Oregon
Big Ten Power Rankings: Oregon Ducks Holding Off Ohio State Buckeyes for No.1 Spot
The Oregon Ducks had a bye over the weekend. They hold on to the top spot in the Big Ten Power Rankings even after Ohio States’ dominating performance over Indiana.
The Oregon Ducks had a bye week as they get ready for their rivalry matchup vs. Washington on Saturday. The No.1 team in the land remains on top.
Next Game: 11/30 vs. Washington
Ohio State showed that are the clear cut No. 2 team in the Big Ten with their 38-15 win over Indiana. If Ohio State can beat Michigan next week, they will get another crack at Oregon in the Big Ten Title Game.
Next Game: 11/30 vs. Michigan
Penn State squeaked out a 26-25 win over Minnesota on the road. The Golden Gophers have been playing well, so this was not an easy game by any means. If the Nittany Lions can beat Maryland next week, they will likely be hosting a College Football Playoff home game in round one.
Next Game: 11/30 vs. Maryland
Indiana got a reality check on Saturday. They got throttled by Ohio State 38-15 and are clearly not on the level of the top teams in the Big Ten. However, if they win their final game vs. Purdue, they will be 11-1 and in a good position to get into the playoff.
Next Game: 11/30 vs. Purdue
The Illini have rebounded after their two game losing skid. Illinois has beaten Michigan State and Rutgers in back to back weeks. They have proven to be the fifth-best team in the Big Ten all season long.
Next Game: 11/30 at Northwestern
Year in and year out, Iowa is one of the most consistent teams in the country. The Hawkeyes have not finished below .500 in the regular season under coach Kirk Ferentz since 2000. Here they are again with 7 wins heading into the last week of the regular season.
Next Game: 11/29 vs. Nebraska
Minnesota is addicted to playing in one possession games. The Golden Gophers have played seven one-score games and have a record of 3-4 in those games. They are what their record says they are.
Next Game: 11/29 at Wisconsin
Washington had a bye this week. Can they shock the world at Oregon on Saturday? They have already clinched a bowl game berth under coach Jedd Fisch’s first year as a Husky.
Next Game: 11/30 at Oregon
USC defeated rival UCLA 19-13. The Trojans may be 6-5 on the season, but are 2-0 with Jayden Maiava at quarterback. They have avoided the complete disaster of missing out on a bowl game in 2024.
Next Game: 11/30 vs. Notre Dame
The Wolverines curb stomped Northwestern 50-6, and it got them back into the top ten. This is a very average football team, but their toughness and rushing attack allow them to beat up on inferior teams.
Next Game: 11/30 at Ohio State
Dropped from Rankings: Rutgers
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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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