For the Oregon Ducks, the 2025 college football season will be one of great interest. After a 2024 season in which Dan Lanning’s team won the Big Ten Conference in its first year as league members, expectations were set high. Now, with an almost entirely new-look roster that returns just four starters, there are a lot of questions to be answered.
We have less than a month until those questions will start to be answered, and as we continue our preview coverage of the upcoming season, we want to begin examining the Ducks‘ schedule and some of the players, teams, and coaches they will face over the coming months.
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To begin, let’s examine the top of the organizational chart and focus on the coaches. Oregon fans know well how much difference a good coach can make on the success of the program, so here’s a look at the best and worst coaches that the Ducks will face in the 2025 season.
12. Trent Bray — Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State Beavers head coach Trent Bray watches the game against Idaho State Bengals during the second half on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.
Overall Coaching Record: 5-7
Coaching Record at Current School: 5-7
Bowl Record: 0-0
Analysis: The resume is still small with Oregon State’s Trent Bray, but he didn’t show anything in 2024 to move up the list. While the deck is stacked against him in Corvallis, we will see if he can lead the Beavers to success this season, especially with Maalik Murphy under center.
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11. David Braun — Northwestern Wildcats
Sep 21, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun reacts to a goal line play against the Washington Huskies during the third quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Overall Coaching Record: 12-13
Coaching Record at Current School: 12-13
Bowl Record: 1-0
Analysis: David Braun’s first year at Northwestern was impressive, taking over as the interim on short notice and becoming bowl-eligible with an 8-5 record. However, there was some serious regression last season, going 4-8, and not much confidence for improvement going forward.
10. Brent Vigen — Montana State Bobcats
Sep 17, 2022; Portland, Oregon, USA; Montana State Bobcats head coach Brent Vigen (left) and Oregon State Beavers head coach Jonathan Smith (right) greet after the game at Providence Park. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Overall Coaching Record: 47-10
Coaching Record at Current School: 47-10
Analysis: While he may coach at the FCS level, Brent Vigen is one of the best in the Big Sky Conference. In his four seasons with Montana State, Vigen has made a pair of national championship games, losing both to the North Dakota State Bisons both times. Few Oregon fans may know who Vigen is, but he deserves some recognition.
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Dec 26, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano reacts after losing to the Kansas State Wildcats in the Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Overall Coaching Record: 94-101
Coaching Record at Current School: 94-101
Bowl Record: 6-3
Analysis: Greg Schiano has been coaching at Rutgers for a long, long time, and while he has a losing record overall, he is above .500 in the last 11 years, with a 6-3 bowl game record. The Scarlet Knights could be a lurking team in the conference this year with some new talent, and Schiano might be the guy to get them where they need to be.
8. PJ Fleck — Minnesota Golden Gophers
Jan 1, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach PJ Fleck (sunglasses) reacts during the fourth quarter of the game against the Auburn Tigers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Overall Coaching Record: 88-61
Coaching Record at Current School: 58-39
Bowl Record: 7-2 (0-1 in NY6 Bowl Games)
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Analysis: PJ Fleck has made some noise at times during his tenure with Minnesota, but has struggled to reach the top tier of teams. His bowl record is great, though all of the success has come in non-New Year’s Six bowls. Going into 2025, there is a belief that the Golden Gophers could be a sneakily good team in the Big Ten.
7. Mike Gundy — Oklahoma State Cowboys
Head coach Mike Gundy looks at the score board during an Oklahoma State spring football showcase at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, April 19, 2025.
Overall Coaching Record: 169-88
Coaching Record at Current School: 169-88
Bowl Record: 12-6 (2-3 in NY6 Bowl Games)
Analysis: Mike Gundy has stood the test of time in the world of college football, rolling along at Oklahoma State over the past couple of decades and finding some pretty solid success along the way. In this new era, it’s yet to be seen whether or not the Cowboys can compete at the top level in the Big 12, but they have a solid coach should they get the talent necessary.
