Five Teams That Pose The Greatest Threat To Oregon Next Season

With the Oregon Ducks joining the Big Ten conference for the upcoming college football season after the Pac-12's dissolution, they are already one of the favorites to compete for the conference crown in its first season.

The Ducks enter this season with the fourth-best odds to win the 2024 College Football Playoff at +1,000, according to BETMGM's online sportsbook as of June 11.

The Ducks' addition to the Big Ten, along with three former Pac-12 counterparts, will increase competition within the conference and beyond. As Oregon inches closer to its inaugural Big Ten season, Dan Lanning and the Ducks have their work cut out for them.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Ducks face a difficult slate of games in 2024, and we've identified five teams that could stop Oregon from winning its first national championship.

Ohio State

The Ducks host the Buckeyes from Autzen Stadium on Oct. 12 with a start time yet to be determined.

Ohio State is one of the conference's projected favorites thanks to an impressive offseason transfer portal haul highlighted by quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins, and safety Caleb Downs among others. This talent acquisition only adds to an already elite roster that was just 37 yards short of reaching the conference championship game.

It's also worth noting that Oregon is 1–9 against Ohio State all-time, but most recently defeated the Buckeyes 35–28 in Columbus on Sept. 11, 2021.

With the top two teams meeting in the Big Ten Championship Game, the battle in Eugene may not be the only time both programs clash this season.

Michigan

The Ducks travel late in the season to Ann Arbor for a meeting with the Wolverines on Nov. 2 with a start time yet to be announced.

The Wolverines will prove to be a test for Oregon's offensive strength as the defending national champions still possess one of the top defenses in the nation.

The Wolverines' defense, now led by defensive coordinator Don Martindale, returns valuable pieces including star linemen Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant along with All-American cornerback Will Johnson. As the Wolverines had already modeled their defensive scheme off that of Martindale's, Michigan should be equally as dangerous.

With the matchup occurring late in the season, the environment within Michigan Stadium will surely be amped up given the potential ramifications of the game's outcome.

Washington

The Huskies and Ducks will face off from Autzen Stadium on Nov. 30 with a kickoff time still unknown.

The Huskies will be a different team this fall with Jedd Fisch taking over as head coach and a majority of its 2023 offensive production leaving for the NFL.

Fisch was able to bring a quality offseason transfer portal haul on short notice with quarterback Will Rogers, running back Jonah Coleman, and others joining the program. Similar to last season, the Huskies' receiver room should still have plenty of talent with Denzel Boston, Jeremiah Hunter, and Giles Jackson filling in as starters.

Wisconsin

Oregon will travel to Camp Randall Stadium to face Wisconsin on Nov. 16 with a kickoff time still unannounced. The last meeting between the programs was the 2020 Rose Bowl Game, which saw the Ducks claim a 28-27 victory.

Wisconsin enters 2024 in its second year under head coach Luke Fickell. Wisconsin was able to recruit transfer portal quarterback Tyler Van Dyke from the Miami Hurricanes to pair with its talented receiver core of Will Pauling, Bryson Green, and C.J. Williams. With the addition of Van Dyke, the Badgers should be capable of putting up impressive passing numbers. The program also possesses a skilled backfield of Chez Mellusi and transfer Tawee Walker, who should split carries throughout the season.

Georgia/Alabama/Texas 

We don't know which SEC powerhouse Oregon will face in the CFP, but we're going to assume it will be one of these three.

The first of the three potential opponents is the Georgia Bulldogs, who will be a juggernaut. The Bulldogs are led by quarterback Carson Beck, who returns to a talented offense that brings back receivers RaRa Thomas, Dominic Lovett, and Dillon Bell. Additionally, the Bulldogs landed an impressive transfer portal haul headlined by former Florida Gators running back Trevor Etienne. Adding a cherry on top, the Bulldogs also possess the offseason's No. 1 ranked incoming recruiting class.

As for the Crimson Tide, the program enters 2024 in its first post-Nick Saban season with former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer now at the helm. With dynamic quarterback Jalen Milroe returning to the Tide, coach DeBoer will certainly have an open playbook for utilizing the crafty field general. Alabama will certainly look much different from last season, especially after losing a vast majority of its secondary talent to the transfer portal.

Finally, the Texas Longhorns are listed as the last of the three teams. As quarterback Quinn Ewers returns to Austin with CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue splitting the backfield and an extremely talented receiver room, the Horns will be an explosive offense to defend against this fall. The one potential area of weakness for Texas is their defensive line, where the Horns do not have a proven game-changer in place entering this fall.