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Oregon

Oregon Football's Three Toughest Road Games

On3 imageby: Justin Hopkins06/30/25
James Franklin Penn State
Dec 21, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin reacts during the first half against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

We are inching dangerously close to the start of the football season. Close enough it’s time to start diverting some of our daily content back to football coverage. And I’m plenty happy to do that.

Oregon has a favorable schedule this season. It’s not easy, but favorable. A duplication of Oregon’s 13-0 season is not going to come easily however.

There really won’t be much of a debate about number one this season. Just a whole lot of excitement. But let’s create the list anyways.

3. Northwestern – Sept. 13

Obviously this one could have gone a lot of ways. But my reason for picking Northwestern here was pretty simple. It’s Oregon’s first road game with a young team. I’ve already said I think this offensive line unit will need time to gel. Much like last season, they struggled out of the gate to get on the same page. I could see a similar problem this season.

Dante Moore returns as a starter after being a backup last year. The secondary is all new. I love that this is Oregon’s first road game because it’s a team they should dominate. So they can overcome a few mistakes and still win. But that said, I think they’ll open as a 20-something point favorite and I’m not sure they’ll hit that mark.

2. Washington – Nov. 29

Yes, you could make an argument this is No. 1 and Penn State is No. 2. From a pure talent standpoint there is not any debate. But rivalries are rivalries, this is an end of season game and Oregon might have a lot on the line and UW would love to play spoiler.

Will UW be improved in year two under Jedd Fisch? Is the Demond Williams hype machine stuck on overdrive or is it justified? We don’t know. But I do know no matter what, both teams will have something on the line and will be leaving it all on the field.

1 Penn State – Sept. 27

I would be crazy to put anyone else here. As much of a case as I made for UW, this is the game. Early season, road game, hostile environment, national spotlight, two top five teams (likely), this is going to set the tone for both programs.

I do think the version of Oregon we see in this game won’t be the one we see at the end of the season. They are going to need these experiences to grow throughout the season.

But this one is one we all have circled. Let’s hope it lives up to the hype.

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