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The Oregon Ducks are attempting to continue their newfound momentum after winning the Big Ten title this past season.
Although the Ducks remain a popular pick to repeat as champions, not all college football pundits are sold that they are the team to beat. In fact, according to Badgers Wire's Ben Kenney, taking the Ducks to make a deep playoff run may not be a wise choice.
"We predict Oregon to narrowly miss the CFP in 2025," Kenny wrote. It may be a reset year for the team after all of the stars aligned in 2024. With new faces across the field, it's hard to see the Ducks delivering the same big-game performances that they did against Ohio State (regular-season), Penn State (Big Ten title game) and others."
CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli tends to be agreement with Kenny regarding the Ducks, but given that quarterback Dante Moore is fully at the controls after taking over for recently-drafted Dillon Gabriel, Fornelli wrote it's hard to write off the Ducks as a conference title contender.
"The Ducks allowed 143 points in four games against playoff teams last season, and you can't win national titles if you allow that many points against elite teams," Fornelli wrote. "The buzz coming out of Eugene this offseason is they won't in 2025. Dan Lanning's staff has recruited well since taking over, and many expect the fruits of that labor to be evident this season, particularly on defense, where this team is stacked with talent at all three levels."
Oregon finished this past season by earning a first-round bye before losing the Rose Bowl to eventual national champion Ohio State. While it may not be considered a failure, it is certainly a shortcoming from what Lanning's teams, at least thus far, have strived to achieve.
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Once August gets underway, the Ducks will certainly have better ground to see where they sit amongst the elite teams in the sport.
For now, though, there is certainly some work to be done before a verdict is reached.
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