Following a turbulent Week 11 of college football, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee released the second edition of its top-25 teams. What do this week’s top 10 teams need to do in order to secure their spots in the first-ever 12-team playoff?

1. Oregon Ducks (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) (-)

Oregon, possibly the most well-rounded team in the country, was unanimously voted No. 1 in the AP Poll for the second straight week. The Ducks are two heavily-favored wins from a perfect regular season and a berth in the Big Ten Championship game. Appearing in that game would almost certainly earn the Ducks their second-ever playoff appearance, but winning it would earn them a first-round bye.

      2. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) (-)

Ohio State boasts perhaps the nation’s best roster and certainly the nation’s best loss, a one-point heartbreaker at Oregon a month ago. A win against undefeated and No. 6-ranked Indiana Hoosiers in two weeks would almost certainly secure them a berth in the Big Ten Championship game.

      3. Texas Longhorns (8-1, 4-1 SEC) (+2)

Texas was the nation’s top-ranked team before losing to Georgia in Week 8. Though that lone loss is respectable, Texas’ best win remains a three-point victory over then-No. 25 Vanderbilt. The Longhorns will need to win out if they want to stay safe above the SEC’s growing horde of two-loss teams. They’ll especially need to beat Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1 SEC) in their season finale.

      4. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) (+2)

Penn State has looked solid, but appears to be a tier below Big Ten heavyweights Oregon and Ohio State. The loss to Ohio State will likely keep them out of the Big Ten title game, but an 11-1 Penn State should make the playoffs anyway.

      5. Indiana Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) (+3)

Indiana is undefeated, thanks in part to their famously light schedule. The Hoosiers will face their biggest test on Nov. 26 in Columbus, when they visit the No. 2 Buckeyes. The winner of that game will likely secure both a Big Ten title berth and playoff spot.

      6. BYU Cougars (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) (+3)

BYU was a penalty away from losing to 4-4 Utah on Saturday. They may need to remain undefeated and win the Big 12 in order to make the playoffs. Even if things go differently, a one-loss BYU would be hard to exclude.

      7. Tennessee Volunteers (8-1, 5-1 SEC) (-)

Like Texas, Tennessee likely only needs to win out to secure an SEC Championship appearance. That’s easier said than done with a visit to Georgia coming this weekend. Another loss would make Tennessee the sixth SEC team with two losses and the fifth to lose both in-conference.

      8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-1, Independent) (+2)

Notre Dame’s one loss (16-14 at home to lowly Northern Illinois in Week 2) was as bad as losses get, but the Fighting Irish got up and kept fighting. As an independent, Notre Dame has no chance of a first-round bye, but the Fighting Irish are three wins from a playoff berth.

      9. Miami Hurricanes (9-1, 5-1 ACC) (-5)

Miami’s string of second-half comebacks came to an end at Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Hurricanes will need to avoid falling behind again if they want to win the ACC Championship Game, which is likely their only path to the playoffs.

     10. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2, 4-2 SEC) (+1)

Alabama lost to both Tennessee and Vanderbilt in October, but has since regained its momentum. The Crimson Tide will need to play perfectly in order to stay alive in the SEC and playoff races.

The post College Football Playoff Week 11 Rankings appeared first on Daily Emerald.

Week 9 marked the halfway point of the 2024 NFL regular season, which has seen former Oregon stars make an impact on both sides of the ball. Here are just a few of the many Pro Ducks making plays at the highest level.

Justin Herbert, Quarterback, Los Angeles Chargers

Herbert had his best game of the season in a 27-10 road win over the Cleveland Browns. The former sixth-overall pick recorded 18 completions on 27 passing attempts for 282 yards and two touchdowns. 

Herbert’s production, which started relatively slow as the team synced new head coach Jim Harbaugh, has begun to increase in recent weeks. Sunday’s win saw Herbert’s season high in yards per attempt (10.4) and passer rating (125.8). His Chargers are 5-3 and currently sit second in the AFC West standings, one spot above another former Oregon passer.

Bo Nix, Quarterback, Denver Broncos

Though Nix’s Broncos (5-4, 3rd in AFC West) struggled in a difficult 41-10 loss to the surging Baltimore Ravens this week, Nix’s rookie year has largely been a good one. Nix is already the winningest rookie quarterback in Broncos history and brought home October’s AFC Offensive Rookie of the Month. He’s one of only two quarterbacks to have caught a touchdown pass this year and the first rookie to do so since David Blough in 2016. 

