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Big Ten Game of the Week: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 20 Illinois

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Big Ten Game of the Week: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 20 Illinois


Illinois and Oregon are teams that entered the 2024 season with entirely different expectations.

The Ducks were seen as a team that could compete not only for the Big Ten championship but also for the national championship, while Illinois was expected to be in the middle of the pack in the conference. Fast forward seven games and Oregon is the number-one team in the country, while Illinois is ranked 20th and is sitting at 6–1.

The Ducks are No. 1 for the first time since 2012, but their head coach Dan Lanning had a simple response to his team’s new ranking. 

“Who cares,” Lanning said.

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It is safe to say the Fighting Illini care that they have a chance to knock off the top-ranked team in the country. They have not even had the chance to face the nation’s top ranked team since 2007 when they beat Ohio State on the road 28–21. This year’s Fighting Illini are looking to repeat that magic.

The Ducks have several different offensive weapons that can keep a defensive coordinator up at night. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is the most experienced starting quarterback in the country and is a Heisman Trophy candidate. His top receiving duo of Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart is a rare combination of speed and skill that most teams do not possess.

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer has been one of the most efficient passers in the country this season. He has 1,506 passing yards with 15 touchdowns and just one interception. His ability to keep the ball out of harm’s way is part of the reason Illinois has had so much success this season. Nevertheless, the Illinois defense will have plenty of trouble containing the Ducks on offense, which means Altmyer will need to make a lot of plays himself.

Will this game end up being another win for Oregon on their march toward Indianapolis? Or will it be a landmark victory for Illinois and an announcement that they are also joining the party as a true Big Ten contender?

MORE: McMaster’s Big Ten Football Power Rankings After Week 8

MORE: Nebraska Football Preview: No. 4 Ohio State

MORE: Analytics Preview: Nebraska Football at Ohio State

MORE: Week 9 College Football Matchups to Watch

MORE: I-80 Club: Are We Done Having a Good Time?

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

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There’s Good News: A beaver birthday celebration at the Oregon Zoo!

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There’s Good News: A beaver birthday celebration at the Oregon Zoo!


PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Zoo’s favorite “branch manager” celebrated a milestone this week, turning 15 years old.  Despite his age, Filbert is still active and doing well. According to the zoo, his care team is keeping him moving with extra swim time and creative training sessions — even spreading out snacks to encourage him



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5-star QB Will Mencl reveals what led to Oregon commitment

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5-star QB Will Mencl reveals what led to Oregon commitment


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.

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“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.

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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.



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Wine Enthusiast names 2 Oregon sparkling wines among best

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Wine Enthusiast names 2 Oregon sparkling wines among best


‘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.

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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.

Corollary Wines’ 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rose Pinot Noir scored a spot on Wine Enthusiast’s list of the top 40 sparkling wines of 2026 (Courtesy Corollary Wines).

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.

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Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.

Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brit Rose Pinot Noir Chardonnay was named among the top 40 sparkling wines of 2026 by Wine Enthusiast (Courtesy Lytle-Barnett, Lester Tsai).

“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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