Thursday Ted Talk - 2025 Oregon TV Predictions

Oregon was a mainstay on network television in their first season in the Big Ten, playing 9 of their 12 regular season games on FOX, CBS or NBC. With FOX already announcing they will be televising the Ohio State vs Michigan and Ohio State vs Texas games, it’s time to look at which networks I think the Ducks could be playing on over the course of the 2025 season. 

Week 1 – vs Montana State – Big Ten Network

For the second consecutive season, the Ducks could kick off with the Yogi Roth experience. Last season Oregon welcomed a Top 10 FCS squad into their house on BTN, and this season will see a similar opponent enter Autzen in late August. Montana State is the defending FCS runner-up and becoming one of the yearly National Championship contenders at that level of football.

Week 2 – vs Oklahoma State – NBC

The Cowboys are coming off their worst season in Mike Gundy’s 20 year tenure as head coach in Stillwater, but Oklahoma State is still a recognizable program that presents a fairly marketable matchup for network television. When you combine Ducks vs Cowboys being a Big Ten vs Big 12 matchup, and games like Michigan at Oklahoma, Illinois at Duke, and Iowa at Iowa State not being under the Big Ten TV umbrella, it’s clear this game will end up on network television of some kind. 

Week 3 – at Northwestern – Peacock

The Wildcats temporary stadium presents big challenges for larger scale network TV broadcasts, so I’m very confident this game will end up on a second tier type of broadcaster. Last season the Ducks saw Peacock come into town for the Boise State game, this time the streamer is a good fit for a mid-afternoon kickoff in Evanston. 

Week 4 – vs Oregon State – CBS

College Football is built on rivalries, and Week 4 could see 2 Pacific Northwest showdowns take center stage on CBS. The Apple Cup is already confirmed for a 4:30 PT kickoff in Pullman on the network, having the Civil War as a lead-in to that game would keep fans locked in for multiple matchups.

Week 5 – at Penn State – NBC

This is the B1G one. Although this is a candidate for Big Noon on FOX, I believe this will be one of the top picks for CBS or NBC. The storylines write themselves – Big Ten Championship rematch, 2 College Football Playoff and National Championship contenders, future NFL players all over the field, the first big test for the Ducks and Nittany Lions – it’s a made for White Out atmosphere on Big Ten Saturday Night. When the Ducks joined the Big Ten, fans were looking forward to the elite venues and experiences across the conference, it doesn’t get any better than a white out in Happy Valley.

Week 7 – vs Indiana – CBS

The Hoosiers and Ducks will both be coming off bye weeks, so both teams should be well rested for this big time matchup. At the very least, IU will be 3-2 with another easy non-conference schedule and matchups against Illinois and Iowa before coming to Eugene. I could very well see this as a ranked vs ranked showdown. Ohio State at Illinois, Michigan at USC, and Iowa at Wisconsin are other matchups that stand out this week on the Big Ten schedule, but I’m confident that a matchup of 2 playoff teams from a year ago is one the suits want to have featured on network television.

Week 8 – at Rutgers – FOX (Friday Night)

Oregon played 3 games on FOX College Football Friday Night last season, and although I don’t see as many games overlapping with local high school contests in 2025, this is one that fits perfectly. Games like USC at Notre Dame, Penn State at Iowa, Washington at Michigan, and Nebraska at Minnesota fill the Big Ten schedule with good matchups on this particular Saturday. The Scarlet Knights also have been establishing a “Black Out” tradition for Friday Night games that is quickly becoming one of the up and coming atmospheres in the Big Ten. 

Week 9 – vs Wisconsin – FS1

I’m going to put this as nicely as I possibly can, Wisconsin will not be a good team this season. At best the Badgers will be 4-3 headed into Autzen Stadium, but a loss to Iowa could very well have them 3-4 at this moment in time. With more competitive rivalry games such as Michigan at Michigan State and Minnesota at Iowa this weekend, I believe the Ducks make their first FS1 appearance during the Big Ten era.

Week 11 – at Iowa – NBC

Following a Week 10 bye, Oregon travels from Tracktown USA to Puntville USA – Iowa City, IA. There is Big Noon potential here, but Indiana at Penn State seems like a better fit. This game screams 20-13 rockfight and could be very similar to the Wisconsin game from 2024. For my money, Kinnick Stadium is the most underrated venue in the Big Ten – their fans are extremely loyal and loud. NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night has visited 4 times over the past 2 years, so it’s clear they like doing games at this venue.

Week 12 – vs Minnesota – CBS

The Golden Gophers are one of the Big Ten’s most overlooked teams headed into the 2025 campaign. PJ Fleck’s squad returns a decent amount of production, they did well in the transfer portal, and have a favorable schedule. There’s a good chance the rodents will enter this contest with a 7-2 or 6-3 record and could possibly be ranked. If that is the case, this has the potential to be one of the only ranked matchups on this particular weekend, a perfect pathway for Brad & Gary to make their 3rd trip to Eugene. 

Week 13 – vs USC – CBS

We have a saying in the live TV industry – “Truck stays in”. There’s a very good chance the CBS truck could remain parked at Autzen Stadium with a big matchup vs the Trojans on November 22nd. Outside of the Penn State game, this is the most anticipated game of the 2025 season for Oregon, and one that a big network would love to capitalize on. At their ceiling, USC could be in the hunt for a playoff spot, at their floor, they would be looking to damage Big Ten and CFP hopes for the Ducks.

Week 14 – at Washington – NBC 

Outside of Ohio State at Michigan, there aren’t a ton of ultra competitive matchups for some of the better teams in the Big Ten on rivalry weekend. Indiana at Purdue, Northwestern at Illinois, Penn State at Rutgers don’t scream, must see TV. Oregon headed back to Seattle to take on a solid Washington team is intriguing television at the very least. Demond Williams to Denzel Boston should be a fun connection to watch this season, and the chance for the Ducks to lock up a playoff spot, or even a spot in the Big Ten Championship provides NBC good reason to cover Oregon for the 4th time in 2025.