Of this year’s rookie quarterbacks, Nix is tied with reigning Heisman Trophy-winner Jayden Daniels for first in total touchdowns (13) and rushing touchdowns (4). Among the same group, Nix ranks second in passing yards (1,530), rushing yards (259) and QBR (53.3).

Bucky Irving, Running Back, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

When the Buccaneers drafted Irving with the 125th pick of this year’s draft, many expected him to be used as a compliment to incumbent starter Rachaad White, but Irving has excelled through eight games in Tampa Bay. 

Irving leads the team in rushes (76), rushing yards (395) and rushing touchdowns (3). As a result of Irving’s immediate results, the Buccaneers rank eighth in total rushing yards and tenth in rushing yards per game. For reference, they finished last in both categories a season ago.

Penei Sewell, Offensive Tackle, Detroit Lions

Halfway through his fourth NFL season, Sewell is widely considered one of the league’s best offensive tackles. His immense size and proportional physicality have made him a load-bearing pillar of Detroit’s potent offense, which earned him a four-year, $112 million dollar contract extension this offseason.

 Through eight games this season, Sewell has allowed only one sack and ranks third among all tackles in both PFF Offense (88.0) and Run Blocking (89.3) grades.

DeForest Buckner, Defensive Tackle, Indianapolis Colts

Buckner recorded 1.5 sacks in the Colts’ season opener before suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 2. The nine-year veteran missed five games before returning in Week 8, where he recorded another sack. 

Buckner then showed out on Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings, recording another sack and six total tackles. Performances like these across an entire season would likely earn Buckner Pro Bowl consideration.

Deommodore Lenoir, Cornerback, San Francisco 49ers

Lenoir, whose PFF Pass Coverage grade ranks 10th among cornerbacks with 400+ snaps, is also making waves in the Bay as a tackler. He’s second to only all-world linebacker Fred Warner in total tackles (44) and solo tackles (30). 

Niners fans will hope that San Francisco’s Week 9 bye doesn’t disrupt Lenoir’s growing turnover streak. The fourth-year pro had an interception in Week 7 and followed up that performance by forcing a fumble and intercepting another pass in Week 8.

The prototypical quarterback controversy is a fairly common occurrence. Two quarterbacks enter preseason training camp as competitors, and one leaves as the team’s starter. The Michigan Wolverines are doing things differently.

Following its first national championship since 1997, Michigan entered the 2024 college football season as a completely new team. The Wolverines lost their head coach and 17 starters, including starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy. New head coach Sherrone Moore was immediately faced with a decision: Who should he start at quarterback?

Moore had three options. First was Jack Tuttle, who’d served well as McCarthy’s primary backup in 2023 after playing sparingly across five years with Utah and Indiana. Tuttle went 15/17 for 130 yards and a touchdown through four passing appearances during the 2023 regular season.

Alex Orji was another candidate. The 6’3, 236-pound junior appeared in six games across the 2023 regular season and playoffs without ever recording a pass attempt. Instead, Orji carried the ball 15 times for 86 yards and a touchdown.

Also in the mix was Davis Warren, who’d walked onto the team in 2021. Warren went 0/5 with an interception in three backup appearances early last season and didn’t play past September.

Warren defeated Orji in Michigan’s Spring Game and was named the starter a week before the season began. The Wolverines won two of their three non-conference games, their loss a 31-12 Week 2 defeat at the hands No. 3 Texas. 

Warren threw three interceptions and no touchdowns in Michigan’s third game, an ugly 28-18 victory over Arkansas State. Orji, who’d attempted six passes across the three games and had primarily run the ball, was called in before the Wolverines’ conference opener against USC.

Orji won that game and the next against Minnesota by twin scores of 27-24. However, he totaled only 118 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception across the two games. Orji was reduced to his former, more running-focused role before the team’s Oct. 5 game against Washington, who Michigan beat in last year’s national championship contest.

Instead of bringing back Warren, Moore chose to start Tuttle. Despite last year’s success, Tuttle struggled in back-to-back losses at the hands of Washington and No. 22-ranked Illinois. Michigan scored just seven points in each. Across the two games, Tuttle went 30/50 through the air for a touchdown and two interceptions, earning a lowly 32.4 adjusted quarterback rating.

With the team in a two-game skid, Moore made yet another change, bringing Warren back in for last week’s game against Michigan State. “Taking care of the ball, that’s going to be the No. 1 priority, the biggest thing,” said Moore before announcing Warren as the starter.