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6. Kirk Ferentz — Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz looks on during a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game against Nebraska, Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
Overall Coaching Record: 204-124
Coaching Record at Current School: 204-124
Bowl Record: 10-11 (0-2 in NY6 Bowl Games)
Analysis: There have been a lot of changes in the world of college football over the years, but Kirk Ferentz has been a constant at Iowa. While the Hawkeyes have struggled to reach the top tier of success in the sport, Ferentz has always been solid, typically winning 7-9 games per year with a great defense and an offense that underperforms. We will see if that continues in 2025 with FCS transfer Mark Gronowski under center.
5. Jedd Fisch — Washington Huskies
Nov 2, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch stands on the sideline during the first quarter against the USC Trojans at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Overall Coaching Record: 23-29
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Coaching Record at Current School: 6-7
Bowl Record: 1-2
Analysis: Jedd Fisch’s record doesn’t match up with how good of a coach he is, in my opinion. There were some down years at Arizona, where he was fighting an uphill battle when it came to the talent he had on the roster, but we saw flashes late in his tenure of how good of a coach he can be. The deck was stacked against him last year at Washington due to the mass exodus of players following Kalen DeBoer’s departure, but he could very well have the Huskies back in contention this season.
4. Luke Fickell — Wisconsin Badgers
Nov 16, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell during warmups prior to the game against the Oregon Ducks at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Overall Coaching Record: 76-38
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Coaching Record at Current School: 13-13
Bowl Record: 3-4 (0-2 in NY6 Bowl Games // 0-1 in College Football Playoff Games)
Analysis: Luke Fickell is another coach who has shown before that he can scheme the X’s and O’s with the best of them, but putting it all together has eluded him as of late. Fickell made a run to the College Football Playoff with the Cincinnati Bearcats several years ago, but since taking over at Wisconsin, he’s struggled to find the same success. That doesn’t negate the fact that he is a solid coach who many teams would be happy to hire.
3. Lincoln Riley — USC Trojans
Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Utah State Aggies during the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Overall Coaching Record: 81-24
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Coaching Record at Current School: 26-14
Bowl Record: 3-4 (1-4 in NY6 Bowl Games // 0-3 in College Football Playoff Games)
Analysis: When it comes to offense, Lincoln Riley is one of the best coaches in the game, but putting together a whole team that can stop teams from scoring is what has been the biggest hurdle. That was the case even before Riley’s time at USC, where he made it to three College Football Playoffs with the Oklahoma Sooners, losing all of them. The Trojans are recruiting at a high level right now and appear to be improving, but they’ve got a bit to go before they compete at the top of the Big Ten and return to the CFP.
2. Curt Cignetti — Indiana Hoosiers
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 05: Head coach Curt Cignetti of the Indiana Hoosiers looks on against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Martin Stadium on October 05, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Overall Coaching Record: 30-6
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Coaching Record at Current School: 11-2
Bowl Record: 0-1 (0-1 in College Football Playoff Games)
Analysis: Curt Cignetti is nothing if not entertaining, both on and off the field. He had great success with James Madison before moving to Indiana, and he continued that success last year with the Hoosiers, putting together the best season in program history and advancing to the College Football Playoff. The schedule will be more challenging this season, so we will see if Indiana can repeat its success, but Cignetti seems to be among the top rising coaches in the game right now.
1. James Franklin — Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin watches quarterback Drew Allar (15) throw in the 2024 Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Overall Coaching Record: 125-57
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Coaching Record at Current School: 101-42
Bowl Record: 8-7 (5-3 in NY6 Bowl Games // 2-1 in College Football Playoff Games)
Analysis: Regardless of his track record in big games, you can’t deny the fact that James Franklin is one of the better coaches in the world of college football, routinely putting his team in a position to do some big things. Franklin tends to win all of the games that he is supposed to, but has struggled in games where he is facing equal or better talent over the years. The Nittany Lions made a nice run in the College Football Playoff last year, and have the deck stacked once again this year to compete for a championship.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Every head coach on Oregon Ducks’ 2025 schedule, ranked by resume
