The 10 greatest games in Oregon Ducks history, ranked by program impact and how often fans still talk about them. A loss made the top 5. The Pick is #1 and it is not close.

OPINION-BASED RANKINGS
We ranked these by program impact, moment significance, and how often fans still talk about them decades later. A loss made the top 5. Deal with it.
Oregon vs Ohio State at Autzen Stadium, the 32-31 victory in 2024
32-31. Autzen. 60,129 fans. The biggest win in stadium history. That is what this list is about.
1
1994 season | Autzen Stadium | #24 Power Index
Oregon 31, Washington 20
This is #1 and it is not close. November 12, 1994. Washington is driving to win the game and clinch the Rose Bowl. Kenny Wheaton jumps the route, picks it off, and takes it 97 yards the other way. Jerry Allen loses his mind on the radio. "Kenny Wheaton is gonna score!" Oregon goes to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1958. The modern era of Oregon football, everything you know and love about this program, starts with The Pick. Every other entry on this list only happened because this one happened first.
2
2024 season | Autzen Stadium | #3 Power Index
Oregon 32, Ohio State 31
First Big Ten season. #1 Oregon hosting #2 Ohio State. 60,129 fans inside Autzen and every single one of them on their feet for the entire fourth quarter. Oregon won by one point. The atmosphere was unlike anything the stadium has ever produced, and that is saying something for a venue that has been hostile territory for 30 years. Yes, Ohio State got revenge in the Rose Bowl. Does not matter. This night belonged to Eugene.
3
2014 season | Rose Bowl (CFP Semifinal) | #7 Power Index
Oregon 59, Florida State 20
Marcus Mariota vs Jameis Winston. The defending national champions and the reigning Heisman winner against the Ducks and the new Heisman winner. Oregon scored 59 points. FIFTY NINE. In a national semifinal. Against a team that had won 29 straight games. Florida State had no answer, no adjustment, no prayer. This was the most complete performance in Oregon football history. The Ducks made the defending champs look like a scout team.
4
2010 season | BCS National Championship | #2 Power Index
Auburn 22, Oregon 19
I was in Glendale for this one. Oregon lost, and it still makes the top 5. That tells you everything. 12-0 going in. Cam Newton was superhuman. Lost by 3. Three points from being national champions. I still think about the onside kick. I still think about Michael Dyer. Late in the game, Dyer was tackled by Eddie Pleasant and his knee and elbow clearly hit the turf. He was down. I watched the replay on the screen in the stadium. He was down. No whistle. Dyer got up and ran 37 yards, setting up the game-winning field goal. The replay confirmed it. The refs did not call it. I have never gotten over it. No Oregon fan has. We never will.
Michael Dyer's knee on the turf. Dyer was down. No whistle.
Dyer was down. His knee is on the turf. No whistle. 37 yards later, Auburn kicked the game-winner.
5
Oregon 45, Wisconsin 38
De'Anthony Thomas. 91-yard touchdown on his first carry. Then a 64-yard touchdown on his second carry. 2 touches, 155 yards, 2 touchdowns. In the Rose Bowl. Oregon had not won the Rose Bowl in 92 years. Ninety two. The drought was almost as old as the forward pass. LaMichael James ran for 159 yards. The offense put up 45 points. The monkey was off the back and the celebration in Pasadena was 92 years in the making.
6
2001 season | Fiesta Bowl | #8 Power Index
Oregon 38, Colorado 16
Joey Harrington and the 2001 Fiesta Bowl. Oregon was supposed to lose this game. Colorado was big and physical and everything the Ducks were not. Harrington shredded them. 38-16. Oregon finished #2 in the country, the highest final ranking in program history at that point. This was the game that proved Harrington's entire career was not a fluke. The billboard in Times Square was not a gimmick. Oregon belonged with the big boys.
7
Oregon 28, Wisconsin 27
Down 14 points in the fourth quarter. Against Wisconsin. In the Rose Bowl. Again. Justin Herbert refused to let it end. Threw the go-ahead touchdown with under 5 minutes left and Oregon held on by a single point, 28-27. Mario Cristobal was crying on the sideline. Herbert won Rose Bowl MVP in his final college game because he came back for his senior year when he could have gone top-10 in the draft. That is what Oregon means to the players who get it.
8
2009 season | Autzen Stadium | #12 Power Index
Oregon 47, USC 20
I was there Halloween night. I remember the costumes in the student section and the feeling that something different was happening. #3 USC walked into Autzen. They did not walk out. 47-20. Oregon put 47 on a defense that was supposed to be one of the best in the country. Pete Carroll looked confused. Chip Kelly looked like he had been doing this for 20 years, not 8 games. The rest of America realized Oregon was for real that night. We already knew.
9
2021 season | Ohio Stadium | #18 Power Index
Oregon 35, Ohio State 28
Week 2. In Columbus. 100,000 fans wearing scarlet and gray. Oregon was supposed to get crushed. Instead the Ducks won 35-28 and the Horseshoe went silent. The biggest road win in program history, and it is not particularly close. This was the game that put Dan Lanning's future program on the national radar (even though it was still the Cristobal era). Oregon can win anywhere against anyone. This game proved it.
10
2007 season | Autzen Stadium | #16 Power Index
Oregon 39, Michigan 7
Season opener. Michigan came to Eugene expecting a competitive game. They left embarrassed. Oregon 39, Michigan 7. Dennis Dixon introduced himself to America with a performance that had Heisman voters reaching for their ballots in September. This was the opening act of the greatest what-if season in Oregon history. Dixon was magical. The offense was unstoppable. For two glorious months before the knee injury at Arizona, Oregon looked like the best team in the country.

