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I'd pick Iowa over Washington. Iowa with a new OC seems to have found a pulse last year offensively. They jumped 60 spots in offensive F+. It only brought them to middle of the pack status; but, they actually rushed the ball pretty well last year. Their passing game only improved modestly; but, they are bringing in a QB in Mark Gronowski who won back-to-back FCS titles (and one FCS player of the year award). Obviously it is a wait and see how the jump to FBS goes; but, with over 10,000 career passing yards, he will bring experience and one might expect at least a higher floor. On defense Iowa finished #9 in defensive F+, after finishing #3 the year prior. They will be replacing 7 starters; but, their early depth chart shows 9 seniors and two juniors (all who were a part of the program last year). They have a history of usually being solid there (they haven't allowed 30 points to an opponent at home for 56 straight games dating back to early 2016. It's a bit of an apples-to-oranges kind of comparison given how the two teams play but, just for reference, Oregon over the same stretch gave up 30+ at Autzen 12 times). I'll go ahead and take the USC over Indiana. Always liked Mendoza at Cal and expect Indiana will be good again; but, Oregon should have a significant talent advantage on paper (both UI's losses last year were to top 10 blue-chip rosters in Ohio State and Notre Dame). Plus, they will be coming into Autzen. I think 30 years ago was their only visit. USC will be visiting as well; but, its a trip they have made regularly since before Autzen opened. Should be less a factor.

Uniforms! Alternate uniforms! Oregon has them, and ESPN recognizes their achievement. Saturday TraditionOregon lands 'lifetime achievement award' in ESPN's best...Oregon knows how to make a splash with its alternate uniforms, and ESPN recognized the regular contributions of the Ducks in a special piece.

Big big shame that USC and Ole Miss don't play this year. Just think... Riley would have had the rare opportunity to get beat by two former USC head coaches if they played. Instead we'll just have to settle for the return of Clay Helton who is doing a decent job at GS. But Kiffin getting a shot to beat USC would have been sweet! Does he still have a former USC kid at QB too? Gahhh missed opportunity.

When the Ducks won 44-6 at Iowa in 1989 it was one of coach Hayden Fry's worst Iowa teams though they did manage a 5-6 season. Iowa was 1-5 at home, 4-1 on the road. There was a noticeable difference in team speed between Oregon's offense and Iowa's defense in that September 1989 game. It was 38-0 with a bit over 6 minutes left in the third quarter. 1989 was an interesting schedule. Iowa was the only non-conference game in September. The Ducks went 3-3 in conference too, then played two non-conference games with the first in late October. The Ducks then went 2-0 in the Pac in November to finish 5-3 and 8-4. I don't think they have had a non-conference game as late as November 4 again since. And, that November 4 game wasn't an SEC version of hosting Citadel in November, it was at BYU.

My bad. I thought Indy was a road game. I'll stick with them though. We still have Rileys number!

I have nothing to add to all the great points made by fred flintstone, and 3 things are true, it never rains at Autzen Stadium, and the Ducks aren't losing, in the bright sunshine to Indiana or USC either. While it's in the realm of possibilities, and Fisch has the Mutts moving in the right direction, they aren't ready to beat OBD in 2025.

How many people say that, and not. "it's apples to oranges"/

Not to quibble, but Riley, and USC overall, 5 double digits victories in the last 16 years. To be a disappointment there has to be a belief that they will do better in 2025.

And it appears that the bombastic Indiana HC chimed in--as he can do.... Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, known for making splashes with a microphone in his face, leaned into the controversy at Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday. Asked why cancelling the home-and-home with Virginia is good for Indiana, Cignetti took it as an invitation to fire off a shot at a rival conference. “We figured we would just adopt the SEC scheduling philosophy, you know,” Cignetti said. “Some people don’t like it. I’m more focused on those nine conference games. Not only do we want to play nine conference games and have the 4-4 Playoff format. We want to have play-in games to decide who plays in those playoffs.” Curt Cignetti

They surprised everyone at the B1G Media days with their agreement about conference scheduling.... (From a John Canzano article) Rob Mullens: “The hard thing about college football is there’s a whole difference in that some leagues play eight (conference games), some leagues play nine. There is not a ton of head-to-head. You’re left at the end to try to figure out seeding. Those last few spots with 6-7 (teams) in the end, it’s really difficult.” Mullens continued, “There was one year when I was chair, we had Georgia, Oklahoma, and Ohio State, and one spot. We went ALL… NIGHT… LONG. It was really hard to differentiate.” James Franklin: “Everybody has to play the same number of conference games,” Franklin said. “This ain’t this hard. Everybody should be playing eight, or everybody should be playing nine.” “You’re asking a group of people to get into a room and give us the best 12 or 16 teams, and you’re not comparing apples to apples,” Franklin said. “… then you get these media members that we know are not true national media members, they’re homers to certain conferences, we have them in the Big Ten, other people have them as well. And then they get on and pound the table about people’s schedules, you’re not comparing the same thing.” It is great to see the conference commissioner, a major AD, and a HC in the conference coming out strong about this, and it is crucial that we are united with this issue. James Franklin

Psst. Ducks aren’t gonna lose at PSU. They are not gonna leave Happy Valley Nittany Lions fans happy at the end of the game. As an aside, where does the “Nittany” come from? The nearby mountains are the Nittany Mountains. Local lore holds that cougars roam there, hence the “Nittany Lions” namesake. This is according to two PSU alums.

