The Oregon Ducks are trying to steady themselves after a 17-15 home loss to the No. 12 UCLA Bruins pushed them out of the AP Top 25 for the first time in four seasons. It’s a sharp turn for a team that opened the year with national championship buzz and a No. 2 preseason ranking, but the next stretch on the schedule now has added urgency.
One of those key dates is Oregon’s trip to Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 24, and the kickoff window for that game got a Monday update. Two possible start times were revealed, with the official time and network to be determined after the completion of Week 7 games on Oct. 17.
The Ducks will be making their second Big Ten road trip of the season when they head to Memorial Stadium. Their first came on Sept. 26, when they beat the No. 19 USC Trojans 41-27 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
This matchup also comes with Oregon trying to rebuild momentum after a rough weekend, but the Ducks should still be in strong position heading into Illinois if they take care of business against Nebraska on Oct. 17. That game would put them at 4-2 before the visit to the Fighting Illini.
Illinois, meanwhile, comes in at 3-3 and 1-2 in Big Ten play after a 38-37 overtime road win over the Michigan State Spartans. The Illini’s two conference losses have come against the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes and the Purdue Boilermakers, and they’ll have a bye week before hosting Oregon.
Since the Ducks joined the Big Ten in 2024, the programs have met once. That came on Oct. 26, 2024, at Autzen Stadium, where Oregon rolled to a 38-9 win.
In that game, former Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 18 of 26 passes for 291 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Former Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson, now off to a promising start in his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, caught six passes for 102 yards and a touchdown.
The Bruins loss also dealt a major blow to Oregon’s College Football Playoff hopes. ESPN’s Power Index now gives the Ducks a 9.8 percent chance to reach the CFP.
For Oregon, the path is simple, if not easy: win out. That’s the reality now, even if it felt far-fetched in August. The push starts against Nebraska, and the margin for error is gone from here.
The Ducks still have two ranked teams left on the schedule, with games against the No. 25 Northwestern Wildcats on Oct. 31 and the No.
5 Ohio State Buckeyes on Nov. 7.
Ohio State is the biggest obstacle remaining, and any slip from Oregon - whether against the Buckeyes or anyone else - would shut down those CFP hopes.
In Other News...
Oregons Bear Alexander Controversy Just Put Dan Lanning Under Pressure
The fallout from Oregons win over UCLA has extended well beyond the scoreboard, with defensive lineman Bear Alexander at the center of the conversation after video showed him punching quarterback Nico Iamaleava while Iamaleava was on the ground. The play came in the middle of a sequence that left UCLA fearing a serious knee injury for its quarterback, and it quickly drew public criticism from Bruins coach Bob Chesney, who called it egregious and regrettable.
Dan Lanning has now been put in the uncomfortable position of defending his player and the programs response, saying Alexander will not be disciplined because he believed the contact was part of an effort to dislodge the ball. Alexander has also expressed remorse and said he never intended to cause harm, but the incident has still become a test of how Oregon handles a moment that has landed far outside the normal bounds of postgame review. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Just Put Dylan Raiola Back In Nebraskas Spotlight
After Oregons loss to UCLA, Dan Lanning had to turn the conversation from the result itself to the Ducks quarterback situation, and that quickly brought Dylan Raiola back into the spotlight. With Dante Moore dealing with a concussion, Lanning said Raiola will compete with Brock Thomas for the starting job, a development that adds another layer of intrigue to an offense still trying to find its footing.
Lanning also pointed to Raiolas composure after being replaced during the game, a small but meaningful sign in a week when the Ducks were looking for steadiness more than flash. He said the teams body language stayed positive even as the offense struggled, and added that some changes are coming to how Oregon operates without getting into specifics, leaving the bigger picture of the quarterback battle and the adjustments around it very much open. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Signals Oregon Offensive Changes As Pressure Builds
After Oregons disappointing loss to UCLA, Dan Lanning made clear the Ducks are not standing still on offense. The head coach confirmed that changes are being made to the operation after a season of uneven production, a notable acknowledgment from a program that entered the year expecting much more from that side of the ball.
Lanning stopped short of spelling out what those changes will look like, and he did not say whether the staff itself will be altered. Offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer has taken heat for the inconsistency, but Lanning also pointed back to what Mehringer has done in the past while stressing the need for the group to improve moving forward. [Read more 🡒]