Oregon State Football Opponent Preview: Oregon

With the start of the 2023 season just around the corner, BeaversEdge kicks off the first in an opponent preview series diving into all 12 of Oregon State's opponents in 2023...

Up next is the final regular season matchup of the year, a road matchup with the Oregon Ducks...

THE GAME

Date: Friday, November, 24th

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Location: Autzen Stadium - Eugene, Ore.

TV: FOX

Oregon State 2022 record: 10-3 (6-3 Pac-12)

Oregon 2022 record: 10-3 (7-2 Pac-12)

Oregon Head Coach: Dan Lanning (10-3 overall)

DID YOU KNOW? The Beavers have won two of the last three matchups with the Oregon Ducks, including a 38-34 win in Corvallis last season. The Beavers also haven't won at Autzen Stadium since 2007...

Oregon 2022 Recap

The Oregon football program pivoted to a new era in 2022 as the Ducks saw Mario Cristobal depart for Miami after the 2021 season and elected to hire former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning to be the next HC.

Outside of the lopsided opener against Georgia, the move went about as well as Oregon fans could have expected as there was little-to-no transition "year" for the Ducks.

They finished the year 10-3 with a 7-2 mark in Pac-12 play and would have been in the Pac-12 Championship game if it wasn't for a second-half collapse in Corvallis at the hands of the Oregon State Beavers.

Oregon was playing some good football for most of the year, notably on offense with former Auburn QB Bo Nix finding new life in Eugene.

Nix was really good last season, as both a runner and a passer, and combined with running back Bucky Irving and a bevy of talented receivers, Oregon certainly put pressure on opposing defenses. Nix also had one of the best offensive lines in college football last season as he was one of the least sacked QBs in the country.

While the Georgia game was a blowout, Oregon zeroed in after that loss and went on an eight-game win streak before stumbling to Washington in Eugene. The Ducks bounced back and upset Pac-12 champ Utah, before ultimately dropping the CW...

Nix suffered an ankle injury late in the year that limited his effectiveness and that's what ultimately led Oregon to a Holiday Bowl appearance and win over North Carolina.

There were also times when Lanning looked like a first-year HC out there, see the game vs. OSU, and that's also something where he'll likely be more comfortable in year two than in year one of his first head coaching gig.

The defense was largely middling last season, but given that it is Lanning's strength as a coach and recruiter, expect that side of the ball to be stronger in 2023...

Best Win: vs Utah (20-17)

Worst Loss: vs Georgia (49-3)

2022 Schedule

Oregon 2023 Outlook

Entering the 2023 campaign, Oregon figures to be a strong squad once again that's capable of making the Pac-12 Championship and perhaps even further.

The Ducks are never short on talent, and this season is no exception as Lanning and Co. brought in a talented recruiting class and hit the transfer portal very hard, notably on defense. They brought in several linebackers, a talented EDGE rusher, and some secondary depth to be more of a threat on that side of the ball.

Offensively, with Nix, Irving, and Whittington back, the Ducks figure to have a strong passing and rushing attack once again, if the offensive line is able to reload. They also landed a few impact receivers from the portal to provide more offensive weapons for Nix.

The biggest offensive challenge the Ducks will be tasked with entering this season is the replacement of four starters from last year's offensive line. That group kept Nix as one of the least-sacked quarterbacks in the country and that's going to be a big-time storyline to watch as the season begins.

The Ducks have some highly sought-after recruits waiting in the wings and snagged a pair of solid OL transfers, but regardless, replacing four guys is no easy task.

If the Ducks aren't able to run the ball quite as well, or if Nix is constantly under pressure, that could change the calculus for Oregon's 2023 campaign.

Oregon's schedule has some tough matchups as the Ducks have to travel to Lubbock, Seattle, and Salt Lake, but also have USC and Oregon State at Autzen Stadium.

I see the Ducks and Nix in the 9-to-10 win category this season...

Key Players: QB Bo Nix, RB Bucky Irving, RB Noah Whittington WR Traeshon Holden, EDGE Jordan Burch, CB Khyree Jackson, LB Connor Soelle

2023 Schedule

Season Projection: 10-2

Early Prediction

Will this be the final Civil War between the two schools?

Conference realignment has gotten in the way of this storied rivalry and it's safe to say that the future of this matchup is very much in doubt...

With that being said, it's not a hot take to assume this year's matchup could be the last one for at least a few seasons, even if they decide to play it again down the line, and even then, it wouldn't hold the same sort of weight that it does now.

I expect Oregon State to be a 10 or 11-win team in the regular season if my projection holds, and you'll need wins over two of the three (Utah, UW, and UO) to make the Pac-12 Championship game...

Of that trio, I think the two home games will be the most winnable, while the game down at Autzen will be tough, as always. Additionally, the Ducks figure to be extremely motivated for this matchup after the Beavers kept them out of the P12 championship and had a dramatic comeback in last year's matchup.

This game could go either way, but given that I've predicted the Beavs to knock off Utah and Washington, I'll give Oregon the ever-slight of nods in this matchup.

This figures to be a dandy of a matchup, but I think Oregon's defense will be improved this season, and the offense figures to still be quite good with Nix and Irving back in tow. The home-field advantage is the true difference here as I believe these are two evenly-matched teams this season.

However, the Beavers may very well have a chance to avenge this loss the following week in the Pac-12 Championship...

PREDICTION - Oregon 34, Oregon State 31

FINAL Regular Season Record Projection: 11-1 (8-1 Pac-12)