Warren had his best game of the season against the Spartans, recording 13 completions on 19 attempts, a touchdown and a season-high 83.3 QBR while leading the Wolverines to a 24-17 win over their in-state rivals. Warren did not turn the ball over, just as Moore had hoped.

Then, on Monday night, Tuttle suddenly announced his retirement over social media. The seventh-year senior cited a fifth concussion and an offseason UCL injury, telling fans, “I need to start prioritizing my health.” Tuttle stated his intent to help Michigan prepare for its remaining games and announced he’d pursue a coaching career.

Warren will likely start again when the Wolverines (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) host the No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks (8-0, 5-0) on Saturday. Orji will likely continue his role as a runner.

The Ducks will look to capitalize on Michigan’s turbulent quarterback situation when they enter one of college football’s harshest environments on Saturday.

This offseason, the Oregon Ducks, Washington Huskies, UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans became the four newest members of the Big Ten Conference. How do these four programs stack up after spending half a season in the Big Ten?

4. UCLA Bruins (2-5, 1-4 Big Ten)

It’s been a year to forget for Bruins fans. UCLA sits 17th in the Big Ten’s 18-team standings and possesses the worst statistical offense in the conference. The Bruins average a conference-worst 17.4 points per game thanks to a running attack averaging less than 65 yards per game. 

Minnesota (105.9 yards-per-game) is the only other Big Ten program averaging less than 120 rushing yards per game. UCLA also ranks 17th in the Big Ten in yards-per-game (302.1) and passing yards allowed per game (268.7). Oregon quarterback (and heir apparent to Dillon Gabriel) Dante Moore should be glad he transferred out of L.A. when he did.

3. USC Trojans (3-4, 1-4 Big Ten)

UCLA’s start could have been predicted, but USC’s? The Trojans began the year as the No.  23-ranked team and jumped to No. 11 after impressive wins over No. 13 LSU and Utah State. 

However, they’ve lost four of their last five games, including three straight. All four losses were one-score games and three were decided by a field goal or less. USC’s most recent loss was maybe their most frustrating, as the Trojans blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead to Maryland on Saturday. 

USC ranks fifth in the conference in scoring offense (30.3 points-per-game) but 13th in scoring defense (22.0). Their PFF Pass Block and Run Block grades (50.0 and 56.0 respectively) are the 17th and T-16th best among the Big Ten’s 18 teams.

2. Washington Huskies (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten)

The Huskies were expected to take a step back after losing most of last year’s championship-contending team, but no one was sure how far they’d fall. New head coach Jedd Fisch’s first year has been a mixed bag. Washington had a solid win against then-ranked Michigan, but their three other wins came against relative afterthoughts in Weber State University, Eastern Michigan University and Northwestern. 

UW suffered close losses to Washington State and Rutgers before getting destroyed 40-16 by Iowa in its most recent game. Their pass defense leads the Big Ten, allowing only 123 yards-per-game, but their run defense allows 143.3 yards per game, the conference’s fourth-most. 

UW has largely played solid football but will need to step it up down the stretch if it wants to see any extended success.

1. Oregon Ducks (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten)

The Ducks are the nation’s top-ranked team after shutting out Purdue 35-0 on Friday and watching the No. 1 Texas Longhorns fall to No. 5 Georgia on Saturday. 

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel reinvigorated his Heisman campaign the week before by outplaying Will Howard and then No. 2-ranked Ohio State in primetime. Gabriel leads the Big Ten with 2,172 combined yards and leads the country with a 77.0% completion percentage. 

The defense has been outstanding and recently earned the program’s first shutout in 12 years. Steering it all is Dan Lanning, who has continued to turn heads across the country with his ability to both outcoach and out-recruit elite programs like Ohio State.

Six weeks of Big Ten conference play remain. Oregon losing its spot atop this list would be shocking, but its No. 1 national ranking remains unsecured, and there’s plenty of time for things to change before Dec. 7’s Big Ten Football Championship Game decides which team is truly the Big Ten’s best.

For only the third time since the Associated Press began ranking college football teams in 1936, the Oregon Ducks found themselves ranked first in Sunday’s AP Top 25 College Football Poll.

The Ducks leapt from No.3 to No.2 a week ago after defeating the then-No.2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Now, less than a day after the then-No.1 ranked University of Texas Longhorns lost to the visiting No.5 Georgia Bulldogs 30-15 in Austin on Saturday night, Oregon found itself atop the college football world.

