Oregon College Football Preview 2024: Key Players, Game Schedule, Season Predictions

Oregon College Football Preview 2024

Oregon is on a red-hot heater of a run without actually doing anything really, really big.
It’s the perfect program for the expanded College Football Playoff.

The Ducks have won ten games or more in four of the last five seasons, and in the one outlier—2020—they won the Pac-12 Championship.

Taking out 2020, in the last five full seasons, Oregon has won a total of 53 games, a Rose Bowl, a Fiesta Bowl, another Pac-12 title, and took out a fantastic 2021 Ohio State team in Columbus. Even bigger, they were able to keep head coach Dan Lanning from going to Alabama, or anywhere else, but…

Oregon hasn’t made the College Football Playoff since losing the national title in the first year of the tournament to end the 2014 season.

They would’ve been in the 2019 CFP, but they biffed a late November game against an okay Arizona State. The 2021 team was good enough, but two losses to Utah screwed that up.

Last year’s team would’ve been in - yes, it absolutely would’ve been in over Florida State - had it avenged the earlier loss to Washington in the Pac-12 Championship.
And now Oregon is supposed to make all the tricky four-foot putts on 17 and 18 in a Big Ten conference that’s far better than what the Pac-12 was?

Yes, it’s supposed to, and no, it won’t, and that’s okay. And why?

The 2023 team would’ve made an expanded College Football Playoff.

The 2022 team would’ve made the 12-team field, too. And the 2021 team. And the 2019 team. The 2015 team would’ve just missed, but again, the 2014 version played for the national title.

That begs the two big questions for the Oregon program - especially after very few of the 22 wins over the last two years were all that great.

First, can it get through an expanded Big Ten schedule with fewer than three losses - which will probably be the cutoff to get into the top 11, knowing the 12th spot will almost certainly be a Group of Five champion - and second, can it beat enough top teams to do anything once it gets into the CFP?

Really - and don’t say Liberty - what was the best win last year? Utah, USC, and Oregon State all went 8-5.

How about in 2022? Slipping past Utah was the big one, and getting by a good UCLA team was nice, but both of those were at home.

Oregon is 0-3 against Washington over the past two years. It has to play the Dawgs this year. And Ohio State, and go to Michigan, and go to Wisconsin, and take the body blows of having to deal with improved Michigan State, Illinois, and Maryland teams, and travel to Purdue.

It’ll win all of those last four games, but the first eight battles of the Big Ten season all come in a row. And it’s all after dealing with the Oregon State rivalry game and playing a good Boise State, and …

Oregon will get into the expanded College Football Playoff. It’ll be just fine because …

Oregon Football Preview 2024: Offense

- The offense was an efficiency machine, and there’s no stopping now. If anything, it’s possible that Oregon lost the Denver starting quarterback (Bo Nix), Bronco wide receiver (Troy Franklin), Las Vegas Raider starting center, and a new Tampa Bay running back (Bucky Irving). Oh yeah, and Nix might have been the best quarterback in college football last year.

And the Oregon attack might be even better.

Dillon Gabriel might not be Nix, but the former Oklahoma Sooner could end this season as the NCAA’s all-time passing leader if he does what he’s supposed to. If something happens or he sputters, 2023 UCLA super-recruit Dante Moore - who should’ve been a Duck from the start - is in reserve.

- The nation’s No. 1 passing offense needed a line that gave everyone time to work. It also helped that Bo Nix got the ball out of his hands immediately in a midrange passing rhythm.

Gabriel can do that, and he’ll get time behind another loaded line. Josh Conerly might be the team’s best pro prospect. He’s at one tackle, Ajani Cornelius is another future NFL starter on the other side, and the interior is a rock, made better by the addition of OG Matthew Bedford from Indiana.

Bucky Irving led the team with 1,180 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s gone, but Jordan James scored 11 times and averaged over seven yards per run, Noah Whittingham averaged over seven yards per dash, and JUCO transfer Jay Harris has to be in the rotation in some way.

- Troy Franklin was the main man deep threat when Nix wanted to go up top, but the Duck receiving corps is okay without him. Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart has an even bigger pro upside.

Tez Johnson caught ten touchdown passes and came close to getting 1,200 yards, and Traeshon Holden is too dangerous to not get the ball more. All-Pac-12 TE Terrance Ferguson caught 42 passes and six scores.

Oregon Football Preview 2024: Defense

- The defense didn’t get the love and respect the offense enjoyed, but it was the best in the Pac-12 in scoring defense and allowed just 318 yards per game. There’s a lot more turnover on this side of the ball, but the transfers coming in are all high-end starters with all-star potential.

It starts on the defensive front that was okay with the pass rush and didn’t come up with enough tackles for loss, but was solid against the run.

The transfer combination of Derrick Harmon (Michigan State) and Jamaree Caldwell (Houston) should be outstanding. Jordan Burch led the team with 7.5 tackles for loss, but he’s more like another tackle.

- The linebacking corps is good again. The star power isn’t there, but Jeffrey Bassa is a strong interior presence finishing second on the team with 72 tackles. Combine the 230-pounder with 245-pound Jestin Jacobs in the middle, and this group will east everything against the run. A pass rusher has to emerge on the outside - more on that in the Key Player part.

