell, Texas, native has also thrown eight interceptions, including two in Wisconsin’s 42-10 loss in its most recent game against Iowa on Nov. 2.

Simply put: both Wisconsin’s staff and fans know what to expect from Locke when he’s under center. If UW is rolling, he manages a balanced offensive attack. If the Badgers are struggling, the game can get ugly quickly.

That’s why some are calling for Longo to play Mettauer in the Badgers’ final stretch of the season. During his tenure at The Woodlands High School, the 6-foot-4 prospect earned Texas District 13-6A Overall MVP as a sophomore and Texas District 13-6A Co-Offensive MVP as a junior. He holds the program record for career passing yardage and single-season passing yardage.

Still, Wisconsin’s final three games are against No. 1 Oregon (home), Nebraska (away) and Minnesota (home). That’s not exactly ideal for someone with one pass attempt in his collegiate tenure at Wisconsin.

UW and Locke will host the Ducks on Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Former Texas WR Johntay Cook’s social media activity turns heads for Oregon Duck fans

The recent change to Johntay Cook II’s social media page piqued the interest of Oregon Duck fans after rumors in transfer portal interest.

The transfer portal will not open in college football for another month, but one of the expected top players became available this past week. The recruiting process is likely starting to heat up behind the scenes.

Former five-star wide receiver Johntay Cook II mutually parted ways with the Texas Longhorns after seeing his production fall off a cliff after the opening month of the season. Cook is expected to enter the transfer portal and become one of the top receivers available to teams once the portal opens on Dec. 9.

Fans of the Oregon Ducks have made note of this. Before committing to Texas, Cook took one of his official visits to Eugene and strongly considered a commitment to the Ducks. Now, amid rumors that Oregon will pursue him once it is allowed, Cook changed one of his social media profiles that is turning heads for Duck fans.

On Sunday, Cook changed his Instagram profile picture to a picture of himself in Oregon gear, taken during his official visit in 2022.

Does this mean the former No. 3 WR in the 2023 class is all in on the Ducks and planning to commit to Oregon when the time comes? Maybe, maybe not. It gives the impression Cook is aware of what’s happening in Eugene and is likely fond of what Dan Lanning is doing with the Ducks.

Whatever comes from that, we will have to wait and see.

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Oregon Ducks no longer favored to win Big Ten Championship, per ESPN FPI

A look at the Oregon Ducks’ remaining win probability in every game of the 2024 season, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

Three weeks remain in the regular season, so the race for spots in conference championship weekend and the ensuing College Football Playoff is heating up.

The Oregon Ducks are in prime position to reach both. They are one of two undefeated teams in the Big Ten Conference, and the No. 1 team in the nation for the fourth consecutive week.

However, some don’t think the Ducks will make it out of their first season in the Big Ten as the conference champions.

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Oregon has the second-best odds in the Big Ten to win the conference title, sitting behind the Ohio State Buckeyes. While no team has clinched its spot in the conference title game, the game between Ohio State and Indiana in Week 13 will likely send the winner to Indianapolis.

For those unfamiliar with ESPN’s FPI, it is an index that “relies on past performance on offense and defense, returning and transfer production and past recruiting data for players on the roster to form a rating.” In essence, it’s ESPN’s way of declaring the top teams in the nation, looking at their roster, their schedule, their percentage to win each game, and where that ultimately lands them after the season comes to an end.

In short, it looks at Oregon’s 2024 schedule and predicts what percentage the Ducks have to win each game. Throughout the year, the numbers change based on past performance, injuries, and other variables. Let’s take a look at what the numbers say following Week 11:

Oregon at Wisconsin Badgers — Week 12

Oregon Percent Chance to Win, per FPI: 75.6%

Previous FPI Win %: 76.2%

Oregon vs. Washington Huskies — Week 14

Oregon Percent Chance to Win, per FPI: 89.3%

Previous FPI Win %: 87.9%

Oregon Ducks Overall Season Outlook

Percent Chance to Win Out: 26.8%

Previous Odds: 24.7%

Percent Chance to Win Conference: 37.8%
(Ohio State Conference Title Odds: 43.5%)

Previous Odds: 35.1%

Percent Chance to Make College Football Playoff: 95.3%

Previous Odds: 95.6%

Percent Chance to Make National Championship: 19.3%

Previous Odds: 20.0%

Percent Chance to Win National Championship: 7.8%

Previous Odds: 8.5%

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Oregon Ducks flip 4-star TE from Washington Huskies

The Oregon Ducks flipped 4-star Washington Huskies tight end Vander Ploog in the 2025 class on Sunday.

Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks added another valuable player to the 2025 recruiting class and at a major position of need.

On top of that, they stole the player from rival Washington Huskies, making the commitment that much sweeter.

On Sunday afternoon, four-star tight end Vander Ploog announced he would flip his commitment from Washington to Oregon, joining the Ducks’ top-10  class.

Ploog is the No. 242 player and the No. 12 tight end in the class. He joins a group of incredibly talented pass-catchers in the class, headlined by five-star wide receivers Dakorien Moore and Dallas Wilson.

This is not the only tight end the Ducks are trying to flip in 2025: Their top target is Kansas State commit Linkon Cure.

Cure was expected in Eugene this past weekend for a visit, but inclement weather postponed his trip.

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Jordan Burch earns Ducks Wire Player of the Game with dominant Week 11 showing

Oregon Ducks DE Jordan Burch’s fantastic performance from start to finish against Maryland earns him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game.

The Oregon Ducks are 10-0 after beating Maryland 39-18 on Saturday evening. This wasn’t the simplest win the Ducks have come by this season, and considering their opponent, perhaps it should’ve been. Oregon struggled with execution throughout the game, but overall, they maintained control from start to finish.

One player who didn’t struggle with execution was Ducks defensive end Jordan Burch. Burch has been Oregon’s best defensive player all season, despite missing three weeks in October. Against Maryland, Burch finished with three tackles, a TFL, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a 36-yard run (yes, run), earning him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game.

Burch’s forced fumble came early in the second quarter, and it was the play that finally gave Oregon control of the game. On a third down in Oregon territory, Burch fully extended himself to jar the ball out of Billy Edwards’ hand as he brought his arm back to pass. Ducks DB Brandon Johnson picked up the fumble and returned it 62 yards for the score, putting Oregon up 13-3.

Burch’s other highlight play was his long rush, which came on a fake punt at the start of the second half. Oregon’s offense had stalled once again in its own territory, and Oregon head coach Dan Lanning opted for a fake punt call. Burch’s number was called, and he took the ball 36 yards down the field, re-sparking the Ducks’ offense.

Oregon’s defensive unit stepped up in Burch’s absence so that there was no noticeable shift, but his impact when he is on the field is clear. Oregon has a high ceiling this year, and so much of its success — and potential for success — lies on the shoulders of Jordan Burch.

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