Oregon
Ranking the Oregon Ducks’ 2025 opponents by smartest teams on the schedule
When looking ahead to the Oregon Ducks’ schedule in the 2025 college football season, there are a number of ways to break down the future opponents. Whether you want to look at historical records between the teams, preseason rankings, coaching imbalances, or player matchups, this is the time of year when we look ahead and break down what’s to come.
Today, we want to look at things through a different lens, though. The question we aim to answer right now isn’t about who is the best team that Oregon will play in 2025, but rather who is the smartest?
While brains off the field may not always translate to brawn on it, it’s a fun way to look at Oregon’s schedule in a different light, and see where the Ducks stack up against their opponents this coming season when it comes to academic prowess and enrollment.
As a new member of the Big Ten, it’s clear when looking at the numbers from the U.S. News and World Report that the Ducks are swimming in a bigger pond when it comes to book smarts in the conference. Here’s a look at where all the teams on Oregon’s 2025 schedule rank in terms of smarts.
For reference, the University of Oregon is ranked as the No. 411 school in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report.
No. 12 — Montana State Bobcats
Date: Week 1, August 30
Opponent Academic Ranking: No. 839
Opponent Enrollment: 14,162
No. 11 — Oklahoma State Cowboys
Date: Week 2, September 6
Opponent Academic Ranking: No. 747
Opponent Enrollment: 26,000
No. 10 — Oregon State Beavers
Date: Week 4, September 20
Opponent Academic Ranking: No. 399
Opponent Enrollment: 36,000
No. 9 — Iowa Hawkeyes
Date: Week 11, November 8
Opponent Academic Ranking: No. 238
Opponent Enrollment: 28,380
No. 8 — Indiana Hoosiers
Date: Week 7, October 11
Opponent Academic Ranking: No. 163
Opponent Enrollment: 67,520
No. 7 — Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Date: Week 8, October 18
Opponent Academic Ranking: No. 156
Opponent Enrollment: 16,826
No. 6 — Penn State Nittany Lions
Date: Week 5, September 27
Opponent Academic Ranking: No. 91
Opponent Enrollment: 42,000
No. 5 — USC Trojans
Date: Week 13, November 22
Opponent Academic Ranking: No. 77
Opponent Enrollment: 42,840
No. 4 — Wisconsin Badgers
Date: Week 9, October 25
Opponent Academic Ranking: No. 72
Opponent Enrollment: 45,254
No. 3 — Minnesota Golden Gophers
Date: Week 12, November 14
Opponent Academic Ranking: No. 72
Opponent Enrollment: 45,082
No. 2 — Northwestern Wildcats
Date: Week 3, September 13
Opponent Academic Ranking: No. 24
Opponent Enrollment: 20,238
No. 1 — Washington Huskies
Date: Week 13, November 29
Opponent Academic Ranking: No. 8
Opponent Enrollment: 49,524
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