- New parts are flowing into the secondary. S Tysheem Johnson was third on the team with 70 tackles, two picks, and seven broken-up passes, and he’s the only top defensive back returning. The rest are all from the portal, led by the corner combination of Jabbar Muhammad (Washington) and Kam Alexander (UTSA).

Duke transfer Brandon Johnson made 128 tackles with 11 broken-up passes over three years, and Kobe Savage made 115 tackles with six picks for Kansas State over the last two seasons. This bunch will be terrific.

Key To The Oregon Football Season

Don’t get torched through the air.
The offense will be balanced and effective, the defense will excel against the run, and the secondary is filled with talent. As long as the pass defense holds up, everything will be fine.

Oregon’s two losses came to Washington, but Michael Penix Jr. lit up just about everyone. Washington State’s Cam Ward threw for 438 yards, keeping it close for the first 40 minutes. The only other challenging games were against USC’s Caleb Williams and a thriller against Texas Tech that came down to the final minute.

When Oregon allowed 220 passing yards or more, it was 9-0. All of those games were ugly blowouts. Washington, Washington State, USC, and Texas Tech all threw for over 280 yards.

Oregon Key Player

Matayo Uiagalelei, LB Soph.
The defense has all the parts, but it needs a playmaker in the backfield with top all-around edge rusher Brandon Dorlus gone.

The brother of QB DJ Uiagalelei has the size, toughness, and upside to grow into a pro prospect if he can be a regular in the backfield. He made 18 tackles with two sacks as a freshman, and now it’s his job to take advantage of all the other parts taking away attention.

Oregon Football Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss

Top Transfer In: Jabbar Muhammad, CB Sr.
Yes, it’s Dillon Gabriel, but that’s too easy and obvious. Muhammad might be the most important of the transfers as a No. 1 lockdown corner with 28 broken up passes, four picks, and 117 tackles over the last three seasons. He started out at Oklahoma State, was a star at Washington last year, and now he should be an All-Big Ten performer at Oregon.

Top Transfer Out: Dante Dowdell, RB Soph.
There weren’t any major losses through the transfer portal, but Dowdell is still a great prospect with big-time upside. The Duck running backs are fine, but it would’ve been nice to have even more options in the mix. Instead, Dowdell will work in the rotation at Nebraska.

Oregon Key Game

Ohio State, Oct. 12
The date at Michigan is a big deal, going to Wisconsin is a landmine, and the regular season finale against Washington is a problem. However, if Oregon does what it’s supposed to, this is it. Beat Ohio State in Eugene, and it’ll take a collapse to not get into the expanded College Football Playoff and/or the Big Ten Championship.

10 Best Oregon Football Players

1. Josh Conerly, OT Jr.
2. Dillon Gabriel, QB Sr.
3. Jordan Burch, DE Sr.
4. Ajani Cornelius, OT Sr.
5. Jamaree Caldwell, DT Sr.
6. Tez Johnson, WR Sr.
7. Tysheem Johnson, S Sr.
8. Jeffrey Bassa, LB Sr.
9. Jabbar Muhammad, CB Sr.
10. Evan Stewart, WR Jr.

Oregon 2023 Fun Stats

- 2nd Quarter Scoring: Oregon 211, Opponents 60

- TDs Scored: Oregon 83, Opponents 27

- Turnovers: Opponents 18, Oregon 7

Oregon Football 2024 Win Total Prediction: What to Expect This Season

Nothing less than a trip to the College Football Playoff will be acceptable.

The Ducks might have a slip here or there, but there won’t be many. The Ohio State game is at home, Michigan won’t be nearly as dangerous as the 2023 version, and that should be it for the games where they might not be favored.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be rough spots. Boise State could win the Mountain West, the rivalry game at Oregon State is on the road and early on, Michigan State is better, Illinois and Maryland are good, and dealing with Wisconsin in Camp Randall and playing Washington to end the regular season will be challenging.

But there’s no Penn State, Iowa, or USC. That’s fine, but missing Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, and Rutgers isn’t a plus for a Duck team that’s this good. Even so …

Oregon will lose two, but it’ll be in the Big Ten Championship mix until the end before finishing high enough to host a first-round CFP game.

Set The Oregon Win Total At … 10

Likely Wins: Boise State, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan State, at Oregon State, at Purdue, at UCLA

50/50 Games: Maryland, at Michigan, Ohio State, at UCLA, Washington, at Wisconsin

Likely Losses: No apparent sure-thing losses

2024 Oregon Football Schedule

Aug 31 Idaho
Sept 7 Boise State
Sept 14 at Oregon State
Sept 21 OPEN DATE
Sept 28 at UCLA
Oct 5 Michigan State
Oct 12 Ohio State
Oct 19 at Purdue
Oct 26 Illinois
Nov 2 at Michigan
Nov 9 Maryland
Nov 16 at Wisconsin
Nov 23 OPEN DATE
Nov 30 Washington

Missing: Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers, USC