The spring football season is behind us in the world of college football, and while it seems as if the next stretch of months will be devoid of content, there is still much to talk about with recruiting visits ramping up, and the rush of commitments leading us into fall camp at the end of the summer.
It should be another incredibly entertaining season in the Big Ten Conference. While the Oregon Ducks won the conference in their first season as league members last year, the Ohio State Buckeyes had the last laugh, winning the national championship.
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The Big Ten is expected to be right in the thick of things once again this year, with a handful of teams — Penn State, Ohio State, Oregon, and Illinois — widely regarded as top-10 teams entering the new season. The Ducks have a lot of questions to answer but a lot of expectations as they move forward with new starters almost across the board.
If Dan Lanning is going to lead Oregon back to the conference title game and into the College Football Playoff, he’s going to have to get things rolling in the regular season. Fortunately, the Ducks have a favorable schedule, especially at the start of the year.
Here’s how we project the season will go for the Ducks, with game-by-game score predictions for every week.
Week 1 — vs. Montana State Bobcats
Sep 17, 2022; Portland, Oregon, USA; Montana State Bobcats quarterback Tommy Mellott (4) throws the ball during the first half against the Oregon State Beavers at Providence Park. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Date: August 30, 2025
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Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
Score Prediction: Oregon 56, Montana State 6
Analysis: Opening up against an FCS opponent is always favorable for a team like the Ducks, although Montana State did lose to North Dakota State in the FCS championship in 2024. While the Bobcats may be among the best at that level of play, I don’t think the Ducks should have much trouble getting a season-opening victory and giving the new-look roster an easy transition into the season.
Oregon Ducks Predicted Record: 1-0
Week 2 — vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Sep 16, 2023; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Lyrik Rawls (6) and Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Kendal Daniels (5) bring down South Alabama Jaguars wide receiver Caullin Lacy (4) during an NCAA football game between Oklahoma State and South Alabama at Boone Pickens Stadium. South Alabama won 33-7. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Terry-USA TODAY Sports
Date: September 6, 2025
Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
Score Prediction: Oregon 38, Oklahoma State 13
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Analysis: Oklahoma State has been a solid team in the Big 12 over the past few years, but they had a down season in 2024, going just 3-9 on the year. I’m not sure that expectations will be high this season, with Zane Flores leading the charge at QB and no more Ollie Gordon in the backfield. This should be a relatively comfortable win for the Ducks, especially at home.
Oregon Ducks Predicted Record: 2-0
Week 3 — at Northwestern Wildcats
Dec 23, 2023; Las Vagas, NV, USA; Northwestern Wildcats wide receiver A.J. Henning (8) makes a catch against the Utah Utes during the fourth quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Date: September 13, 2025
Location: Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium, Evanstown, IL
Opponent Win-Loss Projection: 3-9 (1-8 Big Ten)
Score Prediction: Oregon 44, Northwestern 9
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Analysis: It will be a long travel for Oregon to play at the temporary field on Northwestern’s campus, but that will likely be the toughest thing about the trip for the Ducks. It will be interesting to see how SMU transfer QB Preston Stone can help things for the Wildcats, and whether or not head coach David Braun can get things going again in his third season. Either way, though, I think that Oregon will cruise in this game.
Oregon Ducks Predicted Record: 3-0
Week 4 — vs. Oregon State Beavers
Oregon defensive lineman Terrance Green celebrates a stop as the Oregon State Beavers host the Oregon Ducks Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.
Date: September 20, 2025
Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
Score Prediction: Oregon 49, Oregon State 14
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Analysis: While this is a fun rivalry to pay attention to, I’m afraid that the level of competition between Oregon and Oregon State won’t be on equal levels for quite some time going forward. With the Ducks soaring in the Big Ten and the Beavers floundering in the Pac-2, the Civil War projects to be a blowout for many years to come, simply because of the disparity in talent between the two programs.
Oregon Ducks Predicted Record: 4-0
Week 5 — at Penn State Nittany Lions
Dec 7, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) is tackled by Oregon Ducks linebacker Bryce Boettcher (28) during the second quarter in the 2024 Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Date: September 27, 2025
Location: Beaver Stadium, Happy Valley, PA
Opponent Win-Loss Projection: 11-1 (8-1 Big Ten)
Score Prediction: Penn State 31, Oregon 27
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Analysis: By far the toughest game on Oregon’s schedule and the only regular-season loss that I have on my predictions. Penn State returns a ton of their best players from the 2024 season, including QB Drew Allar and both RB Nicolas Singleton and RB Kaytron Allen. While I think Oregon can certainly compete with the Nittany Lions, the fact that this game will be played at Beaver Stadium and potentially be a white-out environment, I have to give the upper hand to Penn State.
Oregon Ducks Predicted Record: 4-1
Week 6 — Bye Week
EUGENE, OR – OCTOBER 07: A general view of the stadium during the game between the Washington State Cougars and the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
For the Ducks, this is a pretty well-timed bye week. In a perfect world, maybe you put it before the Penn State game to allow for some extra rest and preparation before the Big Ten Championship rematch, but allowing a week after the trip to Happy Valley to recover and prepare for the second half of the season is certainly valuable.