IMO.....at Iowa.....this game will demand a good effort Its played November 8.....in the midwest November 8 could be like January or September weather wise. If by some chance it's January.....anything could happen. Iowa appears to be underrated this year....they have 3 players potentially rated all big 10 on the OL. A nice QB transfer and will have a good not great defense. The place will be packed and may be played at night......depending on how Iowa has done to date. One of the larger stadiums at 70,000. Few Oregon fans in the area. Who but the diehards wants to visit Iowa City in November. Oregon is traveling Iowa coming off bye Iowa coming off playing at home against a mid level Minnesota. So no travel for 3 weeks. Few bumps and bruises. Last time Oregon played Iowa was 1994. Not a familiar site. Not sure which ref team will be assigned but......they could be slanted. If Iowa is 7-1 or better going into the game...look out for a few obvious home calls. Iowa coaching is not great.....but is competent.

Terrific topic to ponder. I'll Duck out and go with what Dan Lanning would likely say: One game at a time, and they are all tough games.

Indiana is a home game coming off a bye after playing at Penn State. Were you thinking of the away game at Iowa? It's easy to confuse teams in a conference with 4 Ms, 3 Is, 2 Ns, Os, Ps. Us, Ws, and an R.😁

Oregon Ducks have recorded double-digit victories in 11 of the past 16 seasons. If we had played a SEC type schedule, we would have at least 3 more double digit seasons. Pretty harsh put down on USuC when it's your hometown sports writer who carries national clout. Gotta love it!

Indiana. It's on the road, 1st time playing there. Well coached team. USuC is at home, easy to get up for. Washington. Always tough to win in Seattle. Should be their big "bowl" game. A 'must' win for OBD fans which always makes a win more difficult.

Which game will be tougher for Our Beloved Ducks, and why? At Autzen: versus Indiana, or USC? and... Away Games: at Iowa or at Washington? Why?

Mediocre! This is not opinion. This is not hyperbole. This is fact. In the last 16 seasons USC has recorded double-digit victories five times. During that same time span, Alabama has recorded double-digit victories 15 times. The Oregon Ducks have recorded double-digit victories in 11 of the past 16 seasons!

Always reassuring to hear that both Trojan staff and fans are still spellbound by their pie-in-the-sky dreams of a return to days of yore. What other way can you explain their no longer justified sense of entitled elitism? How else can you make sense of their apparent unwillingness to pay an essential OL what he’s worth, other than because they can’t ever imagine him wanting to leave, especially for those, “ . . . under the table, shady and cheater mother truckers with Nike connection” at Oregon? God Bless their pointed little helmeted heads.

Autzen is about 50,000 maximum capacity smaller than Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. Neither Michigan or Ohio State come close to the decibel level from what I've heard. If Florida ever plays at Oregon I'm going to make it a point to go. After this year I'd like to ask my friends here if Penn State, Wisconsin, or Iowa is as loud as I've heard.

It's a great place if you have the $$$. I understand why pros gravitate there. I see the appeal for an 18 year old we with millions of NIL or collective money in their pockets. There are endless ways to enjoy being young and wealthy. Easy to get into trouble as well, which any of us at 18 could fall into despite our upbringing and being taught better. USC and Miami are always talked about by our great friends Cowherd and Finebaum. Cowherd loves those two while Finebaum hates them with a burning passion. I kind of wish they'd do a show together 😂. USC and Miami both have multiple titles, Heismans, huge branding, and no shortage of bag men and controversies. So there's always going to be the benefits of resources, but also the downfalls of distractions. It takes the right coach to juggle and walk the line. Neither have the right guy at the moment imo. Neither will ever have the home field advantage of an Oregon or Florida either.

Not untrue, there really aren’t a lot of college powers in large metros in any sport, but USC has overcome this quite a few times. The right coach and administration could still kill it there. Very different than trying to bring someplace like Nebraska or Oklahoma back. Not going to lie, if I could be 20 with no expenses and making $500k+ a year, LA would be pretty appealing. I’d take that deal right now at 55 😂

USC has the same problem most programs do in major markets with pro sports, celebrities, nightclubs, and a million things to do everyday. Notice that Georgia Tech (Atlanta), Miami, UCLA(Los Angeles), Boston College, Rutgers(Jersey/New York) , Northwestern (Chicago), Temple (Philadelphia) Vanderbilt (Nashville) and just about every other program located in a major market just doesn't have the fan support. Eugene, Ann Arbor, Madison, Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, College Station, Auburn,Gainesville, Athens(Georgia), Knoxville, Happy Valley,Oxford(Ole Miss), Clemson, Lincoln, and Norman are great home environments. Texas(Austin), Ohio State(Columbus), and Washington(Seattle) are really the lone mid to major metro markets that have great college atmospheres. Miami used to have a somewhat good environment when they were playing at the Orange Bowl, but Dolphins stadium is huge and soulless. The Coliseum and Rose Bowl are great, but they are like ghost towns unless USC is in dynasty mode or it's the actual Rose Bowl game filled with fans from outside LA. I know the article really wasn't about home environments, but I truly think there is a lack of passion with the USC program unless they are undefeated. Duck fans rock out every week. The passion level is at another level.

Vegas has their over/under at 7.5, believe it.

Lincoln, you're No. 1 on the list, buddy. IMO, Michigan, with its schedule in 2025, should not be on this list. Saturday BlitzThese 3 Big Ten teams will be the biggest disappointments...During the Summer months, hope springs for College Football programs as almost every fan base can talk themselves into the chance that they can go on a run for