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Why Kirk Herbstreit Boldly Predicts Oregon Will Lose to Iowa in Week 11

The Ducks falling short in Iowa City? It could happen.

Tom Dierberger

Herbstreit and the “College GameDay” crew will travel to Lubbock, Texas, this weekend.
Herbstreit and the “College GameDay” crew will travel to Lubbock, Texas, this weekend. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Kirk Herbstreit believes No. 6 Oregon will suffer its second loss of the season on Saturday at Iowa.

“Oregon loses Saturday,” Herbstreit whispered during an appearance Thursday on The Pat McAfee Show.

The Ducks (6–1) have been on a roll this season, clobbering four cupcake matchups to start the year before defeating then-No. 3 ranked Penn State 30–24 in double overtime on Sept. 27, a win that looks far less impressive now that the Nittany Lions are 3–4 and without fired coach James Franklin.

The one blemish on Oregon’s schedule is the 30–20 loss to No. 2 Indiana back in early October. Herbstreit, however, believes the Ducks will fall again this weekend in a 3:30 p.m. ET matchup in Iowa City. And it doesn’t have much to do with Oregon themselves.

“I’m telling you, we all love Dan Lanning, we all love the Ducks and their potential. But there’s something about certain teams at Iowa when you go to November,” Herbstreit said. “... If it were a night game, it would be a given it would be a loss. At 3:30 p.m., it’s going to get dark in the second half. Iowa is going to be typical Iowa. It’s going to be ugly.”

Herbstreit then went on to predict exactly how the game would unfold: Iowa would slow down the Ducks’ offense and hang around in a 15–13 game. And then in the final minute, the Hawkeyes would drive down the field and kick a game-winning field goal for a 16–15 win.

We’ve seen this movie before.

Iowa, 6–2, has yet to beat a ranked opponent this season, with losses to Iowa State and Indiana staining its résumé. The Hawkeyes will have a chance to do so this weekend against the Ducks at Kinnick Stadium.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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