Oregon Faces Tough Reality As David Pollack’s Revelation Puts Dan Lanning to the Test

The Oregon Ducks have looked untouchable in the first four games of 2025. Discipline has been the hallmark of their start: just 14 penalties over four contests and not a single flag against Northwestern. And on offense? They got 59 points to open against Montana State, then an even stronger 69 on Oklahoma State. Despite all the clean sheets, Oregon hasn’t met its real challenger yet. Oregon’s trip to Penn State in Week 5 is the real deal that can ignite major playoff chatter for both teams.

Analyst David Pollack has been hyping Oregon in his Top 12 CFP picks all month. But his real talk is about the Ducks’ road test to Happy Valley. “The thing about Oregon, I got them at seven. They haven’t played anybody that gives them any kind of credit,” Pollack said on his See Ball Get Ball podcast. “They’re scoring over 50 a game. They’ve been dominant. I believe what I’ve seen. I believe in their coach. So that’s why I got them ahead of Penn State.” It’s true that Oregon really hasn’t squared off against anyone that gets meaningful results. But their sheer dominance can’t be ignored.

Pollack highlights that the real deal is going to be at Happy Valley. “Penn State, 4-0, is kind of on cruise control. But we’ll see this week, right?” Pollack said. “Like, we get to see those two teams. And whoever wins that game immediately is going to get a huge bump. And I think if Oregon wins this game, they get a bigger bump.” ESPN’s FPI calls this one basically a coin flip. They have Oregon at 48.9% to win on the road and Penn State at 51.1%. That kind of projection isn’t common for big-time White Out games.

The Ducks have four straight wins by 20-plus, along with a brutal 41-7 rivalry beatdown of Oregon State. So even if they start slow, they grab control by halftime and open things up with Dante Moore’s big arm and run game. The defense is just as nasty, holding Oregon State and Northwestern under 200 yards and barely giving QBs a chance. But it’s all against weak teams.

Sure, the Ducks have been blowing teams out and stacking a lot of points. But now they’re finally leaving their comfort zone after cruising past four cupcake teams. Plus, on the Penn State side, that small edge is basically based on their home field and defense. Fans and bettors are leaning Ducks, with roughly 69% of picks favoring the visitors to either pull the upset or at least keep it tight. If the Ducks can topple a top-3 team on the road in a hostile White Out environment, the payoff is enormous: a win would vault Oregon squarely into elite playoff contention.

Fixing glaring issues before showing up at Happy Valley

Heading into the huge showdown at Penn State, the Oregon locker room is facing a bit of confidence lag. And it’s coming straight from coach Dan Lanning himself. It all happened after the Northwestern game. The Ducks had it their way for 45 minutes, leading 31-0, but the final quarter saw Northwestern slice through their defense, scoring 14 points while Oregon barely chipped in three more. That four-quarter inconsistency has the coaching staff drilling hard.

Lanning openly admitted on the Joel Klatt Show, “You get disappointed when you don’t reach that. And that’s like that’s our job as coaches to get the best out of our players.” He emphasized the mental part of the game. And especially on critical third-and-long plays where Oregon struggled to convert. It revealed a side of the Ducks that needs fixing before the eye of the storm at Beaver Stadium for their White Out test against Penn State.

Oregon can’t afford any cracks in execution with Penn State’s defense waiting to pounce. It was a glaring issue early this season against Montana State and Oklahoma State. The zero penalty box score against Northwestern was a positive sign, though, showing progress on discipline. Lanning’s approach is all about pushing for that extra 15 minutes of perfect football. Because come Sept. 27, the Ducks need to bring their A-game against the Lions.