Oregon Ducks fans will certainly be happy to see this.
The Oregon Ducks have been one of the best teams in college football each of the last two years, but they were routed in the College Football Playoff both times.
In January 2025, Oregon was destroyed by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, and this past winter, the Ducks were hammered by Indiana in the Peach Bowl.
Can Oregon finally get over the hump next season?
The Ducks certainly have the talent to get there, especially with quarterback Dante Moore — among others — deciding to forego the NFL Draft to return to Eugene.
ESPN recently released its SP+ rankings for 2026, where teams are ranked based on a plethora of factors including offense, defense, special teams, returning production, recruiting, etc.
So, where did Oregon fall in these rankings? Well, the Ducks came in at No. 2, with only the Big Ten rival Buckeyes ranked ahead of them.
This seems pretty fair. Ohio State will be downright terrifying next season with Julian Sayin in his second year as starting quarterback and Jeremiah Smith coming back for what will almost surely be his final season in Columbus.
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore. Credit: Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.That being said, the Buckeyes are losing a ton of defensive talent to the NFL Draft this spring, with Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, Kayden McDonald, Davison Igbinosun and Caden Curry all departing.
The point? There is absolutely a path to a championship for the Ducks next season, and you have to figure that one of these years, Dan Lanning and Co. are finally going to break through.
Lanning took over as Oregon head coach in 2022 and has gone 48-8 throughout his stay in the Pacific Northwest. He has done an incredible job of utilizing the transfer portal to bolster his rosters, and the Ducks are always in the mix on the recruiting trail.
The question is whether or not Lanning can actually win the big game, which is the same question that Ryan Day had faced before finally leading Ohio State to a national title two seasons ago.
Oregon will host Boise State to open up the 2026 regular season on Sept. 5.
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