Oregon's transfers make their mark across the playoff race as the Ducks get ready for Michigan

Oregon's best Saturday of the season came in Columbus, but players who left Eugene also showed up across the playoff picture in Week 10. A roundup from Ducks Wire followed the former Ducks who found more playing time after leaving a deep 2025 roster, and several of them are now on teams that could end up in the same 12-team field as Oregon.

Houston got the most from its Oregon pipeline. Running back Makhi Hughes, who redshirted with the Ducks, ran 12 times for 90 yards and caught a pass for 7 more in a 31-24 win over Cincinnati that moved the Cougars to 7-2. Defensive lineman Ashton Porter made six tackles, five of them solo, in the same game. That puts him at 27 for the season, compared with 20 in his last year at Oregon.

Further up the rankings, defensive lineman Terrance Green, a rotation player in Eugene, had a sack and three tackles in Alabama's 31-13 win at LSU, which gives him 3.5 sacks this year. Tionne Gray had three tackles and a pass breakup as Notre Dame beat No. 1 Miami 31-24. Ducks Wire noted that the win leaves the Irish a clear path to the playoff if they keep winning.

Other former Ducks lost. Running back Jayden Limar led Washington with 66 rushing yards on nine carries in his second game back from injury, but the Huskies fell 28-25 to Penn State. Receiver Kyler Kasper caught three passes for 43 yards in BYU's 28-20 loss to Utah, the Cougars' second loss in three games after a 6-0 start. Missouri cornerbacks Sione Laulea and Jahlil Florence had five tackles and two pass breakups between them in a 34-20 loss to Texas.

The Ducks had the biggest result of all. As OregonLive reported, No. 23 Oregon scored 38 straight points to win 41-28 at No. 12 Ohio State. The win kept Oregon's playoff hopes alive and probably ended the Buckeyes' chances.

What it means for Michigan

The win at Ohio Stadium made it three straight for Oregon, which is now 6-3. It also backed up the 41-27 win at USC from earlier in the year. The losses still count, though. Oregon lost 21-10 at Illinois, fell 17-15 at home to UCLA and lost at Oklahoma State, and the Ducks have also had close games, including a 17-14 win over Nebraska. Ohio State is also 6-3 and hosts Northwestern on the same day, with the playoff race likely already gone.

Michigan comes to Autzen Stadium on Saturday, November 14, with kickoff at 12:30 p.m. Pacific on FS1. Fox Sports notes that it is the Wolverines' first trip to Eugene since 2003. Oregon has won the last three meetings, including 38-17 in Ann Arbor in 2024, and the all-time series is tied 3-3.

Across the 12 venues on this site's board, the Ducks are clear favorites. Novig has Oregon at -388 on the moneyline and Michigan at +376. On Novig, Oregon is favored by 10.5 points at -106. The best number for Michigan is at BetRivers, where the Wolverines get 12.5 points at -122, two points more than Novig offers. Sportsbook hold on the spread ranges from 3.3% to 6.7%. The total is 38.5 on Novig, and Pinnacle's 38 at -110 is the best price on the over. A total that low suggests a defensive game, which is how many of Oregon's games have gone this year: five of its nine have produced fewer than 50 combined points.