Fresh off a statement win at USC, the Oregon Ducks eye a home victory against an undefeated UCLA Bruins squad.
Fresh off a huge 41-27 win at USC, the Oregon Ducks are a perfect 1-0 in Big Ten play.
Remember, this is an Oregon team that dropped a surprising game at Oklahoma State, 39-31, and they've been trying to recover ever since.
They may have obliterated Portland State the week after, 84-0, but that doesn't make up for one of the biggest upsets in recent history.
Going to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and taking care of business against the Trojans was quite impressive, especially since backup quarterback Dylan Raiola had to play most of that game.
Now, they have a week to recover, and it couldn't have come at a better time with Dante Moore dealing with a concussion.
There's a world where Moore returns on Saturday, Oct. 10, against UCLA, a game that could be another crucial top-25 showdown.
UCLA also has a bye this week
Barring any crazy circumstances where UCLA falls from No. 23 to out of the top 25 entirely during their bye week, this game should give the Ducks another chance to have a ranked win on their resume.
Seeing as both teams have this week off, that makes for an extremely interesting showdown, as it's not often that both teams' byes are aligned.
In this scenario, UCLA is a perfect 4-0 (2-0), having demolished Maryland on the road by 51 points.
Keep in mind, the Bruins' opponents are a combined 6-10, so there's no doubt this game at Oregon is the biggest test of their young season.
Oregon hasn't lost a game at home since Oct. 11, 2025
The last time fans at Autzen Stadium saw the Ducks drop a game was nearly one year ago to the date of when this UCLA game will be played.
On Oct. 11, 2025, No. 7 Indiana came to town and won, 30-20. This was a game that was tied at 20 in the fourth quarter, but the eventual National Champions pulled away in the final six minutes.
When focusing on the UCLA game, ESPN Analytics gives Oregon an 84.9% chance to win. Obviously, those odds could be shifted if Moore doesn't play, but Raiola has more than held his own during the few games he's appeared in this season.
UCLA is in their second year with Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava, but Oregon can't sleep on one of the most dominant running backs in the nation: Wayne Knight.
Knight is sixth in the nation with 445 rushing yards and is tied for second with nine touchdowns. If that's not impressive enough, he's tied for fifth with an astonishing average of 9.1 yards per carry.
