It’s time for another episode of Ducks Confidential, an Oregonian Sports podcast about the Oregon Ducks.

In this edition, columnist Bill Oram and senior writer Joe Freeman dissect five burning questions surrounding the Rose Bowl and the No. 1 Ducks’ chase for the first championship in school history.

Who should they want to play in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff? How far do they need to advance to prove they belong among college football’s elite? What are the biggest factors separating the Ducks from a title?

Oram and Freeman answer those questions and more in the episode. Subscribe to Oregonian Sports podcasts on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

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In this season of giving... out college football awards, is a bit of consistency too much to ask? If Dillon Gabriel was the highest-regarded quarterback among Heisman Trophy voters, then how can he be the country’s third-best quarterback by AP All-American voters? Distinguishing the impact of Gabriel’s season against the years of Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders may depend on personal preference.

On this week’s episode of the Oregonian Sports Podcast, hosts Bill Oram and Brenna Greene break down that very question and are even interrupted by a brief restoration of order: A first-team nod for Gabriel on another All-American team.

Also discussed on this week’s episode:

• The seismic departure that is... the Idaho football coach?

• No, no. The retirement of soccer legend Becky Sauerbrunn, a USWNT captain whose impact off the field changed the future of women’s sports

• A difference of opinion on who the Ducks should want to play in the Rose Bowl: Ohio State or Tennessee?

• And much more.

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With stars Bryce Boettcher and Dillon Gabriel busy on award stages, Oregon football has been putting in work in the transfer portal as it prepares for the Rose Bowl.

We recap the week gone by on both fronts and discuss the upcoming Ohio State-Tennessee matchup — which will decide Oregon’s next opponent — on this week’s Ducks Confidential.

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The Oregon Ducks are Big Ten champions. A thrilling win against Penn State earned Oregon the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and a Rose Bowl berth.

What to make of Oregon’s historic season so far, and their much-discussed path in the playoff? Ducks Confidential has you covered.

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Oregon is going to the College Football Playoff. That’s a given regardless of what happens in the Big Ten Championship game against Penn State. The question is whether the Ducks will earn a first-round bye and a direct pass to, presumably, the Rose Bowl, or if they will have to host a home game at Autzen Stadium in December.

As the playoff field takes shape, Bill Oram and Brenna Greene, hosts of the Oregonian Sports Podcast, discuss what they like and don’t like about the new system as the 12-team playoff works out the kinks.

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The Blazer Focused podcast, hosted by Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach, examines all that went right and all that went wrong for the 8-14 Trail Blazers during the first quarter of the season.

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The No. 1 Oregon Ducks capped an undefeated regular season with a thrashing of rival Washington on Saturday. Next up? A Big Ten championship game tilt with Penn State.

Some in the sports media sphere think Oregon would benefit from a loss in this game to ease their hypothetical path in the College Football Playoff. This is not one of those podcasts.

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Should Oregon State have started Ben Gulbranson at quarterback from the outset? Does the defense need a tweak, or a major overhaul? What are the Beavers’ biggest transfer portal needs?

With Oregon State’s 2024 season in the rearview mirror, it’s time to get cracking on improvement and returning to bowl eligibility. Former Beavers defensive end Isaac Hodgins and The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Nick Daschel discussed OSU’s final game and the future on the latest Beaver Banter podcast.

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The Blazer Focused podcast, hosted by Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach, goes over the impact of recent injuries, the inconsistent play of Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe and others, and if the 7-11 Blazers have played a little too well for their own good.

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After much ado about tiebreakers, Oregon football has clinched a spot in the Big Ten championship game. But first, the Ducks seek an undefeated finish to the regular season with a win against Washington.

A preview of that UW game, plus a recap of the week gone by for men’s and women’s basketball, on this week’s Ducks Confidential.

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