Dec 64 min read

Everything at Stake for Oregon Ducks in B1G Championship

Updated: Dec 8

Dan Lanning, Dillon Gabriel — © Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten Conference) are set for another long road trip this weekend to face off with the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions (11-1, 8-1) for the B1G Championship on at 8 PM EST on Dec. 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The winner will earn a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff and almost certainly be the No. 1 seed.

Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning is looking to win the B1G in his first year in the conference and improve. his undefeated season while James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are in the B1G championship for the first time since 2016. This could be considered the most prominent game for Penn State in the last decade. Franklin has been labeled a coach who struggles in big games like these, so Saturday would be a perfect time to end that narrative. The Ducks will almost certainly have their hands full with Tyler Warren, Penn State's tight end, who has displayed one of the best seasons ever at his position in the B1G in 2024.

See how our picks stack up compared to odds across betting sites.

What's at Stake for the Ducks?

One could argue everything is at stake for Lanning and the Ducks. If Lanning wants to show he is serious about turning this program into a national powerhouse, what better way than to walk into the B1G and run the table in his first year? Franklin also has an incredible opportunity to silence the doubters on Saturday by winning a game of such magnitude. A B1G championship would catapult either team into the second round of the playoffs and hand them significant bragging rights against their conference foes for the following year.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel also has an opportunity to raise his NFL draft stock, which has seemed to be all over the place as of late because of his lack of size and arm strength. NFL scouts will certainly be all over the place in this game, and if Gabriel can perform as he did against No. 6 Ohio State (10-2, 7-2), he could find himself getting drafted earlier than expected.

Gabriel was also announced as the B1G conference offensive player of the year, while Penn State's Abdul Carter was named the B1G defensive player of the year. This is the second time ever that the offensive and defensive players of the year will face off in the conference title.

Key Players: Oregon Ducks

Offense: Dillon Gabriel, Quarterback

We are gonna have Gabriel as Oregon's key player on offense simply because of the magnitude of this game and how well Penn State's defense has played this season. Penn State ranks No. 6 in the country in scoring defense and No. 4 in the country in total defense. That tells us this could be the best defense Gabriel has faced all season, even better than the Buckeyes. Carter will surely make some plays in the backfield and force Gabriel to make quicker decisions. Gabriel must stay poised and limit the turnovers and bad decisions. The Ducks may have to lean on running back Jordan James as well because Penn State does allow roughly 97 yards per game on the ground, which could bode well for Will Stein's ground attack.

Defense: Bryce Boettcher, Linebacker

Boettcher, a walk on, is a two-sport athlete that was recently drafted by the Houston Astros to play baseball as a professional after he graduates. Boettcher catapulted up the depth chart despite most of the Ducks community expecting to see more of Jeffrey Bassa and Jestin Jacobs. Boettcher is Oregon's leading tackler now which has proved to be a great story for the Oregon-born linebacker. It will be up to him, the entire linebacker core and the defensive line to help contain Penn State's elite rushing attack that is averaging roughly 195 yards per game. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have combined for more than 1,400 yards on the ground this season, proving that they are a dynamic duo.

Key Players: Penn State Nittany Lions

Offense: Drew Allar, Quarterback

Allar has taken a significant step forward this season after an iffy 2023. Penn State's fanbase was fairly critical of Allar, seemingly because of how highly ranked he was as a recruit. Allar has played well this season, tallying 2,668 yards with 18 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. His QBR is listed at 81.6 which is ranked No. 11 in the country, per ESPN. Allar will be going up against the best pass defense he has seen, possibly in his tenure as a Nittany Lion. Oregon only allows 170 yards per game against the pass which ranks eighth in the country. Ohio State's defensive passing yards allowed per game ranks higher than Oregon. However, the Buckeyes lost to the Ducks earlier this season in a game where we saw Ohio State's pass defense get exposed by the likes of Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson. Allar may have to put on a show in order to defeat the top ranked Ducks on Saturday.

Defense: Abdul Carter, Edge

This one was easy. Carter was just named the B1G Defensive Player of The Year after an electric display in 2024. Carter put on a 10-sack performance this season and gives flashes of Micah Parsons with his game. He will be a handful for Oregon's offensive line.

O-line coach A'lique Terry must prioritize trying to contain Carter and not letting him have his way otherwise, this could get ugly for the Ducks. Carter is a force to be reckoned with. Carter will almost certainly be selected highly in the NFL draft and have a future for himself in the big leagues.

Trends to Watch

The first trend to watch is for Penn State to try and open up their pass game with their elite rushing attack. The same should be expected from Oregon. Jordan James is already at 1,166 rushing yards this season, so we should expect to see a heavy dose of him early to help set up the deep shots down the field to those dynamic Duck wide receivers. Johnson, Oregon's leading pass catcher, just returned from an injury he sustained against Michigan (7-5, 5-4) in early-November and scored a touchdown against Washington (6-6, 4-5) last week. Penn State's defensive game plan should prioritize Johnson as a dynamic playmaker.