Paul Finebaum Names Major College Football Playoff Contender He's 'Nervous' About

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 10:00 PM ET

Last season, the Oregon Ducks had an impressive first year in the Big Ten. Under the guidance of Dan Lanning, the Ducks finished with a perfect 13-0 record and clinched the Big Ten Championship, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.

The Ducks' playoff run ended with a 41-21 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes, who went on to become champions. Earlier in the season, Oregon had won against Ohio State.

Oregon aims to bounce back this upcoming season and win its first national championship in program history. On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network analyst expressed uncertainty about the Ducks this season.

"Oregon, I'm a little bit nervous about," Finebaum said. "Dan Lanning had such a good year last year, and it ended going down in flames."

David Pollack Believes Oregon Will Return to the College Football Playoff

Finebaum has not commented much on Oregon this offseason, but college football analyst David Pollack has expressed strong support for the Ducks in the upcoming season.

“Oregon is getting in,” Pollack previously said. “I think Oregon is getting in. They’ve proven it. They’re pretty consistent. We know who they are. We know what they are. The upper echelon of talent is really, really good. I like their lines of scrimmage. They’ll be really good. Oregon’s going to win a bunch of games, and I think they’re going to be in the mix too.”

ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) is a metric that assesses team strength and aims to be the most accurate predictor of a team's performance for the rest of the season. The FPI reflects how many points a team is above or below the average.

As the season begins, the FPI is optimistic about the Oregon Ducks, ranking them as the No. 6 team in the nation. The index predicts that Oregon will finish the season with a record of 10-2 and estimates a 19.1% chance of the Ducks winning the Big Ten championship again. Additionally, the FPI gives Oregon a 57.5% chance of making the playoffs and a 4.3% chance of winning the national championship.

Oregon Loses Key Players, Including QB Dillon Gabriel

However, the Ducks must replace several key contributors from last season, as they rank No. 109 in the country, returning only 43% of their production this year.

One notable loss is quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who had an impressive season in Eugene, completing 3,857 yards with 30 touchdowns and six interceptions, all while achieving a completion rate of 72.9%. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the draft.

Gabriel will be succeeded by Dante Moore, a former five-star recruit and UCLA Bruin. In his true freshman season, Moore played in nine games for the Bruins, completing 1,610 yards through the air, with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He had a completion rate of 53.5%.

The Ducks will kick off their season against Montana State on August 30 at 4:00 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: