NCAAF News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Newsletter

Dec 31, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day (left) and Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning pose with the Leishman Trophy during the Rose Bowl head coaches press conference at Sheraton Grand LA. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Top-10 College Football Teams Most-Likely To Go Undefeated: Surprising List

Originally posted on Oregon Ducks on SI
By Kyle Clements | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 9:00 PM ET

The Oregon Ducks went 12-0 in the regular season in 2024, as they transitioned to the Big Ten and had one of their best-ever seasons. With the regular season now just 34 days away, the Ducks and coach Dan Lanning will be looking to repeat their heroics of going undefeated in the regular season once again.

The ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) recently predicted which teams have the best chance of accomplishing something Oregon has never had: a perfect season culminating in a national championship.

Top-10 Teams With Chance To Finish Undefeated, per ESPN FPI:

1. Texas ─ 8.9 percent

2. Ohio State ─ 8.6 percent

3. Notre Dame ─ 7.0 percent

T-3. Penn State ─ 7.0 percent

5. Georgia ─ 6.3 percent

6. Clemson ─ 4.7 percent

T-6. Miami 4.7 percent

8. UNLV ─ 4.6 percent

9. Oregon ─ 4.4 percent

10. Alabama ─ 3.9 percent

From that list, three are in the Big Ten, three are in the SEC, two are in the ACC, one is in the Mountain West, and Notre Dame checks into the list as the only independent team listed. Oregon is listed at No. 9 in the ESPN PFI list of teams most likely to go undefeated in 2025.

In a surprise, UNLV has a better chance to go undefeated than Oregon.

The Ducks will travel 8,931 miles this season, the most of any Big Ten team. Oregon’s toughest roadblock to an undefeated season will occur in week five against Penn State in Happy Valley.

The Nittany Lions will come into that game off a bye week, which could prove pivotal. The week five matchup for the Ducks will most likely be their toughest environment that they face in 2025, as Penn State has chosen the matchup to be the program's White Out game.

Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

The Iowa away matchup could prove to be a trap game for the Ducks as well. The Hawkeyes went 6-1 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City last year, including impressive wins against Washington and Wisconsin. A polar opposite to the scheduling against Penn State, in which the Nittany Lions will have a bye before facing the Ducks, Oregon will enjoy a bye week before traveling halfway across the country for this Big Ten matchup.

The ESPN FPI gives the Ducks a four percent chance of completing what would be a historic undefeated season that ends with Oregon winning the national championship. Only two other Big Ten teams were listed, with the Ohio State Buckeyes checking in at No. 2 with an eight percent chance, and No. 3 Penn State with a seven percent chance.

The Texas Longhorns take first place honors in the recent ESPN PFI list, with an 8.9 percent chance to complete the 2025 season as undefeated national champions. The roadblock in their way to achieving just that comes in week one when they go on the road to Columbus to play Ohio State, a game that could potentially have ramifications for Oregon down the road concerning playoff seeding.

Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ducks begin their quest for a first-ever national championship on Aug. 30 when they welcome Montana State to Autzen Stadium. The Ducks will be looking to start better than they did last year, when they scraped a win over Idaho by ten points in week one.

This article first appeared on Oregon Ducks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: