Oregon drops to 4-3 at Illinois as Week 8 upsets shake up the Big Ten

Oregon's slide deepened Saturday. The unranked Ducks lost 21-10 at Illinois, giving them three losses before November for the first time since 2018, according to Kyle Bonagura's Week 8 wrap for ESPN. At two losses, a late-season rally into the playoff picture was still possible. ESPN now says that path is closed, and Oregon sits at 4-3.

The loss fits a pattern ESPN has tracked all season: teams coming off big wins and then stumbling the next week. Oregon beat USC 41-27 on Oct. 3 and lost to UCLA 17-15 at home the next week. Minnesota beat Michigan on the same day and then lost to Purdue. The Ducks also have a reminder of what they gave up. Will Stein, Oregon's offensive coordinator for the previous three seasons, has Kentucky at 7-1 in his first year as head coach. Oregon's scoring has dropped off sharply since he left. The Ducks have scored 10, 17 and 15 points in their last three games.

Elsewhere in the conference, Indiana needed overtime to beat Michigan 13-6, a week after losing for the first time this season, 19-15 to Ohio State. ESPN reported that Curt Cignetti considered benching quarterback Josh Hoover, who completed 8 of 18 passes for 81 yards. Indiana ran for 131 yards. The Hoosiers are 7-1, but three of their last four Big Ten wins were close enough that a few plays could have flipped them. Michigan fell to 4-3. All three of its losses have come by a combined 14 points.

Wisconsin was the conference's upset winner, holding No. 16 USC to seven points in a 24-7 win. The Badgers are 5-2, and both losses came against top-10 teams, Notre Dame and UCLA. ESPN pointed to a remaining schedule of at Iowa, Rutgers, Maryland, at Purdue and Minnesota, and said every one of those games is winnable. That puts the Badgers in Big Ten title contention. Their next test is at No. 15 Iowa on Oct. 31.

What it means for Northwestern at Oregon

Oregon gets no easier game next. No. 24 Northwestern visits Eugene on Saturday, Oct. 31, on Peacock. The Wildcats come in ranked, while Oregon has lost three of its last five. One of the Ducks' two wins in that stretch was a 17-14 escape against Nebraska.

The market still has Oregon favored. DraftKings lists the Ducks at -4.5 on the spread. On this site's board, Novig has Oregon at -160 on the moneyline and Northwestern at +122. The best Northwestern price anywhere is DraftKings' +150, a 28-cent gap between the two venues on the underdog side. DraftKings' moneyline hold is 4.3%.

The total looks high next to Oregon's recent scores. Novig has it at 52.5, with the over at +108 and the under at -122. DraftKings has it a point lower at 51.5, at -110. Oregon has scored 42 points in its last three games combined, so reaching that number would take its best offensive showing since the 84-0 rout of Portland State. A fourth loss would leave Oregon needing to win out just to reach eight wins.