We’ve already identified the Big Ten home games they’re most likely to win (read the story here), so let’s take a look at the road schedule and see what the Ducks can expect when they leave Eugene.
Typically, the home team has the advantage due to fan support and familiarity with the field. Also, keep in mind that the Big Ten’s newcomers (Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA) will have to make some significant travel adjustments as they head east. While no one knows exactly how the teams will adjust to the trip, it should be part of an exciting 2024 season.
Now let’s look at the away games that are most likely to be won.
WINNABLE: Purdue hosts Oregon on October 18
These teams have played each other three times, with Oregon winning two games and Purdue winning one.
The first meeting was in September 1979 in West Lafayette, where the Boilermakers won a defensive battle 13-7. The second meeting, also in Indiana, was played in 2008 with two overtimes and Oregon won 32-26. The last game between these teams was in 2009 at Autzen Stadium. This was the highest-scoring game, which the Ducks won 38-36.
Purdue’s long football history includes the founding of the Big Ten Conference in 1896, which also included Illinois, Michigan, Chicago (withdrew in 1936), Minnesota, Wisconsin and Northwestern. Purdue’s on-field successes span a considerable period of time, most of it in the late 1990s.
Purdue has produced a number of well-known athletes, including running back Mike Alstott, Purdue’s all-time leading runner, and quarterback Drew Brees (1997-2000), but the Boilermakers were unable to find the talent needed to compete for a Big Ten championship before hiring Jeff Brohm in 2017.
In six seasons as Purdue’s head coach, Brohm built a tradition of winning at West Lafayette, leading the team to four bowl appearances and three stunning victories over top-five teams. Brohm’s Boilermakers captured the first Big Ten West title in school history and advanced to the 2022 Big Ten Championship. Brohm left for Louisville after that season, and Purdue hired Ryan Walters, who went 4-8 in his first season.
While there is optimism that Walters can rebuild the Boilermakers team, it is unlikely that this will happen in 2024. Purdue is ranked 18th in ESPN’s College Football Power Index (FPI). All of this could be a big win for the Ducks in West Lafayette.
WINNABLE: UCLA hosts Oregon on September 28
These two teams have met on the field 72 times since 1928. The Bruins have 40 victories while Oregon has won 32. The last meeting was on October 22, 2022, when Oregon took a clear 45-30 victory. It is also worth noting that the Ducks have a record of 18-16 in home games against UCLA and 14-24 away.
This game is one of two this season against former Pac-12 rivals that have moved to the Big Ten (Washington is the second) and should therefore be familiar to the Ducks. However, former Oregon and UCLA coach Chip Kelly left the Bruins to work as offensive coordinator at Ohio State University, prompting the Bruins to hire DeShaun Foster as their new head coach. In addition, the Bruins lost highly-rated defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn in a move to USC. As a result, Foster is faced with a near-complete rebuild on both sides of the ball with new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe.
As if the coaching changes weren’t enough, UCLA’s schedule is expected to be just as difficult as that of other Big Ten teams. UCLA plays LSU in a non-conference game and then faces Big Ten opponents such as Oregon, Penn State, Nebraska, Iowa, Washington and USC.
In terms of on-field talent, UCLA’s cupboard is not completely bare. UCLA lost 15 players to the transfer portal but signed 16, including four-star transfer QB Dermaricus Davis (Washington) and WR Rico Flores from Notre Dame. On defense, safety Bryan Addison left the Ducks and signed with UCLA. The Bruins also return starting quarterback Ethan Garbers, who won the job ahead of Dante Moore, who subsequently landed in Eugene as a transfer portal signee for the Ducks.
Suffice it to say, UCLA is facing a period of change at nearly every level of the organization. Several preseason polls show the Bruins posting a four- or five-win season and missing a bowl game. Additionally, UCLA is ranked No. 12 in ESPN’s College Football Power Index for the Big Ten.
Unfortunately for Bruin fans, the only obvious advantage over Oregon is their home record, so we see this as another big win for coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks.
WINNABLE: Wisconsin welcomes the Ducks on November 16 at Camp Randall Stadium
This game will likely be Oregon’s second biggest challenge after a trip to Michigan’s Big House on November 2. Duck fans pride themselves on the atmosphere they bring to Autzen Stadium, but they will be challenged by Badger fans, as in this quote from The New York Times.
“There are a lot of wild stadiums in college football … but perhaps none rocks more than Camp Randall in Wisconsin.”
While that may be true, Coach Lanning has already begun preparing his team for the noise level at games like this one. He recently began amplifying the crowd noise at practice.
“We have to be better at playing,” coach Lanning said recently. “We’ve really been working on that the last few days. I think that’s really good. We have to keep putting more and more crowd noise on our guys so they get used to it. We had a lot of that today.”
When asked why it was so loud, he replied:
“Just because we’re going to play in some loud stadiums. Our stadium is a loud stadium when our defense is out there, right? The communication between coach and player is a little different. How are you going to use that? And what’s that going to look like on the field?”
In the games between these two teams, both teams recorded three wins and three losses.
The first game was played in Eugene in 1977 and ended with a 22-10 victory for the Badgers. In fact, Wisconsin won the first three games (22-19 in Madison in September 1978 and 27-23 in September 2000 at Camp Randall). The Ducks won the next three games (31-28 in Eugene in 2001, 45-38 in January 2012 and 28-27 in January 2020). Of course, Ducks fans know that those last two wins came in the Rose Bowl. This is certainly a limited sample size, but based on the head-to-head matchups, neither has an advantage.
Wisconsin has long been known as a well-coached team and a formidable opponent. Yet many may not have noticed the recent dip in performance. Consider that there has been a significant decline after the great years of the late 1990s through 2019. The Badgers went 4-3 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, 9-4 in 2021 (after a 1-3 start), 7-6 in 2022, which led to the firing of coach Paul Chryst, and 7-6 last year.
What bothered fans was the team’s failure to meet admittedly high expectations for 2023. This was coach Luke Fickell’s first year and he finished with seven wins but had a relatively weak schedule that included losses to Northwestern and Indiana.
Wisconsin lost 23 players to the transfer portal and signed only 15. The good news is that they have taken care of key positions, including signing a transfer quarterback from Miami, Tyler Van Dyke, who is projected to be a starter this year.
Wisconsin also has a schedule this year that will challenge Fickell and his team. The Badgers will play Alabama in a non-conference game and will face teams like USC, Penn State, Iowa and of course Oregon. The Badgers are ranked 11th in the Big Ten in ESPN’s College Football Power Index.
After everything that’s happened recently, Wisconsin is definitely in for a rebuilding year, which doesn’t help when you’re playing against a team like Oregon. The Ducks will have to play well in a loud environment to come out on top, but we think this game is winnable.
MORE: Oregon Ducks on BIG Ten Network: How to watch, free code
MORE: Oregon Ducks snubbed in competition for best college town
MORE: Denver Broncos’ Sean Payton announces timeline for naming starting quarterback as Bo Nix thrives
MORE: NBA champion Payton Pritchard marries Youtuber, Blake Griffin is a referee
MORE: Updated recruiting rankings: Oregon Ducks quarterback newcomer Akili Smith Jr. drops
