Oregon enters its first season as a member of the nation's oldest conference, alongside USC, UCLA, and Washington after departing from the Pac-12 this offseason.
In the article, ESPN gave Oregon a 76 percent chance of making the CFP and a 12.8 percent chance of claiming a national championship this season. This ranks the Ducks as the No. 2 program on its list of 30 teams; sliding just behind the Georgia Bulldogs.
ESPN's FPI works by measuring a program's strength and is designed to be the best predictor of its performance throughout the remainder of the season.
The Ducks are coming off a 12-2 record from last season with a much-improved roster thanks to an influx of 14 offseason transfer portal additions, most notably quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore, wide receiver Evan Stewart, safety Kobe Savage, defensive lineman Jamaree Caldwell, and cornerback Jabbar Muhammad .
Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning.
Ben Lonergan&solThe Register-Guard &sol USA TODAY NETWORK
Although Oregon travels to Ann Arbor to face Big Ten powerhouse Michigan on Nov. 2, ESPN predicts the Ducks' toughest matchup will be when they host the Ohio State Buckeyes from Autzen Stadium on Oct. 12.
While the Ducks have never won a national championship, the program's closest chance was when it played in the 2014 College Football Playoff National Championship game against Ohio State.
For third-year head coach Dan Lanning, breaking into a new conference with high expectations and achieving immediate success will be a challenge, but one that the program certainly looks forward to earning.
Oregon's season opener will be on Aug. 31 when it plays host to the Idaho Vandals from Autzen Stadium at 7:30 pm (ET), airing on the Big Ten Network.
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