It is just the third time in Oregon football history that the Ducks are ranked No. 1 in the country. And this week, Oregon (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) returns to Autzen Stadium for the first time since their thrilling one-point victory over Ohio State, to play the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten). It’s the first time since 2013, back when Marcus Mariota was quarterback, that the Ducks started the season 7-0. The University of Oregon community will be celebrating Homecoming Weekend and Fall Family Weekend, which should add lots of extra support in the stands as the Ducks look to improve to 8-0 on the season.

While the Ducks are at home against what should be a significantly easier opponent than Ohio State, beating Illinois will be no simple task. The Illini started the season unranked but moved into the Top 25 just a week into the season after defeating Eastern Illinois University 45-0. They moved up to No. 20 last week when they beat the defending national champions – the Michigan Wolverines, 21-7 – knocking them out of the Top 25 for the first time since 2021. Illinois’ only loss came in Week 5 on the road against No. 3 Penn State, who remains undefeated.

The Illini’s success has been led by quarterback Luke Altmyer, who is 120 for 182 passing with 1,506 yards. He has thrown for 15 touchdowns and just one interception, while also rushing for 138 yards on 59 carries. In last week’s game against Michigan, Altmyer had 80 passing yards and 48 rushing yards. Supporting him on the Illini offense have been wide receivers Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin. They have combined for 856 yards and eight touchdown receptions this season.

Oregon likely will need to work without defensive end Jordan Burch, who missed the last two games with a knee injury and is questionable this Saturday, and tight end Terrance Ferguson, who is recovering from an appendix removal. In the first games without these star players, the team did not seem to be affected. 

Of course, there was the maddening victory against Ohio State two weeks ago, but many people considered last week’s trip to Purdue a major test as well. Even though Purdue is tied for the worst record in the Big Ten, they have a history of upsetting Top 5 teams at home, even when they’re unranked. 

Also, many of the best teams in the country have been known to have a serious drop-off following their biggest win of the season. The Ducks did not let either of these narratives get to them as they recorded their first shutout on the road since 1992 and beat the Boilermakers 35-0.

In that game, quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Jordan James ran for 50 yards and two touchdowns. James did not receive a lot of attention at the beginning of the season, as the Ducks’ roster had so much other talent overshadowing him. This season, his running game has played one of the biggest roles in the Oregon offense, and James has rushed for 717 yards with eight touchdowns on the season.

The Ducks will certainly have a battle at hand this Saturday, but based on previous weeks, this is nothing they can’t handle. Both teams will enter the game with a ton of confidence, but only one will remain that way in the end.