Texas got off to a sluggish start and found themselves down 23-0 at halftime. Although the Longhorns surged back in the third quarter, they couldn’t complete a comeback and ultimately lost by 15 points. Texas (6-1, 2-1 SEC) is now ranked No.5.

The Ducks got to watch Saturday’s upset unfold after shutting out the struggling Purdue Boilermakers 35-0 in West Lafayette the night before. The shutout was Oregon’s first since 2012 and the first time Purdue had been shut out since 2013.

Two days later, Sunday’s AP Poll marked Oregon’s first No.1 ranking in almost 12 years.

Behind the second-ranked Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1 SEC) are the No.3-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) had a bye this weekend and sat a place below the Ducks (at No.3) prior to Georgia’s Saturday upset inside Texas’ Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Oregon was previously ranked No.1 for seven straight weeks in 2010, but the team dropped to No.2 after winning the season finale against Oregon State. Oregon lost the 2011 BCS National Championship Game to the eventual No.1 University of Auburn Tigers and finished the year ranked No.3.

Oregon was also atop the AP Poll for a single week in 2012 after moving to 10-0 on the season, but the team lost an infamous 17-14 overtime heartbreaker to No.14 Stanford the following week and finished the year ranked No.2.

Now, they’re back on top. The No.1-ranked Oregon Ducks are 7-0 and are favored in all five of their remaining conference matchups. The Ducks’ first of those matchups will come at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26 when the No.20 University of Illinois (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) comes to town.

Autzen Stadium is currently the epicenter of the college football universe. Oregon is playing like the best team in the nation, and Duck fans are rooting for the No.1-ranked team in the country.

No. 3 Oregon’s win over No. 2 Ohio State was the biggest win in Oregon regular-season history. The result will be talked about for years to come, but what will people discuss besides the score? Here are three takeaways from Oregon’s historic 32-31 victory over the Buckeyes.

1. Gabriel can elevate this team

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel’s two-interception performance against Michigan State had some fans questioning the sixth-year senior’s ability to elevate his teammates. Question no more. Gabriel looked like a championship-caliber quarterback in what was likely the biggest game of his lengthy 55-game college career to date.

Presented with statistically the best defense in the country, Gabriel went 23/34 for 341 yards and two touchdowns through the air. His PFF Pass and offense grades of 87.6 and 85.7 respectively were his best since he dominated Oregon State in Corvallis and were each 10 points better than any opposing quarterback had mustered against the Buckeyes this season.

Gabriel was at his most effective throwing deep, as evidenced by Evan Stewart’s 69-yard reception and Tez Johnson’s 48-yard score. His NFL QBR on 20+ yard throws between the numbers was a perfect 158.3, and he went 8/8 for 179 yards and two touchdowns when targeting critically acclaimed Buckeyes cornerback Denzel Burke.

Gabriel was also incredibly poised and mobile in the pocket. He faced a career-high 14 pressures but was never sacked. Instead, he used his speed to extend plays and find open targets in the flats. He also scored a 27-yard rushing touchdown. Bottom line? Gabriel looked like the kind of quarterback that can win this Ducks team a national title.

2. The pass defense needs to improve

Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (28/35, 326 yards, two touchdowns) was able to consistently connect with star wideouts Jeremiah Smith (nine catches, 100 yards, one touchdown) and Emeka Egbuka (10 catches, 93 yards, one touchdown). Although Oregon’s defense had to focus plenty of its attention on stopping Ohio State’s dominant run game, the team’s inability to stop Howard downfield was cause for some concern.

Starting nickelback Brandon Johnson had a particularly rough night, allowing a reception on each of his 11 targets for 82 yards and a touchdown. With four minutes remaining in the first half, Johnson moved away from Egbuka in the defensive slot and mimicked a possible blitz. Egbuka ran a wheel route directly into the zone Johnson vacated for a 15-yard touchdown that put the Buckeyes ahead 21-15. 

Howard tallied an 81.7 PFF Pass grade — his best of the season — in Saturday’s losing effort. Oregon’s defense has largely been outstanding, but will need to stop their remaining opposition from passing so freely if the Ducks want to keep winning come playoff time.

3. Stewart is worth the hype

After struggling to make a consistent impact through Oregon’s first five games of football, wideout Evan Stewart played his best when the Ducks needed him the most. Ohio State’s defense entered Saturday’s contest allowing 6.8 points-per-game and less than 130 passing yards per game. They hadn’t allowed a 30-yard completion all year. 

