Ranking Oregon Football's Toughest Opponents in 2023

Oregon's 2023 schedule was released on Wednesday and it features some big games.

The Pac-12 conference released the official schedule for the 2023 football season on Wednesday and Oregon's season is coming into focus.

🚨 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗘 𝗗𝗥𝗢𝗣 🚨

The Ducks will play 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 at Autzen Stadium, beginning with the season opener on Sept. 2.

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— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) January 18, 2023

The Ducks finished the 2022 season with a 10-3 overall record under new head coach Dan Lanning while facing a decently difficult schedule. As we look onto next season, we'll get to see Oregon compete against a Pac-12 that features big name coaches and quarterbacks. 

I went ahead and ranked Oregon's opponent from toughest to easiest.

1. USC Trojans (November 11)

USC will head to Eugene to square off in what is sure to be an exciting matchup on November 11. This game is what many pictured the 2022 conference championship to be before Oregon's season got derailed by late losses down the stretch.

2. Washington Huskies (October 14)

One of the most significant aspects of next season's schedule is how the Ducks have a bye week before traveling to Husky stadium to face Washington. The Huskies, just like Oregon, are returning multiple impact players who are ready to defend their home turf against the Ducks, who are looking for revenge.

The Huskies also share a bye week before this meeting. Both teams know what's at stake and want to be able to play to the best of their abilities.

READ MORE: 2024 LB Kamar Mothudi talks Oregon offer, recruitment

3. Utah Utes (October 28)

Oregon will travel to a hostile Rice-Eccles stadium on October 28. Oregon vs. Utah has slowly become a bitter rivalry after losing plenty of close games to each other. The Ducks should expect nothing less than a battle when they travel to Salt Lake City to take on the back-to-back conference champions.

Last season, Oregon had a tough final three-game stretch that ultimately aided in their elimination from the playoffs and a Rose Bowl berth after only beating Utah and losing to Oregon State and Washington.

4. Oregon State Beavers (November 24)

Oregon will end the season playing Oregon State at home on November 24. Another redemption game for the Ducks after falling to the Beavers on Corvallis for the second time in three years. The Beavers will also be led by Clemson transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, whose younger brother Matayo Uiagalelei committed to Oregon during the early signing period.

5. Colorado Buffaloes (September 23)

Conference play opens up with a home visit from a new and reborn Colorado football team after hiring former Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders. Sanders' offseason advertising for his team has hyped them up to be a school to keep an eye on with multiple elite newcomers transferring in, most of which have followed him from Jackson State.

6. Arizona State Sun Devils (November 18)

Arizona State follows a week later in Tempe with the Ducks facing off against former offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, who takes over as head coach. Dillingham helped shape the Ducks offense to what it was last season and that figures to aid him and his growing program over the next few years.

7. Texas Tech Red Raiders (September 9)

The game against the Red Raiders should be interesting to watch as Texas Tech finished the 2022 season with an impressive 42-25 win over Ole Miss in their bowl game while also finishing 8-5 in the Big 12.

This will also allow the Ducks to display their talents on a national scale when facing a Big 12 opponent. They will also face former Ducks quarterback Tyler Shough. 

8. Washington State Cougars (October 21)

Last year's game was an all-time classic on the Palouse. Next season the Ducks could take care of the Cougars quickly with the advantage of playing at home rather than on the road in Pullman. 

9. Standford Cardinal (September 30)

The Cardinal are going through a rebuilding phase with the departure of head coach David Shaw and hiring of Troy Taylor from Sacramento State. The Ducks will have more talent on the field, but you can never expect anything to be easy between these two teams.

10. California Golden Bears (November 4)

The Golden Bears have lost a few key players to the transfer portal but have also added a few themselves including TCU transfer quarterback Sam Jackson. Just like Stanford the Justin Wilcox and the Golden Bears are trying to field a competitive team in the Pac-12, which could give Oregon an advantage. 

No. 11 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (September 16)

The Rainbow Warriors will be the last non-conference opponent of the season for the Ducks. Last season Hawaii went 3-10 overall, winning just two of their eight games in the Mountain West. This matchup will be a good one to see on TV, however the Ducks should have little trouble with the Rainbow Warriors. 

No. 12 Portland State Vikings (September 2)

The Vikings will open up their season on the road against the Oregon Ducks. The Vikings finished 4-7 at the FCS level in 2022. These teams last faced each other in 2018, when Oregon came out on top 62-14. 

Oregon's schedule features a mixture of challenging games both on the road and at home. While the non-conference schedule isn't as daunting as it was a season ago, Texas Tech should be an intriguing test. 

Furthermore, with all the talent coming back for the conference, this should be a fun season for the Pac-12.

READ MORE: Justin Williams nearing college commitment

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