This isn’t your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it’s my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they’re good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Oregon lands in my Ultimate 136.
Oregon ranking: 3
Last year’s ranking: 4
Top player: DB Dillon Thieneman: Led all Big Ten defensive backs with 104 total tackles last year with Purdue; was an AP third-team All-American as a freshman in 2023.
RJ’s take: Combine a sweetheart schedule with a program that has won 10 or more games in the Pac-12 and Big Ten across the last five full seasons, and you’re likely to get more of the same. The Ducks are 25-3 over the last two years.
The most challenging game on Oregon’s schedule this season is at Penn State, a team they know they can beat. The following week, the Ducks will play an Indiana team that has to cross two time zones in Eugene. Yes, they’ve got a cross-country flight from Eugene to Piscataway to play Rutgers, but you’re not going to pick against the Ducks there. No one will.
With Dante Moore viewed as the presumptive favorite to win the starting QB job and the addition of five-star WR Dakorien Moore and transfers Dillon Thieneman and Bear Alexander, the Ducks have a chance to win back-to-back Big Ten titles.
It was difficult for Oregon fans to watch their program go 13-0 in 2024, only to get freight-trained in the College Football Playoff semifinals by an Ohio State team that went on to win the national title. With their 2025 schedule, the Ducks ought to be favored in every game they play outside their game at Penn State. And I’ll pick them to win that game right now.
So, fans are right to ask if this is the year Oregon could win its first national title. The air is thin at the top, but the more often you try to summit the mountain, the better your chances.
Oregon Win Total Odds: Over 10.5 (+120) Under 10.5 (-148)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school’s rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I’ll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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