I know I have written a title like you see above every fall for the last couple of years, but this year it is much more real, with a much more daunting future than I could have imagined. Let’s look at the roster, and see if the Ducks actually have a “young” team. After I glanced over ChileDuck’s Oregon football ...

Forget Next Year: 2025 is Oregon's Best Chance...

Thank you, Charles. A terrific look at the roster turnover being experienced in today's CFB. Roster management in the NFL is a piece of cake compared to what we see today in college.

On paper, the 2025 schedule should help OBD's champ run cause. This schedule is the easiest from last season's schedule through the 2028 season. The top third of the schedule, the first four games, sees OBD with a significant roster advantage over the four opponents, further helped by three home games. A perfect segue into a Week 5 White Out.

This season, OBD does not play a P4 out-of-conference opponent on the road; not the case, as currently scheduled, in 2026, at OK State, and 2027, at Baylor. Only two teams ranked in the preseason AP, Penn State and Indiana, are on this season's schedule, and OBD plays the Hoosiers at home. The off weeks are optimal and not the crazy eight games in a row against B1G competition that OBD faced in 2024.

Hopefully, the roster gels before Week 5 at Penn State, followed by a bye week and then Indiana.

Let's start with a W against Montana State!

Thank you for the really early look ahead.

As you admitted in the article, we don’t know how the talented younger players fit in to the playing rotation or how the players on the NFL fence will perform and be evaluated. Hopefully, some of the talented underclassman come on hard this year and make a significant impact or at least show flashes of their potential for next year.

IMO, the biggest determining factor for 2026 will be how our QB develops this year and whether he returns in 2026. I’m assuming that whomever the QB is this year will have some growing pains (hopefully it doesn’t cost Oregon too dearly). However, if they improve steadily throughout the year and are one, if not the top QB, by the end of the season and they decide to return in 2026 to make a run at another national championship that could cause a lot of the players on the NFL fence to come back to Eugene, as well as attract some transfers and high school studs.

FishDuck writer David Marsh pointed out that Oregon did get 10 portal transfers last year.

So if we did the same again...replacing the 16 starters may not be so bad between transfers, and new players emerging.

Theran Johnson, Corner Transfer from Northwestern

This year's schedule is pretty easy, although within reason you only need to be elite in December and January.

Also, top tier teams always have one and done rosters because of the starting talent, depth and portal. It's the new normal. Almost nobody is good enough to start more than one season on these elite teams.

Great insight into OBD's status for this season and next. Just 2 things jump out for me in reaction to your well-considered study:

1. Given the combination of inexperience and injuries, I think how well our offensive skill positions (RB and WR) perform are the biggest factor in the team's success this season. At all other position groups, the Ducks are looking solid.

2. That number of likely starting player losses is daunting for sure. On the other hand, Lanning and his staff have continued to secure very highly rated signing classes. In my eye, the coaching staff has raised the bar on the team's performance with each successive class coming into their playing time. While there will be a lot of unfamiliar names moving into starting positions next season, I have faith that those dudes can play and that the Ducks will continue to roll.