Oregon
Oregon Ducks ‘Best Bet’ To Win Big Ten Championship Game? College Football Odds
How will the Oregon Ducks fair in their first season in the Big Ten conference? The Ducks have hit the weight room in preparation to play National Championship contenders in the Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines and other elite teams.
The Buckeyes are looking to win their first Big Ten Title since 2020, while Oregon also won it’s last (Pac-12) conference championship in 2020.
The Ducks and Buckeyes each have team total wins set at 10.5 and Ohio State has the best-odds to win the Big Ten Championship game.
However, Oregon is a “best bet” to win the Big Ten Championship game at +250 odds, according to FanDuel. The reasoning? Oregon’s favorable schedule and high-flying passing attack.
As far as tough Big Ten road games go, Ohio State’s slate is tougher than the Ducks, Ohio State plays at Oregon, Penn State and Michigan, while Oregon’s schedule appears slightly easier with home-field advantage vs. the Buckeyes and a tough road matchup at Michigan.
On offense, Oregon welcomes two of the top transfer portal athletes in quarterback Dillon Gabriel and receiver Evan Stewart. Both fill needs for Oregon, who saw quarterback Bo Nix and top-receiver Troy Franklin both drafted to the Denver Broncos on the 2024 NFL Draft.
Gabriel and Stewart have established chemistry this offseason and Stewart says Gabriel is the most-talented quarterback he’s played with.
“I’ve never really had a quarterback of his caliber, I’ll put it that way,” Stewart said. “As in years-wise, him being a senior, and him seeing a lot and playing with a lot of dudes who I’ve heard of and looked up to. It’s definitely a good thing to watch every single day of how he prepares himself and how he handles his business.”
Veteran wide receiver Tez Johnson and tight end Terrance Ferguson add explosiveness to Ducks offensive coordinator Will Stein’s exciting offense.
An exciting roster and innovative coaching staff equals high expectations and “best bets.”
The Big Ten expanded to 18 teams in 2024 – adding Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA – making it the largest conference in college football. Another change to this season is the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, opening up competition and creating more meaningful games later in the season.
If Oregon is to win the Big Ten Championship game, the Ducks would get a berth into the College Football Playoff.
The Ducks narrowly missed the CFP in 2023, suffering a loss to the Washington Huskies in the Pac-12 Championship game.
In 2024, expect the unexpected for Oregon’s offense.
“(Will Stein) has some crazy trick plays, always. He’s drawing up on a napkin somewhere in a restaurant,” said tight end Terrance Ferguson to Oregon Ducks SI’s Bri Amaranthus. “Coach Stein’s done a great job of being creative like that. And he really thrives in trying to get the players the ball in space. And I think that’s really the best thing you can do.”
Oregon kicks off the 2024 season vs. Idaho on Aug. 31 in Autzen Stadium (4:30 p.m. PT, Big Ten Network).
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MORE: Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State Game Time Released, Prime Time Big Ten Matchup
MORE: Marcus Mariota Sharing ‘Gold’ With Washington Rookie Quarterback Jayden Daniels
MORE: Former College Football Coach Regrets Letting Dan Lanning Take New Job
MORE: Oregon Ducks Quarterback Dillon Gabriel Signs Exclusive NIL Deal
MORE: Why the Purdue Boilermakers are the Scariest Oregon Ducks Opponent this Fall
Odds update periodically and are subject to change.
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The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
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‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
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