The Oregon Ducks have received a huge prediction thanks to Dante Moore.
Dante Moore surprisingly decided to forego the NFL Draft and return to the Oregon Ducks for another year, which is certainly fantastic news for Dan Lanning.
Moore probably would have been the No. 2 overall pick in the draft had he declared, but he opted to take his talents back to Eugene.
Oregon's 2026 college football campaign now looks quite a bit different as a result.
In fact, writers at The Athletic were polled, and the majority selected the Ducks to win the national championship next season, receiving nine of the 28 votes. Notre Dame finished second with five votes.
"Dante Moore’s return at quarterback makes it clear Oregon is all-in for a title push, even though it must deal with the departures of coordinators Will Stein (Kentucky) and Tosh Lupoi (Cal) to head coaching jobs," The Athletic wrote. "Moore is far from the only impact player who chose to return, and Dan Lanning’s Ducks — who were No. 1 in Stewart Mandel’s early Top 25 — got the most votes to win the title as the Big Ten seeks a fourth consecutive championship with a fourth different team."
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore. Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images.The NIL era has certainly changed things, as players who normally would have entered the NFL Draft years ago now have a lot to consider. In addition to Moore, edge rushers Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti as well as defensive tackle A'Mauri Washington have all elected to head back to Oregon for another season.
The amount of talent and experience on Oregon's roster heading into 2026 is overwhelming and could very well result in the school's first national championships.
Yes, the Ducks did watch a couple of key coaches depart, and they also lost a heavy amount of players to the transfer portal. But in terms of the latter, it was more depth pieces than actually vital cogs.
Moore is the real key here.
The upcoming redshirt junior threw for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 71.8 percent of his passes this past year.
It should be noted that Moore struggled in bigger games, such as the Peach Bowl against Indiana. But perhaps another year of experience will pay massive dividends for the 20-year-old.