Watch the Highlights

The plays that defined these games. Full highlights from some of the biggest moments in program history.

Greatest Plays in Oregon Football History
Every iconic play from The Pick to the goal-line stand. The complete collection.
Via YouTube
2013-2023
Oregon Ducks Greatest Plays 2013-2023
A decade of Oregon football at its best. Mariota, Herbert, Nix, and more.
Via YouTube
2014
Oregon 59, Florida State 20 (2014 CFP Semifinal)
Mariota's masterpiece. 59 points against the defending champions.
Via YouTube
2014-2015
2014-2015 Oregon Football Hype
The Heisman season. The CFP run. The most electric year in program history.
Via YouTube
2012
2012 Rose Bowl Highlights: Oregon 45, Wisconsin 38
DAT's 91-yard TD. First Rose Bowl win in 92 years. Full game highlights.
Via YouTube
2002
Oregon vs Colorado - 2002 Fiesta Bowl Highlights
Joey Harrington. 38-16. Oregon finished #2 in the country.
Via YouTube
2012
Oregon vs Kansas State - 2012 Fiesta Bowl Highlights
Oregon 35, Kansas State 17. Chip Kelly's farewell game.
Via YouTube

More Oregon highlights and analysis at Addicted to Quack.

Cast Your Vote

What is the greatest game in Oregon Ducks history? Pick one. We will publish the fan consensus.

What Fans Say: r/ducks Community Picks

When Oregon fans on Reddit were asked for their best games, the same names kept coming up. Here is what the community said:

Ohio State 2024 at Autzen
Most frequently mentioned. "I had the most fun at the 2024 Ohio State victory." Multiple fans call it their #1.
@ Penn State 2025 (White Out, 30-24 2OT)
"The most satisfying was the Penn State White Out game." Two overtimes in one of the most hostile road environments in the country.
vs USC 2009 (47-20, Halloween Night)
"One of the most epic weekends of my college experience, and one of my favorite games ever at Autzen." The night Chip Kelly announced himself.
vs Wisconsin 2012 Rose Bowl
"I always felt this was the best Oregon team ever." De'Anthony Thomas, 91-yard TD. First Rose Bowl win in 92 years.
@ Ohio State 2021 (35-28)
"Fright Night against USC and the game against Ohio State in the Horseshoe both belong." The biggest road win in program history.
2020 Rose Bowl vs Wisconsin (28-27)
Herbert's comeback. Down 14 in the 4th. Rose Bowl MVP in his final game.
Honorable Mention: 1983 Toilet Bowl
"Last college football game to end in a 0-0 tie." Oregon State vs Oregon. Sometimes the best games are the worst ones.

Source: r/ducks community thread, September 2025. Quotes lightly edited for clarity.

These rankings are our opinion. Argue with us. Vote above to make yours count.

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