Nov 18, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers running back Trent Howland (27) falls into the end zone for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Michigan State Spartans at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
Date: October 11, 2025
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Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
Opponent Win-Loss Projection: 9-3 (6-3 Big Ten)
Score Prediction: Oregon 33, Indiana 24
Analysis: It will be very interesting to see how good Indiana is this year, and whether or not they can find the same success that they did a year ago with Kurtis Rourke under center. Curt Cignetting brought in California transfer QB Fernando Mendoza, who is expected to be one of the top passers in the conference, so if he can live up to expectations, the Hoosiers can make some noise once again. Either way, I think that the Ducks are able to win this game at home, which would be big if they end up losing to Penn State, as I predicted.
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Oregon Ducks Predicted Record: 5-1
Week 8 — at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Sep 21, 2024; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (16) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images
Date: October 18, 2025
Location: SHI Stadium, Piscataway, NJ
Opponent Win-Loss Projection: 5-7 (2-7 Big Ten)
Score Prediction: Oregon 42, Rutgers 17
Analysis: Rutgers may be decent this year, but you have to wonder how far QB Athan Kaliakmanis can take them. The Scarlet Knights got a big transfer pickup from North Texas, grabbing WR D.T. Sheffield, but there are a lot of other positions on the roster that don’t stack up to the Ducks/. I’ve got Oregon here, big.
Oregon Ducks Predicted Record: 6-1
Week 9 — vs. Wisconsin Badgers
Nov 16, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James (20) rushes with the football during the fourth quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Date: October 25, 2025
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Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
Opponent Win-Loss Projection: 4-8 (2-7 Big Ten)
Score Prediction: Oregon 48, Wisconsin 13
Analysis: Wisconsin gave the Ducks quite a scare in 2024 with a close, 16-13 win on the road in Camp Randall, but I don’t think Oregon will have quite as much trouble this time around. The Badgers bring in Billy Edwards Jr. from Maryland, so we will see how far he can take them, but I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Wisconsin is once again near the bottom half of the conference once again this year.
Oregon Ducks Predicted Record: 7-1
Week 10 — Bye Week
Sep 3, 2016; Eugene, OR, USA; General view of Autzen Stadium from across the bike bridge before the game against UC Davis Aggies at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
Another very well-placed bye week for the Ducks, as the last handful of games on their schedule could prove to be difficult. Let’s buckle up.
Week 11 — at Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz raises the 2017 Pinstripe Bowl trophy after leading the Hawkeyes to a 27-20 win over Boston College in the 2017 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017.
Date: November 8, 2025
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Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA
Opponent Win-Loss Projection: 6-6 (4-5 Big Ten)
Score Prediction: Oregon 24, Iowa 16
Analysis: I think that Oregon is better than Iowa, and I think they can beat them on almost any given Saturday. However, going on the road in November to Kinnick Stadium and getting into a ground-and-pound matchup with Kirk Ferentz sounds like a recipe for disaster if you aren’t careful. I think the Ducks take this game on the road, but it reminds me a lot of that Wisconsin game last year, where it wasn’t comfortable until it was over.
Oregon Ducks Predicted Record: 8-1
Week 12 — vs. Minnesota Gophers
Nov 25, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Daniel Jackson (9) celebrates his 7-yard touchdown reception against the Wisconsin Badgers with offensive lineman Tyler Cooper (75), offensive lineman Aireontae Ersery (69), and running back Jordan Nubin (30) during the second quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports
Date: November 15, 2025
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Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
Opponent Win-Loss Projection: 7-5 (4-5 Big Ten)
Score Prediction: Oregon 38, Minnesota 13
Analysis: Minnesota is one of those teams this year that could surprise some people in the Big Ten. I think that PJ Fleck is a solid coach, but the depth chart leaves you wanting for a lot. I don’t think Oregon will have much trouble getting this win at home and preparing for a tough final pair of games.
Oregon Ducks Predicted Record: 9-1
Week 13 — vs. USC Trojans
Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson returns a pass for a touchdown as the No. 6 Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
Date: November 22, 2025
Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
Opponent Win-Loss Projection: 9-3 (7-2 Big Ten)
Score Prediction: Oregon 35, USC 24
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Analysis: Whenever Oregon and USC meet, it’s bound to be a good time. We don’t quite know what the Trojans will look like this year, but they’re bound to be better than they were in 2024, or else there could be some real questions about Lincoln Riley down in Los Angeles. If Jayden Maiava and JaKobi Lane can carry the offense, and the defense can improve, then this could be a close game. I don’t think USC is on the same competitive level as the Ducks at the moment, though.
Oregon Ducks Predicted Record: 10-1
Week 14 — at Washington Huskies
Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon celebrates a sack as the No. 1 Oregon Ducks host the Washington Huskies Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
Date: November 29, 2025
Location: Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA
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Opponent Win-Loss Projection: 9-3 (6-3 Big Ten)
Score Prediction: Oregon 38, Washington 20
Analysis: Dan Lanning finally got over the Washington hump in 2024, and I don’t see him taking a step backward any time soon. While the Huskies are going to be better in 2025 than they were a year ago, mostly thanks to Demond Williams, I still think that Oregon can get this win, even on the road up in Seattle.
Oregon Ducks Predicted Record: 11-1
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Football: Game-by-game score predictions for Ducks in 2025