Stewart eclipsed all three of those totals on his own, finishing with seven catches for 149 yards (both season highs) and a touchdown. 

Interestingly, this game also saw Stewart’s season-high in snaps from the slot (10). It seems as though mixing up (as well as simply increasing) Stewart’s involvement may unlock continued production from the newly-unleashed wideout. If it worked on Denzel Burke, Caleb Downs and the rest of Ohio State’s top-rated defense, don’t fix it.

Evan Stewart was ranked 247Sports’ No. 2 receiver and No. 5 overall transfer when he became an Oregon Duck this offseason. His addition to a lineup full of talented receivers like Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden caused Pro Football Focus, On3 and CBS Sports to name Oregon the nation’s best preseason receiving corps.

Oregon is now five games into the 2024 season. Johnson ranks second in the Big Ten with 42 receptions and appears in the top-10 for touchdowns (4), yards (395) and PFF Pass Routes grade (78.1) — which measures how much separation the receiver creates on each of his routes. 

After catching a program-record 86 passes during his first season as a Duck, Johnson is on pace for an eye-popping 103 regular season catches. Only 92 college players have ever caught that many passes, playoff and bowl receptions included.

Things aren’t going as well for Stewart.

In fact, no receiver in the Big Ten is doing less with their targets than Stewart. Of the 29 receivers with as many as or more targets than Stewart’s 23, he is ranked last in receiving yards (182), PFF Pass Routes grade (58.7), PFF Offense grade (56.1), yards per route run (1.19) and first downs (7).

Among those same 29 receivers, Stewart ranks 22nd in yards per reception (11.4) and is tied for second-to-last in receptions with 16. He’s 26th in yards after the catch with 48 total yards and tied for 22nd in YAC per reception (3.0).

Stewart similarly failed to produce during his two previous years with Texas A&M University, something he acknowledged during his media day interview.

“Everyone says I lack the production, which in my eyes, I do,” Stewart said before the season. “Seeing Troy [Franklin] and Tez [Johnson] do the production they did last year, I definitely feel like I can do that or even more.”

While Stewart has not yet produced to that level, nothing in his play indicates he’s incapable of doing so. Stewart made his abilities known during Oregon’s Sept. 7 matchup against Boise State University.

In the first quarter, Stewart beat his defender on a sideline fade for a 67-yard gain. He used his blinding speed again in the second quarter, beating defenders over the middle for a 34-yard touchdown.

However, Stewart’s momentum stopped there. The Boise State game remains the only game this year in which he has had more than three receptions or more than 30 receiving yards. Although he scored his second touchdown of the season this Saturday against Michigan State, Stewart was held to two total catches for a mere 20 yards on the day.

Despite Stewart’s struggles, Oregon is undefeated and on track to make a run at a national championship. According to Johnson, that title is more important than anybody’s stats.

“We don’t really look at records. We look at wins,” Johnson said after defeating Michigan State last week. “We wanna be 1-0 each week and be the best in the country, no matter what.”

Stewart seems similarly focused. “I just want to help this team be the best team,” he said before the season.

Saturday may determine if Stewart and the No. 3 Oregon Ducks are truly championship contenders. The Ducks will face this season’s biggest test this Saturday against the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. 

Ohio State has the nation’s second-highest ranked defense according to PFF, and the Buckeyes specialize in shutting down the run. Oregon’s offense will need to utilize both Johnson and Stewart if the Ducks want to become favorites for a Big Ten or national championship.

Defensive lineman Derrick Harmon was one of Oregon’s biggest offseason transfer portal signings. Now playing like one of the nation’s best, he’s ready to put on a show against his former team.

Harmon transferred to Oregon as a redshirt junior after spending three years as a Michigan State Spartan. Harmon said a key part of Oregon’s recruiting process involved recruiters showing Harmon ways Oregon could improve “little minor details” of his playstyle. 

“That’s what really enlightened me,” Harmon said during Oregon’s Media Day regarding his May 3. commitment to Oregon.

The transfer has been a good move. In only four games with the Ducks, Harmon’s already tied his season-best for sacks (2) and is almost halfway to his season-best mark of 40 tackles. 

“I feel like I made a great decision,” Harmon said before Oregon’s Sept. 7 matchup against Boise State University.

