Oregon
Heisman Trophy Odds Updated: Colorado’s Travis Hunter Leads Field, Dillon Gabriel
With only a few games remaining in the college football season, the race for the Heisman Trophy is heating up. After a tough 16-13 win against the Wisconsin Badgers on the road, it appears that the No. 1 Oregon Ducks’ quarterback Dillon Gabriel is falling behind the other three Heisman candidates.
Gabriel’s betting odds to win the Heisman Trophy average from +2200 to +2500. Ahead of Gabriel is Miami senior quarterback Cam Ward (+1400), junior running back from Boise State Ashton Jeanty (+350), and Colorado’s junior cornerback and wide receiver double-threat Travis Hunter (+100). Hunter is favored by every available betting odds website to win the Heisman entering Week 12.
Gabriel falling behind in the Heisman race can be directly attributed to Oregon’s game against the Badgers, which was Gabriel’s worst performance of the season. For the first time this season, Gabriel did not throw for a passing touchdown. Gabriel completed 22-31 passes for 218 yards and an interception. He also struggled with mid to deep ball targets, only hitting 43% of targets over 15-yards.
Typically known for his legs, Gabriel’s rushing attempts fell flat due to the Badgers’ defense. Gabriel picked up seven yards on 11 rushing attempts, with his last four rushing plays of the game all picking up negative yards.
“I thought we moved the ball really well early,” Gabriel said in his post game press conference. “Thought we had some good things going early. And getting the first first [down], and moving it that way, but just struggled sometimes in third downs and then taking negatives on my end. So all that doesn’t help in playing efficient. But I think you look at certain drives when we needed it, I thought we played really well.”
Where the Oregon offense and Gabriel really struggled was converting third downs. Oregon was 5-15 on third downs, with three of those failed attempts coming on incompletions from Gabriel. Though the third down conversion problem can also be traced to the shut-down of the run game by the Badgers, those three incompletions were crucial.
However, there were still some amazing plays made by the Heisman hopeful this game. Entering the fourth quarter, the Ducks were on a fourth down on Wisconsin’s 41-yard line. Instead of punting, coach Dan Lanning trusted Gabriel to convert on a fourth down.
Gabriel scrambled left to find a target, sent a pass flying through three different Wisconsin defenders, and landed it right in the hands of tight end Terrance Ferguson for a 15-yard first down. This conversion directly set up a Jordan James 11-yard rushing touchdown three plays later, the Ducks’ only touchdown drive of the game.
“Find a way,” Gabriel said during the postgame broadcast on FOX. “Whatever it takes. We had a bunch of unselfish players that want to win. It didn’t look the way maybe people thought it would, but that ‘W’ on the scoreboard is all that matters.”
The Wisconsin game was Gabriel’s 60th career start, the most amongst current FBS quarterbacks. He also broke the NCAA total touchdown record against Maryland with 179 touchdowns.
MORE: Oregon Ducks, Wisconsin Badgers Officiating ‘Consistently Wrong’: Bad Penalty Calls
MORE: Wisconsin Badgers Coach Luke Fickell Takes Blame For Oregon Ducks Loss
MORE: Oregon Ducks Clinch Big Ten Championship Game Berth With Win Over Wisconsin
MORE: Oregon Ducks’ Dan Lanning Shares Injury Update on Jamaree Caldwell After Wisconsin Win
MORE: Oregon Ducks Five-Star Commit Trey McNutt Visiting Texas A&M Aggies: Flip Looms?
MORE: Oregon Ducks, Wisconsin Injury Report: Jordan Burch, Jordan James, Tez Johnson
MORE: Oregon Ducks Commit Dakorien Moore Recruiting Texas Longhorn Transfer Johntay Cook II
MORE: Georgia Bulldogs’ Kirby Smart Jabs Pat McAfee’s Man Crush on Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning
MORE: Los Angeles Chargers Quarterback Justin Herbert Earns New Nickname From Jim Harbaugh
MORE: Ohio State Buckeyes Commit Chris Henry Jr. Flip To Oregon Ducks? Recruiting Flip Push
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.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
‘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.
-
Colorado23 seconds ago
Federal judge orders release of family of man charged in Colorado firebomb attack
-
Connecticut6 minutes agoNew Haven’s Chapel Street shift from one-way to two-way traffic brings confusion, concerns
-
Delaware12 minutes agoDelaware State football player sues DeSean Jackson, school after alleged locker room assault
-
Florida18 minutes agoFlorida Lottery Powerball, Lotto, Fantasy 5 results for April 22, 2026
-
Georgia24 minutes agoWildfires rage across Georgia and northern Florida amid severe drought
-
Hawaii30 minutes agoBench in Honokaʻa to Hilo storefront: Knickknackery Hawaii brings old-time island charm to Hilo
-
Idaho36 minutes agoIdaho ranks last in per pupil spending, again – Local News 8
-
Illinois42 minutes agoArlington Heights Bears fans cheer as ‘Megaprojects’ bill passes Illinois House