As part of our preseason coverage, we ranked the top defenses that the Oregon Ducks will face across the 2025 regular season.
For the Oregon Ducks, the 2025 college football season will be one of great interest. After a 2024 season in which Dan Lanning's team won the Big Ten Conference in its first year as a league member, expectations were set high. Now, with an almost entirely new-look roster that returns just four starters, there are a lot of questions to be answered.
We have less than a month until those questions will start to be answered, and as we continue our preview coverage of the upcoming season, we want to begin examining the Ducks' schedule and some of the players, teams, and coaches they will face over the coming months.
As we continue to look into the upcoming season, we want to focus on the defensive side of the ball and figure out which teams on the schedule pose the biggest threat as far as slowing down the Ducks goes. Here's a look at the best and worst defenses that the Ducks will face in the 2025 season.
12. Montana State Bobcats
2024 Stats: 18.25 PPG Allowed // 305.4 YPG Allowed
Analysis: Montana State had a good defense in the FCS a year ago, but they've seen significant turnover this past offseason, losing their top six defensive backs from last season. They also watched 2022 All-American defensive tackle Sebastian Valquez transfer to the Washington Huskies, while LB Cole Bullock transferred to New Hampshire. However, they did bring in former Nevada CB Bryson Parker, who will help in the secondary. However, the Bobcats won't have the talent to compete with the Ducks on August 30.
11. Oklahoma State Cowboys
2024 Stats: 35.6 PPG Allowed // 500.6 YPG Allowed
Analysis: The Cowboys had one of the worst defenses in the nation a year ago, allowing the 8th most points per game in the entire FBS. Things aren't going to get much easier this year, with several transfers leaving the program, including Kendal Daniels, who left for Oklahoma, and Justin Kirland, who left for BYU. While Oklahoma State did add Kyran Huhon from UTEP and former Oregon Duck Jaylin Davies, the Ducks should be able to put up some points in this game.
10. Oregon State Beavers
2024 Stats: 29.9 PPG Allowed // 399.9 YPG Allowed
Analysis: The Beavers may take a step forward in the second year under former defensive coordinator Tren Bray, but they still are lacking the top-end talent to compete with Oregon. They lost Oluwaseyi Omotosho to West Virginia, but were able to add Raesjon Davis from USC, which will boost the LB corps.
9. Northwestern Wildcats
2024 Stats: 26.3 PPG Allowed // 361.8 YPG Allowed
Analysis: The Ducks took one of the best players on Northwestern's team from last year, CB Theran Johnson, which will be a tough blow for the Wildcats. Northwestern also saw Devin Turner transfer to Arizona, while Coco Azema graduated. On the flip side, the Wildcats added a few solid additions in the secondary, and got pass rushers Aidan Hubbard and Anto Saka, helping the front seven.
8. Wisconsin Badgers
2024 Stats: 23.1 PPG Allowed // 342.7 YPG Allowed
Analysis: One of the biggest transfers in all of college football this past offseason left Wisconsin on the losing end, with safety Xavier Lucas going to the Miami Hurricanes. In total, the Badgers saw 13 defensive players transfer out of the program this year, but they were able to add Jay'Viar Suggs from LSU and Mason Reiger from Louisville. On top of that, Tackett Curtis returns, along with Ricardo Hallman, so the Badgers should still be a solid unit.
7. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
2024 Stats: 25.4 PPG Allowed // 393.8 YPG Allowed
Analysis: The Scarlet Knights saw Mohamed Toure, the sack leader from last year, leave for Miami this season, while CB Robert Longerbeam departed for the NFL. However, they were able to add CB Cam Miller from Penn State, and will hope to build off of a solid 2024 season on this side of the ball.
6. Indiana Hoosiers
2024 Stats: 15.6 PPG Allowed // 257.2 YPG Allowed
Analysis: Indiana had one of the top defenses in the nation last year, but that was aided in large part by a relatively weak Big Ten schedule. This year, Indiana's front line got hit hard by graduations, and the safety spot got thinned out a little bit. Big Ten honorable mention linebacker Jailin Walk transferred out, but a returning trio of D'Angelo Ponds, Jamari Sharpe, and Jamier Johnson at CB will help in 2025.
5. Washington Huskies
2024 Stats: 23.8 PPG Allowed // 328.4 YPG Allowed
Analysis: Washington saw their defensive coordinator, Steve Belichick, leave for North Carolina, and a few players followed, including freshman All-American LB Khmari House and CB Thad Dixon. However, the Huskies scored in the portal by adding former Arizona CB Tacario Davis and LB Jacob Manu, and they should benefit from the second year under Jedd Fisch and have a solid unit.
4. Iowa Hawkeyes
2024 Stats: 17.8 PPG Allowed // 318.4 YPG Allowed
Analysis: Year in and year out, the Iowa Hawkeyes can always be penciled in as having an elite defense. That likely won't change in 2025, though Iowa will have to deal with the loss of unanimous All-American linebacker and Doak Walker finalist Jay Higgins, who the Baltimore Ravens drafted. The Hawkeyes did add freshman DT Bryce Hawthorn, and return starters like Aaron Graves, Ethan Hurkett, and Max Llewellyn.
3. USC Trojans
2024 Stats: 24.1 PPG Allowed // 377.1 YPG Allowed
Analysis: Fans may look at USC being this high on the list and laugh, but the Trojans might be able to make some noise on the defensive side of the ball this year. D'Anton Lynn is heading into his second year as the defensive coordinator, and the Trojans added the likes of Keeshawn Silver from Kentucky and Jamaal Jarrett from Georgia. On top of that, they got safety Kennedy Urlacher, the son of Brian Urlacher, from Notre Dame, and Bishop Fitzgerald from NC State. Lincoln Riley's history of elite defenses is not great, but this could be a year where the Trojans at least improve on that side of the ball.
2. Minnesota Golden Gophers
2024 Stats: 16.9 PPG Allowed // 285.7 YPG Allowed
Analysis: While Minnesota saw both LB Cody Lindenberg and CB Justin Walley get drafted, they do return safety Koi Perich, one of the best defensive backs in the nation. On top of that, both DE Anthony Smith and DT Deven Eastern return up front as well, giving PJ Fleck another solid unit that could surprise a lot of people in the Big Ten.
1. Penn State Nittany Lions
2024 Stats: 16.5 PPG Allowed // 294.8 YPG Allowed
Analysis: There should be no question as to who the best defense on Oregon's schedule is. Penn State is loaded on that side of the ball once again, despite losing Abdul Carter, Kobe King, Jalen Kimber, and Kevin Winston Jr. all to the NFL. Dani Dennis-Sutton returns, and the Nittany Lions were able to add safety King Mack from Alabama. Most importantly, though, Penn State hired former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, making him the highest-paid coordinator in all of college football. This will be not only the best defense on Oregon's schedule, but arguably the best in the Big Ten, and one of the best in the nation as well.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Every defense on Oregon Ducks' 2025 schedule, ranked by production
Category: General Sports
