Schedule imbalance within conferences is becoming a real problem, but the Ducks are set up in 2026 to make a real run.
One of the biggest elements of the conference realignment era in College Football is the inherent schedule imbalance that has come as a result.
It obviously doesn't make any sense that Cal-Berkely is in the ACC and that Oregon, UCLA, and USC are in the Big Ten. The reality is that money talks, and this conference realignment is now the reality.
The result of these mega-conferences is an incredible schedule imbalance. Ohio State, for example, has seven ranked opponents on its schedule this season. Oregon has only three.
The Ducks, smartly, have a very favorable non-conference schedule with Boise State, Oklahoma State, and Portland State to start the year.
Then, Big Ten play begins with a trip to USC, which is a really tough matchup. After that, they go to UCLA, Nebraska, Illinois, and Northwestern, which should end an eight-game win streak.
If the Ducks take care of Business, they will be ranked in the top three in the country heading east to Columbus for a showdown with the Buckeyes. Whatever happens in that game sets up a three-game finisher against Michigan, Michigan State, and then a (PAC 12) rivalry game against Washington.
© Mark J. Rebilas | 2023 Nov 18 This schedule couldn't have laid out better for Oregon as they have their sights set on returning to the College Football Playoff and this year, making a run at the Championship.
Obviously, this is the evaluation as we are seven months away from the start of the season. A lot can change, especially with all of the change that the conference experienced already this offseason.
Michigan, Michigan State, and UCLA all have new coaching staffs. Northwestern finished the year on an upswing, and they gave Oregon a game last year. It's never easy to play in Lincoln, NE.
It certainly won't be easy, but Oregon needs to position itself well because the clock is ticking on coach Dan Lanning. He isn't sitting on the hot seat, but it is definitely starting to warm up.
Indiana winning the National Championship in 2025 was a disaster for Lanning and the Ducks because they completely leapfrogged the Ducks and showed that a full program turnaround can be done without taking a ton of time.
The expectation has always been the National Championship, and the Ducks should be set up nicely when the postseason comes around, thanks to a very favorable Big Ten Schedule.
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