The stats support that feeling. In his four games with the Ducks, Harmon leads all interior defensive linemen in PFF pass rush rating (91.2) and total pressures (18). No other Big Ten big man has a rating above 81 or more than 13 pressures.

Harmon’s 14 quarterback hurries rank second nationally behind only the University of Cincinnati’s Dontay Corleone. However, those numbers lead the Big Ten, as only Nebraska’s Ty Robinson (8) has more than half Harmons’ hurries. 

Harmon’s ability to pressure quarterbacks stems from his ability to beat blockers. Harmon is ranked third nationally in block win rate, winning 20.5% of the blocks he engages in. Yet again, Harmon leads the Big Ten by a significant margin. Across the Big Ten’s other 17 teams, only Penn State’s Zane Durant (17.8%) has a win rate above 15 percent.

Harmon’s teammates predicted this success.

“I already know he’s gonna be disgusting,” fellow defensive line transfer Jamaree Caldwell said of Harmon during the preseason. “I watched his film before he came here. He’s gonna be disgusting in the middle.”

However, Harmon’s sack totals aren’t quite as impressive as his pressures and hurries. Harmon’s two sacks on the year are tied for 16th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten. Harmon, who recorded half a sack against the Bruins, had not had a sack since recording 1.5 against the University of Idaho in Oregon’s season opener.

Oregon’s pass rush had been similarly middling since a four-sack performance in the season opener. After recording only three sacks in its last two games, Oregon’s defensive line tallied another four sacks on Saturday.

That defensive turnaround could spell trouble for Michigan State. The Spartans (45.2) hold the second-worst PFF pass block rating in the Big Ten, just behind UCLA (46.3) in third.

Oregon is fourth in the conference with a PFF pass rush rating of 79.2. Michigan State allowed four sacks to Ohio State’s lower-rated (79.0) pass rush in their last game, as well as two sacks the week prior to a Boston College pass rush (65.0) that ranked outside PFF’s top 100.

Harmon could be in for a particularly dominant day against his former team. The Spartans’ offensive line has lost two guards to season-ending injury, necessitating former offensive tackle Brandon Baldwin to start at left guard. 

Baldwin has a dismal PFF pass blocking grade of 31.6 and has allowed eleven pressures this season. Unfortunately for Baldwin, Harmon has lined up against the left guard in 96 of the 123 snaps he’s played on the interior, making Baldwin-Harmon a possible mismatch for Oregon to exploit.

Four games into what’s been a fantastic junior season, Harmon is set up for further success when his old team visits his new home on Friday night.

Ducks and Bruins fans alike are about to witness history. On Saturday, Sept. 28, the No.8-ranked Oregon Ducks football team will play its first ever Big Ten conference game in a visit to the Rose Bowl stadium and the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins.

Oregon enters the game with an undefeated 3-0 record. After their best performance of the year, a 49-14 thrashing of longtime rivals Oregon State University, the Ducks had a bye week to prepare for their inaugural season of Big Ten conference play.

The Ducks will be hoping to begin that first season with a win over UCLA, who hold a 1-2 record and will enter Saturday’s game following two losses against the University of Indiana and Louisiana State University.

UCLA’s most recent game against No.16-ranked LSU started well, as UCLA carried a 10-7 lead into the second quarter and entered halftime with the score tied at 17. However, things changed after the break, as LSU scored 17 unanswered points to secure a 34-17 victory over the Bruins.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was able to dice up UCLA’s passing defense, completing 32 of 44 pass attempts for 352 yards and three touchdowns without being sacked. He finished with an efficiency rating of 162.4, his best in his three matchups against “Power 4” conference teams this season.

UCLA has only five sacks this season, with none in their last two games. The Ducks offensive line, led by an elite tackle duo in Ajani Cornelius and Josh Conerly Jr., will be hoping to further UCLA’s pass-rush woes on Saturday. 

After allowing seven sacks in their first two games, Oregon’s offensive line rebounded against Oregon State, allowing no sacks and committing no penalties. UCLA’s middling pass-rush presents Cornelius, Conerly Jr. and company with an excellent opportunity to build on the momentum they generated in Corvallis.

If the offensive line can continue to protect quarterback Dillon Gabriel, the Ducks should be able to capitalize on an underperforming UCLA defense. The Bruins’ defense ranks last in the Big Ten in pass yards per game (295.3) and ranks second-to-last in total yards per game (387.3).

