Every Time Oregon Ducks Football Mentioned on College GameDay

The College GameDay highlighted the Oregon Ducks matchup with the Oregon State Beavers as they spent week three in Columbia, South Carolina.

The Duck wanders the set of ESPN's College GameDay at the University of Oregon in Eugene Eugene ahead of the Ducks top-10 matchup against the UCLA Bruins Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

As the Oregon Ducks prepare to face the Oregon State Beavers at 12:30 p.m. PT, the members of College GameDay are in Columbia, South Carolina, to preview week three. The South Carolina Gamecocks look to upset the LSU Tigers, but the rivalry matchups in the Pacific Northwest earned some airtime on the classic ESPN show.

When it came time for picks, Desmond, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit all picked Oregon to beat Oregon State. The guest picker was South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, and she also picked the Ducks to win, citing their uniforms as her reasoning.

Saban, the legendary Alabama coach, put it simply.

“I think Oregon has too much talent,” said Saban.

The Duck wanders the set of ESPN's College GameDay at the University of Oregon in Eugene Eugene ahead of the Ducks top-10 matchup against the UCLA Bruins Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The panelists held a segment discussing the matchups between Oregon and Oregon State as well as Washington and Washington State. Rece Davis, the host of the College Gameday, argued for these rivalry games to be played every season regardless of conference affiliation.

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning has been critical of his own team, recognizing the improvements that can be made. Lanning’s former boss agrees with the Ducks leader.

“Oregon obviously needs to button up their play,” said Saban. “A lot of people ask the question, ‘Can Dillon Gabriel play to the level necessary?’ I think the bigger question is can the people around him play to the level necessary so that they have more consistency in their play. They’ve made enough good plays, but they have so many negative plays. Penalties, loss of yardage plays, sacks.”

Whenever the Ducks were mentioned in the three-hour show, the narrative surrounding the team was one of disappointment after they have failed to meet expectations in the first two games.

Oregon's Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (left) intercepts a pass in the end zone intended for Oregon State's Brandin Cooks with teammate Avery Patterson helping with the coverage during the first quarter of the Civil War in Eugene on Friday, November 29, 2013. The Ducks hung on to win 36-35. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

In the first hour of the program, McAfee quickly introduced the game between the Ducks and the Beavers.

“First played in 1894, less than an hour apart from each other,” said McAfee. “Oregon’s 2-0, but they got two very close games. Haven’t played how everybody has expected, although Dillon Gabriel has completed 84 percent of his passes and has bananas on the offensive side.”

Oregon fans would agree with the consensus on the show that the Ducks have failed to meet the standard that has been set in Eugene.

At the start of the show, Desmond Howard noted the Ducks’ level of play as one his top storylines heading into the week.

“I’m looking forward to learning about Oregon,” said Howard. “Now, I picked them to win it all. They have Dillon Gabriel, right, quarterback came over from Oklahoma, but they’ve struggled. Maybe it’s the Idaho schools, I’m not sure. But now they travel, they’re going to play their in-state rival Oregon State. Couple of weeks ago, we talked about the distractions that teams face when they’re at home as opposed to when they’re on the road, they can play free. This may be a game there’s no distractions, they’re on the road. They know they’re hated by this fan base, maybe they come together for the full game.”

Jan 1, 2024; Pasadena, CA, USA; From left: Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Pat McAfee, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit on the ESPN College Gameday set at the 2024 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Oregon was listed as one of the teams during a “Peaks and Valleys” segment on the show alongside Alabama, Penn State, and Michigan to highlight the importance of consistency across an entire season.

“I think the biggest thing is, how do you have a consistent mindset on your team? I talked yesterday a little bit about relief syndrome. You have a big win, everyone’s relieved, and it creates a little complacency. You don’t prepare the right way," said Saban.

Additionally, Herbstreit picked the Beavers as his “Superdog,” expecting Oregon State to cover the +17 point spread, according to ESPN Bet.

The Ducks certainly received a lot of coverage on the week three edition of College GameDay, and the matchup against Oregon State will be on FOX at 12:30 p.m. PT. The stage is set for Lanning and his team to make a statement.

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