Oregon Ducks Receive Surprising Analytics Ranking After Bounce Back Win

The No. 6 Oregon Ducks earned a bounce-back 56-10 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday night. Following the win, the Ducks climbed up to No. 2 overall in ESPN's FPI behind only the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Oct 18, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The No. 6 Oregon Ducks earned a dominating 56-10 bounce-back road win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday night. Oregon's dominating offensive performance against Rutgers was the exact response that Ducks fans were hoping for after week 7's 30-20 loss to the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers.

Not only did Oregon get back on track with the win, but they also received a boost in the latest ESPN FPI Top 25 rankings.

Oregon Climbs In Latest ESPN FPI Rankings

Oregon climbed three spots to No. 2 in the ESPN FPI Top 25 after its win against Rutgers on Saturday night. The Ducks are only behind No. 1 Ohio State in the FPI rankings, and despite falling to the Hoosiers at home, are two spots ahead of Indiana, which checks in at No. 4 following Week 8's college football action.

Oct 18, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Jordon Davison (0) carries the ball during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Top 10 according to ESPN's FPI:

1. Ohio State
2. Oregon
3. Alabama
4. Indiana
5. Notre Dame
6. Georgia
7. Texas
8. USC
9. Miami
10. Texas A&M

The Scarlet Knights fell to 3-4 on the season after the loss to Oregon, and Rutgers is one of three teams in the Big Ten with a 3-4 record and no conference wins on the season. Michigan State and Wisconsin are two of the other Big Ten teams that stand with a 3-4 overall record, and are 0-4 in conference play.

Rutgers ranks No. 63 according to the in ESPN's FPI after week 8.

New Big Ten Team Enters ESPN's FPI Top 25

Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kamari Moulton (28) carries the ball during a college football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions Oct. 18, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Six Big Ten teams, along with Indiana, check into this week's rankings below Oregon, including USC (No. 8), Michigan (No. 16), Penn State (No. 21), Washington (No. 22), and Iowa (No. 24).

Iowa checks into the ESPN FPI Top 25 rankings after their 25-24 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday night. Despite falling 34-24 to the No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the USC Trojans jumped up one spot in the FPI rankings.

MORE: AP Top 25 Poll Chaos After Ranked Upsets For Miami, Ole Miss, Texas Tech

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No. 25 Michigan jumped one spot following its 24-7 win over the Washington Huskies on Saturday and improved to 5-2 on the season. Even with their losses, Washington and Penn State didn't move at all in the latest rankings.

The biggest surprise in the rankings remains Penn State, which lost its fourth straight game and first since firing coach James Franklin following the 22-21 week 7 loss to the Northwestern Wildcats. A team that started the season with national championship expectations now falls to 3-4 on the season after the latest loss to Iowa on the road.

What's Next For Oregon After Win Over Rutgers?

Oct 18, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) warms up before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

With the win against Rutgers, Oregon improves to 6-1 on the season and is set to return to Autzen Stadium to face off against the Wisconsin Badgers. The Ducks defeated the Badgers 16-13 in 2024 in Madison.

Before joining the Big Ten, Oregon faced off in the Rose Bowl in 2011 and 2019, with the Ducks winning both matchups. The Ducks lead the series 4-3 over the Badgers, with Oregon having won four straight games.