Oregon football 2024 season preview: Top players to watch out for, nail-biting matchups and more

The Oregon Ducks have been one of the more exciting teams heading into the 2024 college football season. Last season, they failed to make the College Football Playoff as they lost twice to the Washington Huskies, once in the regular season and once in the Pac-12 championship game.

However, this season the Ducks are in the Big Ten and looking to compete for the conference championship right away with their talent. Let's take a look at their top players and biggest matchups heading into the 2024 college football season.

Top players for Oregon Ducks this season

Noah Whittington

Noah Whittington is one of the top running backs in the country when he is healthy, and last season, an ankle injury cost him the majority of the season. However, he is expected to be 100% for the 2024 Ducks season and showcase exactly what he can do when on the field.

He was limited to three games but had 20 rushing attempts for 146 yards (7.3 yards per carry) with two rushing touchdowns as well as 10 receptions for 78 yards (7.8 yards per catch). If Whittington is healthy, it completely opens up the rest of the playbook and makes the defense have to guess what is coming.

Dillon Gabriel

After spending two years with the Oklahoma Sooners, quarterback Dillon Gabriel decided to transfer to the Oregon Ducks for his final season of eligibility to replace Bo Nix. He had an amazing 2023 season with the Sooners, as he finished 266 of 384 (69.3%) for 3,660 yards with 30 touchdowns and six interceptions.

It was not just his counting stats that were incredible, but his 87.0 quarterback rating was the fourth-best in college football last year. This is a chance for the Oregon Ducks to enter the Big Ten with an experienced quarterback that has done it at a big level before.

Biggest games on the Oregon Ducks schedule

vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (10/12)

This game is going to be a litmus test for coach Dan Lanning and the rest of the Ducks as they host the Ohio State Buckeyes. In the look-ahead betting odds, the Ducks are one-point favorites and this could be a great result for them.

Ohio State is projected to be one of the best teams in the country, and this will be an amazing test to see if Oregon is at the same level.

vs. Washington Huskies (11/30)

It was a toss-up between this game and facing the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines, but with so many changes in that program, facing off against an old Pac-12 rival seems bigger. Washington was the sole reason for Oregon missing the College Football Playoff, but the Huskies look a lot different this season.

This regular-season finale will be interesting, as this game could wind up meaning a lot for postseason chances and the Big Ten championship.