Coming off of a historic season in which they won the Big Ten Championship and entered the College Football Playoffs as the No. 1 team in the nation, the Oregon Ducks bring some high expectations into the 2025 season. Dan Lanning’s squad is going to have a lot of opportunities to prove themselves throughout the year, too, with some high-profile games that put them up against some of the best teams in the conference.
Over the years, we’ve seen these high-profile games get the ESPN ‘College GameDay’ treatment, hosting the flagship show a dozen times over the last few decades. The Ducks are also typically a prominent team to be featured on ‘GameDay’ when on the road, being featured 19 times outside of Eugene.
So, looking at the 2025 schedule, it’s fair to think that the Ducks will be one of the ‘GameDay’ teams at least once, if not a couple of times throughout the year, whether that’s in Eugene or on the road. But which weeks should we expect them to get the ‘GameDay’ treatment? Here are our rankings of the most likely opportunities.
Date: Saturday, November 8
Ducks Wire Score Prediction: Oregon 24, Iowa 16
Analysis: Iowa could be a pretty interesting team this year, assuming that South Dakota State transfer QB Mark Gronowski proves to be the answer for their offense. We know that Kirk Ferentz is capable of coaching at a high level, but the Hawkeyes’ lack of offensive firepower has always been the issue. With this game coming late in the season, there’s a chance that both teams are in the running for a spot in the Big Ten Conference Championship Game, with a College Football Playoff spot on the line as well. It will also be the first meeting between the two teams since 1994.
No. 4 — Week 14 at Washington Huskies
Date: Saturday, November 29
Ducks Wire Score Prediction: Oregon 38, Washington 20
Analysis: This rivalry game is always intriguing, and after a down year for Washington in 2024, they could be back in the mix this season with Demond Williams under center and Jedd Fisch in his second year with the program. This game is lower on the list because I’m not sure how likely it is that the Huskies will be in the CFP or Big Ten Title hunt by the final week of the regular season, but if there are big stakes on the line here, I wouldn’t at all be shocked to see the ‘GameDay’ crew head up the Seattle.
No. 3 — Week 7 vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Date: Saturday, October 11
Ducks Wire Score Prediction: Oregon 33, Indiana 24
Analysis: These are two of the most exciting teams in the conference, especially after Indiana’s resurgence under Curt Cignetti last season. Assuming that the Hoosiers can keep things going this year with Fernando Mendoza under center, this game could get some major hype in the middle of the year. However, it feels like it could be a bit too early in the year to get the hype needed to get ESPN to town.
No. 2 — Week 13 vs. USC Trojans
Date: Saturday, November 22
Ducks Wire Score Prediction: Oregon 35, USC 24
Analysis: Despite being regional rivals on the West Coast, USC and Oregon don’t tend to play each other as much as you might expect. Since 2015, the two teams have only played five times, with the Ducks winning four of those games. Still, there is some contention between the two teams and the fanbases, which creates quite a fun rivalry whenever they do meet. If the Trojans can finally get things going under Lincoln Riley this year and contend in the conference, this late-season game could be pretty intriguing, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see ESPN highlight two of the top brands on the West Coast.
No. 1 — Week 5 at Penn State Nittany Lions
Date: Saturday, September 27
Ducks Wire Score Prediction: Penn State 31, Oregon 27
Analysis: There’s no doubt that Oregon vs. Penn State — a rematch of the Big Ten Championship last year — is the most likely game on this list to get the ‘GameDay’ treatment. At the moment, both are ranked in the top 10 nationally for the preseason, with some outlets putting both teams in the top five. This game comes early in the season, with both teams likely being undefeated going into it. There will be Big Ten title ramifications, as well as College Football Playoff ramifications as well. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ducks vs. Nittany Lions doesn’t get ESPN to Happy Valley.
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