 Among the eight Big Ten teams who’ve played only three games so far, UCLA is second-to-last in total tackles (169) and tied for third-to-last in sacks with five. Among the same eight teams, Oregon ranks fourth in tackles with 186 and third in sacks with seven.

Unlike its defense, UCLA’s offense has been responsible for plenty of quarterback pressure. The Bruins’ offensive line allowed five sacks against LSU, one of which resulted in a lost fumble.

UCLA’s offense has struggled all year. It ranks last in the Big Ten in total yards per game (292), rush yards per game (60.3), points per game (15.3) and average point differential (-14.3). 

The team has only 181 rushing yards through three games. Leading rusher T.J. Harden has taken his 26 carries for only 72 yards and a single touchdown, averaging an underwhelming 2.6 yards per carry. 

Things aren’t much better through the air. Quarterback Ethan Garbers has completed only 56.7% of his pass attempts, the third-worst rate in the conference. Garbers has thrown more interceptions (4) than touchdowns (3) and has only a single receiver, sophomore Rico Flores Jr., with more than 85 receiving yards this season.

Oregon will enter Saturday’s Big Ten opener with momentum firmly on the Ducks’ side. “It’s a huge week for development,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said. “Every single one of our players has an individual improvement plan this week.”

Quarterback is the most important position in all of team sports. Big Ten quarterbacks must face famously tough defenses, making a good quarterback especially vital. With Big Ten matchups getting underway, now is a good time to rank the Big Ten’s best five quarterbacks.

5. Miller Moss, University of Southern California

Two games: 607 passing yards, 72.7% completion percentage, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions

Moss spent the last two years sitting behind last year’s first overall draft pick, Caleb Williams. When Williams sat out the 2023 Holiday Bowl to prepare for the draft, Moss stepped in, throwing for 372 yards and six touchdowns in a 42-28 win over the University of Louisville. In his two regular-season games as a starter, Moss has continued to impress, throwing for 607 yards and two touchdowns in wins over Utah State University and No. 13-ranked Louisiana State University. He’ll need to score more to truly wow analysts, but he’s got time. Moss already has five pass-catchers averaging more than 15 yards per reception.

4. Kurtis Rourke, University of Indiana

Three games: 755 passing yards, 74.3% completion percentage, 7 touchdowns, 0 interceptions

Rourke spent his last five years with the University of Ohio but has quietly excelled since becoming a Hoosier. He leads the Big Ten in passing touchdowns with seven scores. His yards per attempt (10.2) and efficiency rating (191.2) are second only to Allar, while his passing yards (755) and completion percentage (74.3%) rank third behind only Gabriel and Rogers. Rourke has found a weapon in sophomore wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., who has 234 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just eleven catches. Indiana is already 1-0 in the Big Ten and may break more hearts during conference play.

3. Will Rogers, University of Washington

Three games: 825 passing yards, 77.1% completion percentage, 6 touchdowns, 0 interceptions

Rogers transferred to Washington this offseason after setting 30 program records in a four-year career at Mississippi State University. Rogers, who holds the SEC record for all-time completions and shined under Mike Leach’s “air raid” offense, looks to have adjusted well to his new home. After three games with the Huskies, Rogers sits second only to Gabriel in passing yards (825) and completion percentage (77.1%). He’s connected well with senior receiver Giles Jackson, whose 24 receptions and 326 receiving yards are both second in the Big Ten behind Maryland’s Tai Felton.

2. Drew Allar, Pennsylvania State University

Two games: 420 passing yards, 64.9% completion percentage, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception

Allar has only played two games but has outplayed both his stat line and his opponents. Allar has an efficiency rating of 199.4 and is averaging 11.4 yards per attempt, both of which lead the Big Ten. His role inside Penn State’s run-heavy scheme will limit his statistical production to some extent, but there’s a reason many analysts believe Allar to have the greatest professional potential of any of the Big Ten’s veteran quarterbacks.

1. Dillon Gabriel, University of Oregon

Three games: 914 passing yards, 84% completion percentage, 6 touchdowns, 0 interceptions

Through three weeks, Gabriel leads the Big Ten in passing yards (914), passing yards per game (305) and completion percentage (84%). His six touchdown passes are tied for the conference’s second-most. Following two solid weeks against the University of Idaho and Boise State University, Gabriel delivered the kind of dominating performance against Oregon State University that many fans were expecting to see immediately. Given the receiving weapons Gabriel has at his disposal, Ducks fans have plenty to feel optimistic about.