Rece Davis Has Strong Words About Oregon Ducks’ Upcoming Opponents

It may be a bye week for the No. 15 Oregon Ducks, but with a little more than half the season left to play, college football analyst Rece Davis thinks there's one underrated team the Ducks need to watch out for.

Reece Davis arrives at ESPN College GameDay ahead of the University of Oklahoma-Michigan College football game on Sep 6, 2025 in Norman. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The No. 15 Oregon Ducks are taking some much-needed R-N-R during their bye week, but the headlines keep coming as the rest of the regular season schedule looms ahead.

One of those headlines surrounds a particular ESPN College GameDay analyst predicting that Oregon's remaining games may hold some challenges from teams fans wouldn't originally expect.

Sep 5, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Bob Chesney (left) yells to running back Wayne Knight (3) before the game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rece Davis' Opinions on UCLA as a Sneaky Team

Host of GameDay and analyst Rece Davis recently broke down a handful of teams in the Big Ten conference that he thinks are underrated during his "Rece's Pieces" segment on "The Pat McAfee Show." Two of the teams Davis highlighted are scheduled for Autzen Stadium-based games with the Ducks in a short time.

"There's some teams lurking around in college football right now..

I've been really impressed by UCLA and Nebraska..

We might have some sneaky teams in the Big Ten"@ReceDavis #PMSLive https://t.co/OrWpMKDK51 pic.twitter.com/miQ6RZexv3

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 29, 2026

"There's some teams lurking around in college football," Davis said. "A little bit quiet so far. And you're gonna find out just how good they are coming up in the next few weeks."

"Iowa is one. You're gonna find out Saturday. I've been really impressed with what Bob Chesney's doing at UCLA. You take Iowa, you take UCLA, you can even take Nebraska who's going to get Indiana in a couple of weeks and we may have some sneaky teams that give the Big Ten the type of depth that everybody has been saying 'Wow, the Big Ten's good at the top, but what about the middle? What about the upper middle class?'" Davis said.

Sep 26, 2026; College Park, Maryland, USA; UCLA Bruins linebacker Trent Hendrick (25), center with arms folded, leads the celebration in the end zone after making an interception in the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bob Chesney Era At UCLA

Let's focus on the more immediate threat for the Ducks: the new-look UCLA Bruins.

Funny enough, Chesney is a familiar face for the Ducks, as coach Dan Lanning and crew beat Chesney and his former team, the James Madison Dukes, 51-34 in the first round of 2025's College Football Playoff.

Though it was well known that Chesney was departing the Dukes' program for the Bruins before the teams' trip to Eugene, it's important to keep stock of that JMU team, as Chesney brought 11 of those athletes over with him to Los Angeles (in what's becoming a very typical move for modern college football coaches).

Chesney, who walked into a program that went 3-9 during the 2025 season with a few shining spots, including an upset of Penn State, is currently on a 4-0 streak. Though the competition hasn't been particularly stiff with opponents like Cal, San Diego State, Purdue, and Maryland, each game was decided by at least two scores.

Sep 26, 2026; College Park, Maryland, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Wayne Knight (3) runs for yardage in the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bruins Running Game

Speaking of transfer players from JMU making their mark at UCLA, remember senior running back Wayne Knight from the 2025 season when he ran for a physical 110 yards on 17 receptions against the Ducks? Knight is one of the big pieces contributing to UCLA's 1,126 yards and 18 touchdowns punched in so far this season. Knight currently has 445 yards and nine touchdowns off 49 carries, seemingly putting up half the payload for the Bruins when it comes to carrying the rock.

The Ducks and Bruins both have familiarity with each other's squads, so there's a chance knowing the opponent from playing similar athletes a short while ago will be an asset, and a heads-up for this team, Davis thinks, is flying under the radar.

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