EA Sports College Football 25 predicts Oregon vs. Washington matchup

We’ve been waiting for over a decade, but the time has finally come.

EA Sports College Football 25 is here at long last.

College football fanatics can rejoice as the offseason draws to a close during the month of July and players start to ramp up for what will be a historic 2024 campaign. One of the many ways that fans will get back into the swing of college football is by playing this beloved game with their favorite teams and favorite players, looking to go all the way and hoist the national championship trophy at the end.

While Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are getting prepared for the upcoming season, we wanted to do something similar here at Ducks Wire and forecast what may lie ahead in Eugene. To do so, we are going to go about simulating all of the games on the Oregon Ducks schedule and see what EA Sports predicts will happen when all is said and done. We’ll look at outcomes, player stats, scoring plays, and major takeaways. Here are a few ground rules for our simulations:

All simulations take place in “Play Now” mode, not “Dynasty.” Therefore, injuries will not play a factor.
Quarters are set at 10 minutes.
Weather will be set to depict the environment accurately. For example, early-season games in Eugene will have mostly clear skies, while late-season games in Eugene will likely see rain or cold.
The time of the game will reflect the announced game times.

Let’s get to it.

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Oregon survived the Wisconsin snow and now comes back home to face Washington, a nemesis in more ways than one. The Dawgs have one three straight and that doesn’t sit well with the fan base. But Washington is rebuilding and should be fodder for this Duck team as they go for a trip to the College Football Playoff.

Or are they?

We have Chris Fowler and Kirk Hebstreit on the call for this “Big Game.”

Here’s how things have gone so far this season:

Week 1 vs. Idaho Vandals — Unavailable (No FCS teams in CFB25)
Week 2 vs. Boise State — Oregon 31, Boise State 21
Week 3 at Oregon State — Oregon 80, Oregon State 0
Week 5 at UCLA Bruins — Oregon 35, UCLA 10
Week 6 vs Michigan State — Oregon 35, Michigan State 13
Week 7 vs Ohio State — Ohio State 31, Oregon 24
Week 8 at Purdue — Oregon 49, Purdue 24
Week 9 vs Illinois — Illinois 34, Oregon 24
Week 10 at Michigan — Oregon 38, Michigan 17
Week 11 vs. Maryland — Oregon 42, Maryland 41
Week 12 at Wisconsin — Oregon 37, Wisconsin 17

Now let’s see what the beloved video game projects between the Ducks and Huskies.

Oregon Ducks 29, Washington Huskies 28

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

This was an ugly game early on and Dan Lanning was going to have some explaining to do as the Huskies went up 20-0 on the Ducks. Nothing was working on either side of the ball.

But then Traeshon Holden scored right before halftime and the momentum carried over to the second half. Washington held on to the very last second until Dillon Gabriel found Holden in the corner of the end zone with five seconds to go and the Ducks moved on to the Big Ten title game.

Scoring Plays

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

1st Quarter
— (Wash) Grady Gross 49-yard FG (3-0 UW)
— (Wash) Giles Jackson 54-yard pass from Will Rogers (10-0 UW)

2nd Quarter
— (Wash) Jonah Coleman 20-yard pass from Rogers (17-0 UW)
— (Wash) Gross 34-yard FG (20-0 UW)
— (Ore) Traeshon Holden 5-yard pass from Dillon Gabriel (20-7 UW)

3rd Quarter
— (Ore) Tez Johnson 66-yard pas from Gabriel (20-14 UW)
— (Wash) Jackson 74-yard pass from Rogers, 2-pt conversion good (28-14 UW)

4th Quarter
— (Ore) Jordan James 9-yard run, 2-pt conversion good (28-22 UW)
— (Ore) Holden 13-yard pass from Gabriel (29-28 Ore)

Top Offensive Performers

Abigail Dollins/Statesman Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Oregon Ducks

QB Dillon Gabriel: 19-of-32 passing, 301yards, 2 TD, 2 INT

RB Jordan James: 19 carries, 46 yards, 1 TD

WR Tez Johnson: 5 catches, 108 yards 1 TD

WR Traeshon Holden: 4 catches, 67 yards, 2 TD

Top Defensive Performers

Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa

Oregon Ducks

LB Brandon Johnson: 10 tackles, 1 INT

DE Jordan Burch: 10 tackles, 7 for loss

CB Jabbar Muhammad: 4 tackles, 1 INT

Major Takeaways

Photo Courtesy of Oregon Ducks Athletic Department

That was close … too close
It seems Oregon scrapes by the skin of their teeth whenever I run the simulations, but when Zac runs the sims, the Ducks dominate. He must cheat. Washington was up 20-0 in Autzen! Not good. Thankfully, the Ducks bounced back and snuck in this win.

Why go for two there?
EA Sports must not have those playsheets coaches have that tell them when or when not to go for two. Oregon was down 28-14 and scored a touchdown, but some reason the sim decided to go for two when in actual reality, a coach would never go for two in that spot. But the Ducks made it to be within six points at 28-22.

Big plays rule the day, again
Oregon’s offense certainly has big play potential and the game shows it. The Duck also give up big plays as well. I just wish there was a bit more balanced. Big plays are fun, but can we have a special teams big play every once in a while?

Ducks Wire Simulated MVP

Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Going with Traeshon Holden and his two touchdowns, including the game-winner with just five seconds remaining to stun the Dawgs.

What Would Dan Lanning Say?

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

“That was too close, right? I’m happy with how we stuck together and kept trimming that deficit. (On the 2-pt attempt) Will Stein had the perfect call there, so I figured why not. We don’t do conventional at Oregon. But I wish we would get out to better starts. We can’t go down 20-0 to rival like that. Just not acceptable. At least we got the W. Go Ducks!” Dan Lanning, probably