UO Football face demise after initial success

For more than four months, but only the second time in school history the University of Oregon’s football team was undefeated, going 12-0 for the regular season and leading them to a perfect record with which to enter the playoffs as top of the nation. Paralleling their perfect record was the University of Oregon’s men’s basketball team that went 9-0 for the first month of the 2024-2025 season, until they lost to UCLA, 71-73, on Dec. 8, 2024. Since then the team has lost only once more to Illinois with a brutal 77-109 score at home. 

These great but heartbreaking seasons for the University of Oregon lead people to wonder if perhaps joining the Big 10 wasn’t as bad as it was made out to be. It was expected that in the first season alone, the Ducks would make and spend almost $18 million more than previous seasons when they were in the Pac 12 conference.

However, despite this record-breaking season for Ducks football, the team just didn’t seem to have what it takes to be the No. 1 everyone said they were. Coming off their big win against Ohio State in October, fans were more sure than ever before that Oregon had what it took to be at the top. Perhaps Oregon gained false confidence after narrowly beating Ohio State at home by one point. Whatever the case, it’s safe to say that the Ducks weren’t prepared for what was in store.

As expected, Oregon faced Ohio State again in the quarterfinals, though this time the ending was disappointing. For the supposed best team in the nation, the Ducks faced a jaw-dropping 21-41 loss, hardly managing to score in the first half of the game. The quarterfinal game left fans shocked at the way the season ended for the first seed. Many could only speculate as to why Oregon struggled so much more or how Ohio State almost perfectly stopped the Ducks’ efforts throughout the game, but in the end it was undeniable which team was better. 

Likewise, Oregon’s basketball team faced a tough loss against UCLA, only losing by two points, leaving an unclear view of which team was better. Soon after this loss, however, the Ducks lost to Illinois in a bigger competition that left fans surprised by the 32-point difference. 

Despite these losses, though, it’s undeniable that both teams were and are still building strong systems and making it known that they shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated in coming years. 

Article by Maggie McMillen