Oregon’s bye week hasn’t slowed the conversation around what comes next. The No. 15 Ducks are resting up, but the back half of the schedule is starting to draw attention - and ESPN’s Rece Davis thinks a few of those looming Big Ten matchups are getting overlooked.
On “The Pat McAfee Show” during his “Rece’s Pieces” segment, Davis pointed to several teams he believes are flying under the radar, including a pair Oregon will see at Autzen Stadium.
“There’s some teams lurking around in college football,” Davis said. “A little bit quiet so far. And you’re gonna find out just how good they are coming up in the next few weeks.”
He singled out Iowa, UCLA and Nebraska as teams worth watching.
“Iowa is one. You’re gonna find out Saturday.
I’ve been really impressed with what Bob Chesney’s doing at UCLA. You take Iowa, you take UCLA, you can even take Nebraska who’s going to get Indiana in a couple of weeks and we may have some sneaky teams that give the Big Ten the type of depth that everybody has been saying ‘Wow, the Big Ten’s good at the top, but what about the middle?
What about the upper middle class?’” Davis said.
For Oregon, the more immediate name to circle is UCLA. The Bruins are under new leadership with Chesney, a coach Ducks fans already know well. Oregon beat Chesney’s former team, James Madison, 51-34 in the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoff.
Chesney was already headed to UCLA before the Ducks played JMU, and he brought 11 of those players with him to Los Angeles, a familiar modern college football move that has quickly reshaped the Bruins’ roster.
He inherited a team that went 3-9 in 2025, though there were a few bright spots, including an upset of Penn State. Since then, UCLA has started 4-0. The schedule hasn’t exactly been brutal - Cal, San Diego State, Purdue and Maryland have been the opponents - but every win has come by at least two scores.
One of the transfers making the biggest impact is senior running back Wayne Knight. Ducks fans will remember him from 2025, when he ran for 110 yards on 17 receptions against Oregon.
This season, Knight has been a major piece of UCLA’s ground game, which has produced 1,126 yards and 18 touchdowns so far. Knight has accounted for 445 yards and nine touchdowns on 49 carries, giving the Bruins a huge chunk of their rushing production.
That shared history matters. Oregon and UCLA know a lot about each other’s personnel, and Davis believes that familiarity could make the Bruins a sneaky problem when the Ducks finally meet them.
In Other News...
Oregon State Faces A Road Test That Could Worry Beaver Fans
Colorado State comes into its matchup with Oregon State sitting at 2-2, and the Rams early season has been a mixed bag that still leaves plenty of questions to sort through. A conversation with Colorado State beat reporter Tyler King painted the picture of a team that has had trouble getting stops and will need to be sharper defensively if it wants to keep the Beavers from finding rhythm in the passing game, especially with Jesse Legree giving Oregon State a legitimate vertical threat.
The biggest variable may be at quarterback, with Hauss Hejny dealing with a hamstring issue and his availability hanging over the week. King also sees this as the kind of game that could open up and turn into a back-and-forth scoring battle, which is exactly the sort of road environment that can make a Saturday feel a lot more stressful for Beaver fans than it should. [Read more 🡒]
Jesse Legree Is Bringing A New Swagger To Oregon State
Jesse Legree has given Oregon State a little extra juice this fall, and the freshman receiver has done it with production and personality. He turned in a two-touchdown performance against Texas Tech and has quickly become one of the more watchable players on the roster, pairing big-play ability with a style that reflects where he comes from.
Legree has leaned into his Baltimore roots through his celebrations, bringing a bit of that citys swagger to Corvallis and even teaching the dance to teammates. For a Beaver team always looking for new sparks, his emergence has added more than just catches and yardage. It has also brought a different kind of energy to the sideline, one that keeps building as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Faces A Road Test That Could Get Uncomfortable Fast
Oregon State heads into a road game at Colorado State with the kind of challenge that can get messy in a hurry. The Rams have built their defense around forcing turnovers and playing aggressive man coverage, which means the Beavers will have to stay sharp early and avoid giving the home crowd extra life. On paper, the matchup also puts a premium on Oregon States ability to control Colorado States rushing game, because keeping the Rams out of rhythm is the simplest way to keep the night manageable.
The quarterback situation on the other side only adds to the uncertainty. Colorado State has already leaned on multiple options under center because of injuries and shifting game plans, and that kind of instability can make a defense prepare for several different looks in the same game. For Oregon State, the task is less about knowing exactly what is coming and more about being ready when it arrives, since the Rams ability to mix personnel and style could turn a straightforward road test into something far more uncomfortable. [Read more 🡒]