Oregon football is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time in 12 years.
The Ducks’ first game at the top will be Saturday afternoon in a Big Ten matchup against No. 20 Illinois in Eugene, Ore.
Oregon (7-0, 4-0) is 6-1 all time as a No. 1 team and is one of only 10 undefeated FBS teams this season. The Ducks are 7-0 for the sixth time in program history and the first time since 2013, and they have wins over two Top 25 teams this season in Ohio State and Boise State.
Oregon is 35-1 over its last 36 home games and is 44-3 at home since 2017.
So what does No. 1 mean to coach Dan Lanning and the team?
“Who cares?” Lanning said, unable to hold back a grin. “You don’t sit halfway through a meal and say you’re done eating when there’s still a lot of food left on the plate. That’s where we’re at. We’re at the midway point of the season. We’re not done yet. There’s a lot of things that we still want to accomplish. That doesn’t really matter for us.”
Lanning, according to at least one media outlet that covers the Ducks, closed practice to the media for the week leading up to Saturday’s game.
The Ducks are coming off a 35-0 win over Purdue on the road last week. Oregon posted a shutout for the first time since 2012, forced two turnovers, and held Purdue to 93 passing yards.
Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 21 of 25 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns. Gabriel’s completion percentage (77.0) leads the nation.
Illinois (6-1, 3-1) has been one of the surprise teams in college football this season. The Fighting Illini defeated then-No. 19 Kansas on Sept. 7, then-No. 22 Nebraska on the road on Sept. 20, and topped then-No. 24 Michigan last week.
Only a 21-7 loss to current No. 3 Penn State on Sept. 28 stands as the lone blemish on the Illinois schedule.
Quarterback Luke Altmyer ran for a touchdown and passed for another last week against Michigan, and the Illinois defense had three takeaways.
Illinois will visit Eugene for the second time in program history and the first time since 1995. It will be the program’s first trip west of the Rocky Mountains since the 2019 Redbox Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif.
Saturday will be Illinois’ first regular-season game on the West Coast since a non-conference trip to Washington in 2014. Illinois will face the nation’s top-ranked team for the 16th time in program history, with a 3-12 record in those games.
“This is a group that kind of does what they have to to get things done,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said Monday. “Super enjoyable ride that we’re on right now and super excited about this weekend’s opportunity and making the most of it.”
