Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are coming off a perfect regular season and their first Big Ten Championship in program history.
Still, heading into this fall, there’s already doubt creeping in. A year removed from dominating the conference, the Ducks are being viewed more like challengers than favorites.
At least that’s what BetMGM suggests, giving Oregon the third-best odds to win the Big Ten at +350.
The Ducks trail Penn State—who came one win shy of the national title—and Ohio State, the betting favorite after knocking off Notre Dame to win it all. With so many changes across all three programs, it’s easy to understand why Penn State is in the conversation.
But Ohio State?
Champions or not, the Buckeyes lost a ton of talent. They’ll now turn to first-year starter Julian Sayin to take over under center after Will Howard declared for the NFL Draft.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Ohio State sits at +190, while Oregon sits at +350. That feels like too wide a gap, especially when you could argue the Ducks return both the best roster and the best quarterback in the Big Ten.
That quarterback? Dante Moore.
The former five-star recruit and UCLA starter steps in after strong seasons from both Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel under Lanning. Moore’s already shown he can handle the spotlight, and now he’s surrounded by one of the deepest, most balanced rosters in the country. Oregon isn’t just reloading—they’re already built to win now.
And yet, they’re still not being treated like the team to beat.
Maybe it’s recency bias. Maybe it’s the national pull of the Ohio State brand. But when November rolls around, don’t be surprised if it’s the Ducks—not the Buckeyes—back on top of the Big Ten.