Ducks Wire staff predicts Oregon Ducks vs. USC Trojans

One of the most highly anticipated games of the year is finally here, and the Oregon Ducks have a lot to prove.

Dan Lanning and his team will head down to Los Angeles this weekend for a matchup with the USC Trojans, and both squads are playing with a lot on the line. There are College Football Playoff implications, as well as recruiting battles and bragging rights in a heated rivalry.

Before the Week 4 game, we want to look back at what went wrong for the Ducks and how they can improve this week.

To preview the game, we go through our weekly roundtable with the writers from Ducks Wire to offer our opinions and predictions for what's to come. Here is our roundtable conversation.

Question: There’s not a ton to take away from an 84-0 blowout over an FCS school, but it’s fair to say that Oregon at least executed better on Friday night. What was your biggest takeaway from that game as a whole?

Zachary Neel: There were some good things that came from the offensive side of the ball, and I mean that more in a sense of what the team ran, rather than how they looked running it. Obviously, most everything they tried worked in an 84-0 win, but I liked the creativity with some new formations and plays that were trotted out. A lot on tape this week for USC to study.

Bjorn Bergstrom: The 2026 recruiting class is really, really strong. Wherever you looked late in the first half and the entire second half, a true freshman was making a play, whether it be running back Brandon Smith, wide receiver Messiah Hampton, safety Jett Washington or numerous others.

Logan Brown: In terms of Oregon’s outlook for the season as a whole, or even just this week, we didn’t learn much. However, I think what we saw from some of the underclassmen was really inspiring. Messiah Hampton will have to play a bigger role this week, but I also think the Ducks are in decent shape if Brandon Smith, Kendre Harrison, Jett Washington, Tommy Tofi and others are pushed into bigger roles for one reason or another. We always thought the depth was great, but that was the first time we actually saw it, and it looked good.

Question: Which young player or backup from Friday’s game impressed you the most?

Zachary Neel: Since I think QB Dylan Raiola is technically too old and established for this conversation, I'm going to go with Jett Washington. He had three turnovers — two picks and a forced fumble — in the game and looked the part. It was awesome to see from the young safety.

Bjorn Bergstrom: Running back Brandon Smith. It’s hard to 100% determine, considering the competition level, but he looks like he could contribute right now in the Ducks’ backfield as a complement to the Davison-Hill duo. It doesn’t appear that Smith’s body needs more refining before seeing competitive reps, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he was thrown a bone and given some carries over the next few weeks.

Logan Brown: Hampton is the easy answer here, but I’ll take Kendre Harrison. He made big catches and separated downfield, and his fake block and reverse into the route near the goal line, which ultimately led to a score, were also impressive. He got in and out of his routes cleanly, which is important for a receiver of his size. Early in the game, he also had some great moments as a blocker in space, clearing lanes for runners behind him.

Question: Alright, let’s turn to USC. This is obviously the biggest game of the year so far for either team, and a massive one for both coaches. Who is feeling more pressure at this point to get a victory, Lincoln Riley or Dan Lanning?

Zachary Neel: I think both are feeling a ton of pressure, but it's for different reasons. Lanning is coaching for this season, and working to keep his name as one of the top young signal-callers in the sport. Riley is arguably coaching to keep his job, hoping to get the Trojans over the hump and into the playoffs. I think in the end, Riley has much more to lose.

Bjorn Bergstrom: While Riley hasn’t seemed to get over the hump and win big regular-season games, there’s not a ton of buzz around that sentiment. With Lanning, the pressure is squarely on him considering how talented the roster is and how devastating a second loss would be. Also favored to win, it would be another unexpected Ducks loss that would put their CFP chances in serious jeopardy just a month into the season.

Logan Brown: Lincoln Riley, easily. For as poor a start as the Ducks have had this season, I think Dan Lanning’s job is safe if they lose the game. Riley’s has somewhat quietly been part of the hot seat conversation recently, and a loss to Oregon would once again show that USC isn’t the program to beat out west, and the Trojans’ playoff odds would plummet. Fans might show up to the Coliseum in the offseason with pitchforks if the Trojans miss the playoffs, so Riley definitely has something to prove. USC is 5-14 against AP-ranked opponents under Riley.

Question: Offensively, what is the one thing that Oregon needs to do the best in order to leave LA with a win on Saturday night?

Zachary Neel: Yea, it's all about the running game here, particularly on early downs. If Oregon can stay ahead of the chains and create 3rd and short situations, they're going to have success. That will open up the play-action passing game for Dante Moore, where he thrives.

Bjorn Bergstrom: Control the line of scrimmage. When the Ducks were a dangerous threat on the ground in 2025, it opened up the play-action passing game for them that proved extremely explosive. The offense has largely been limited to drop-back passing thus far with the ground game not drawing nearly as much attention as a season ago.

Logan Brown: I feel like a broken record, but Oregon has to find a way to run the ball. If this game ends up being a shootout, the Ducks need to possess the ball for as long as possible. If Oregon can run 35 or 40 plays in the first half, USC’s pass rush and defense as a whole will be wearing out by the fourth quarter. Jordan Davison has to be the champion of the backfield this week and grind out yards on early downs.

Question: Same question, but on the defense: Where does Oregon need to succeed in order to come out on top?

Zachary Neel: This game is all about making Jayden Maiava uncomfortable for the Ducks. So long as you can make him feel the pressure, whether it's by hurries or QB hits, I think the secondary can really make him pay. This is a QB who is going to be aggressive and take his shots, so the defense needs to capitalize on that.

Bjorn Bergstrom: The same answer: Control the line of scrimmage. If the Ducks can limit USC’s ground game, forcing them into second- and third-and-long’s where it’s obvious passing situations, that’ll give the Ducks a better chance of defending against their red-shot pass game. If the Trojans are the more physical team, they’ll be firing on all cylinders and keeping the Ducks on their toes all night.

Logan Brown: I need to see the Ducks challenge the Trojans’ wideouts at the line of scrimmage. USC’s top targets are young, and Oregon has more experience in the matchup defensively to counter. Last season, Jayden Maiava attacked Oregon’s corners with deep balls down the sidelines, and the Ducks were often playing catch-up and were called for flags or saw the receivers just run by them, Brandon Finney especially. If Finney can get his hands on receivers and get them off their line, that will give Oregon’s pass rush more time to win, and it should allow the Ducks to be more active against short passes.

Question: Gambling Corner: You get $100 to spread across the point spread (Oregon -2.5), and the Over/Under (61.5 points). How are you allocating your funds?

Zachary Neel: I like $30 on Oregon to cover, and $70 on the over here. I think we see a lot of points.

Bjorn Bergstrom: For some reason, I feel like this one will be more low-scoring than many think. Both teams are fighting for their CFP lives in a sense and will be scrapping and clawing. But I’m not super confident in that, so I’ll just go with $20 on the under and $80 on Oregon -2.5. I don’t think they’ll completely break out, but they’ll find themselves a bit in this one and cover the spread.

Logan Brown: I’ll put $60 on Oregon to cover the spread, and I’ll put the remaining $40 on over 61.5 points. Expecting plenty of offense.

Question: Who wins this game, and what is the final score?

Zachary Neel: Give me Oregon 35, USC 31.

Bjorn Bergstrom: Oregon 31, USC 24. Ducks keep their season alive in Los Angeles, getting some — but not all — of their mojo back.

Logan Brown: At the beginning of the week, I would’ve picked USC. However, I’ve talked myself into Oregon because I think Dante Moore and the ground game are going to really wake up this week. Oregon 39, USC 34.

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