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).
MORE: Bo Nix Serious Contender For NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
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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Oregon
Former corrections officer sentenced in major Oregon poaching case spanning multiple counties
UMATILLA COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) — A yearslong investigation by the Oregon State Police (OSP), in addition to the Fish and Wildlife Division, has resulted in significant penalties for an Umatilla man accused of illegally killing wildlife across Oregon, in what prosecutors describe as one of the most damaging serial poaching cases tied to a single individual.
Christopher George Matson, 48, was sentenced in two separate cases in June following an investigation that began in 2024, when authorities received information he was unlawfully taking big game animals. Matson is a former Oregon Department of Corrections officer.
In February 2025, investigators served a search warrant and seized multiple big game animals and firearms as evidence. In total, 67 criminal charges were referred for prosecution, spanning multiple counties and including allegations such as unlawful take and possession of black bear with the aid of bait, unlawful take of buck deer and antlerless elk, and hunting during prohibited hours. Additional charges included falsely applying for tags, loaning or borrowing big game tags, and unlawful possession of silencers and a short-barreled rifle.
The case was prosecuted by the Oregon Department of Justice’s Wildlife Anti-Poaching Resource Prosecutor.
On June 18, 2026, Matson pleaded guilty in Grant County Circuit Court to seven counts, including unlawful take of buck deer and black bear. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation, a lifetime hunting license revocation, 300 hours of community service, forfeiture of firearms and seized property, and a $52,500 fine payable to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Less than two weeks later, on June 29, Matson pleaded guilty in Umatilla County Circuit Court to additional charges, including unlawful possession of a short-barreled rifle, unlawful possession of a silencer, unlawful possession of multiple wildlife, and unlawful take of mule deer. In that case, he was sentenced to 24 months of probation, a lifetime hunting ban, 300 hours of community service to run concurrently, forfeiture of property, and a $62,000 fine.
Combined, the penalties include probation, a lifetime revocation of hunting privileges, 300 hours of community service and more than $114,000 in fines.
“This is another example of serial poaching which rises to the level of felony conduct based solely on the repeated poaching conduct and impact of one individual on Oregon’s game mammals,” said Jay Hall, the Oregon Department of Justice’s Wildlife Anti-Poaching Resource Prosecutor. “The conduct across the several counties amounts to one of the highest damage amounts done to Oregon wildlife by any singular actor.”
Oregon State Police credited the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for assisting with interviews and evidence collection, along with multiple witnesses who came forward during the investigation.
WILSONVILLE, Ore. (CNN) – Under the cover of the night sky, a bear took a jaunt around an Oregon town. Its presumed search for a snack was interrupted by a police officer’s bright spotlight.
For the next few minutes, the officer followed the bear as it sauntered down the road, even making sure the animal didn’t dart into the road.
Eventually, video shows the officer corralled the black bear and escorted it to a nearby river where it would be safer.
Copyright 2026 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The summer solstice, which marks the astronomical beginning of Summer, is also considered the longest day of the year– meaning daytime hours are longer while nighttime hours are shorter.
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This is because the summer solstice marks when the Northern Hemisphere is closest to the sun.
In Washington and Oregon, we will lose about 50 minutes by the end of July. But in the southern United States, that change is reduced.
For example, in Florida, they will lose about 20 minutes by the end of the month.
As Earth continues to orbit around the sun while rotating on its axis, the Northern Hemisphere will eventually be faced away from the sun as we approach winter solstice on December 21, 2026.
While we are losing daylight, we will not be losing any sunshine. High temperatures on Sunday will end in the lower 80s and Tuesday’s high could be closer to 90.
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