Oregon wraps up its nonconference schedule with a home tune-up against a Portland State team that just went 1-11 and is starting over from scratch.
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PRSTORE
PRSTORE
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Best BetOregon
Oregon's talent gap here is about as wide as it gets in college football — a preseason top-4 team with a Heisman-caliber quarterback against an FCS program replacing its head coach and most of its two-deep. There's no realistic path for Portland State to win this game outright, and the moneyline reflects that reality.
Portland State
+7 returning starters on offense for continuity
+New coach Fisk has strong D-II track record
−Program was 1-11 last season under old staff
−Just 1 returning starter on defense, 52 newcomers
Oregon
+Dante Moore returned, elite completion% and production
+Preseason No. 2-4 nationally, legit title contender
−Moore threw 10 INTs last season, turnover risk
−New-look backfield and receiver room still gelling
This is the last tune-up before Big Ten play, and Oregon fans have every reason to be excited about who's on the field. Dante Moore turned down the NFL to come back to Eugene, and after throwing for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns while completing 71.8% of his passes (4th nationally) in 2025, he's the centerpiece of what analysts are calling the No. 1 offense to watch in college football this season.
Portland State, meanwhile, is a program in total reconstruction. Chris Fisk was hired in December after Bruce Barnum was fired following a 1-11 season, and Fisk arrives from Central Washington with an offensive-line and OC background that helped him go 48-22 at the Division II level. He's got seven returning starters on offense to work with, but only one on defense, and a roster stocked with 52 newcomers trying to find its footing fast.
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PRST Portland State
ORE Oregon
Oregon enters this one sitting at No. 2 in ESPN's preseason poll and No. 4 in FPI, part of a five-team group — alongside Ohio State, Notre Dame, Miami and Georgia — viewed as the sport's real title contenders. This is the third and final nonconference game after hosting Boise State and traveling to Oklahoma State, a soft landing spot before the Ducks dive into a brutal November stretch against Ohio State and Michigan.
Portland State Vikings
Sep 5?@ San Diego State—
Oregon Ducks
Sep 12?@ Oklahoma State—
Sep 5?vs Boise State—
Recent form.
The name to watch on offense beyond Moore is the running back room. Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. combined for 1,323 rushing yards as backups last season and now take over as the feature duo, giving Oregon a downhill complement to Moore's arm. Add in receivers Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan stepping into bigger roles, plus UAB transfer Iverson Hooks, and this offense has more proven pieces than almost anyone Portland State will see all year.
Portland State Vikings
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Oregon Ducks
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
For Portland State, the story isn't really about this specific matchup — it's about whether Fisk's staff can find any traction against a roster this thin at experience. A trip to Autzen against a top-4 team in the country is about as tough a spot as a first-year FCS coach can be handed, and there's little in the returning-starter numbers to suggest the Vikings show up ready to hang around.
