As the season progresses, the stakes in college football rise. The Oregon Ducks are feeling that pressure, but they need to stay focused. A slip-up against an underrated opponent wouldn’t look good on their resume.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are headed to Autzen Stadium to face the Ducks, looking to pull off the upset. Our Minnesota vs. Oregon prediction features the PFSN grades that could define the outcome, a detailed breakdown, historical head-to-head records, and a final score projection for this must-watch matchup.
Minnesota vs. Oregon Details
- Date:Â Friday, Nov. 14
- Game time:Â 9 p.m. ET
- Location:Â Autzen Stadium | Eugene, Ore.
- Predicted weather at kick: 45°, Clear
- How to watch:Â FOX, FOX Sports App, Fubo, Sling TV, YouTube TV
Minnesota vs. Oregon Head-to-Head Record
Given that Oregon just recently joined the Big Ten, it’s no surprise that these two teams haven’t played each other often. This will be just the fifth time the two sides have played, with the Golden Gophers holding a 3-1 edge in the series.
The last two times these teams played were in the Sun Bowl, with the Gophers winning the most recent matchup in 2003 — a matchup that went down to the wire.
Oregon’s Jared Siegel connected on two field goals in the fourth quarter to give the Ducks the lead, and Minnesota’s Rhys Lloyd hit a 42-yard field goal with 23 seconds left for the win.
Minnesota vs. Oregon Grades
- Minnesota (73.1, C)
- Oregon (85.1, B)
- Minnesota (81.2, B-)
- Oregon (86, B)
- Minnesota (73.4, C)
- Oregon (90.4, A-)
- Drake Lindsey (76.8, C)
- Dante Moore (81.8, B-)
- Fame Ijeboi (67.1, D+)
- Noah Whittington (77.9, C+)
- Le’Meke Brockington (76.4, C)
- Malik Benson (77.4, C+)
- Jameson Geers (75.8, C)
- Kenyon Sadiq (80.7, B-)
- Anthony Smith (80.6, B-)
- Teitum Tuioti (81.8, B-)
- Deven Eastern (76.3, C)
- Bear Alexander (75.5, C)
- Devon Williams (74.2, C)
- Bryce Boettcher (78.4, C+)
- John Nestor (85, B)
- Brandon Finney Jr. (87.7, B+)
- Kerry Brown (79, C+)
- Dillon Thieneman (75.6, C)
Minnesota vs. Oregon Prediction
Minnesota is building towards the future, but head coach P.J. Fleck hopes his team shows more fight than the last two teams that resembled the Ducks. Oregon has the talent of Ohio State, which beat the Gophers 42-3. The Ducks also can play a similar style to Iowa, a team the Gophers fell to 41-3.
Those games made it clear that this team is building towards the future, but that doesn’t mean they can’t keep things close. Plenty of pressure lies on Drake Lindsey’s shoulders, and the Gophers quarterback needs to find his consistency for the future to be bright.
RELATED: Game-Winning Oregon Field Goal Denies Kirk Herbstreit’s Epic Iowa Prediction
Oregon is dealing with multiple injuries to key players, and the timetables for those players remain uncertain. Still, the Ducks found a way to battle through adversity last week, and it’s clear they have plenty of talent on the depth chart to keep winning. Dante Moore and Dakorien Moore’s statuses are the big ones to watch.
So who wins this game? Oregon’s the better, more talented team, and the betting line keeps moving more in their favor. The Gophers can keep this interesting, but it feels like a matter of when Oregon pulls away.
Prediction: Oregon 35, Minnesota 13
