How highly should our Oregon football program be ranked entering the 2026 season?
Tons of outlets around the sport have started mocking up their way-too-early rankings, and there’s a fair bit of discourse on where our Ducks should be placed in the top 10 after a semifinal College Football Playoff finish in 2025.
Sadiq and others will be missed dearly, yet there are some other familiar faces returning to the Autzen gridiron—(Photo via Gary Breedlove)
Oregon’s Average Ranking: 3rd Overall
ON3 and others have Oregon slotted as low as fifth in the country heading into next season, while Pro Football Focus has the Ducks all the way up at the one slot.
Most of us high on the Ducks are focused on their returning talent, highlighted by the prospect of Dante Moore and Arch Manning competing to be the no. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Both are Heisman favorites and could also hoist their first-ever CFP trophy, especially considering the experienced blue-chip rosters backing them in Austin & Eugene.
As for the Ducks, the primary gripe is the change in the coaching staff, although head coach Dan Lanning has proven time and time again that hiring internally just works for him. I honestly expect a lift on the defensive side under Chris Hampton with all the returning talent on the defensive line.
Key Defensive Starters Returning in 2026:
- A’Mauri Washington
- Bear Alexander
- Matayo Uiagalelei
- Teitum Tuioti
- Brandon Finney Jr.
- Jerry Mixon
Offensively, the Ducks are similarly loaded. As long as first-year offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer at least partially replicates what Will Stein was able to do in stretches with a fully healthy 2025 Oregon offense, I have expectations that this will be Oregon’s highest-scoring team in a decade. Moore returning under center also offers veteran familiarity with what I expect to see in a like-minded playcalling style.
Key Offensive Starters Returning in 2026:
- Dakorien Moore
- Dierre Hill Jr.
- Jordon Davison
- Jamari Johnson
- Evan Stewart
- Jeremiah McClellan
In all three phases, we as Duck fans have never seen a team with an embarrassment of riches like this. Complemented by a 3rd-ranked recruiting class finish in 2026, it wouldn’t be a surprise to have flashbacks of Marcus Mariota slinging it all over the field in 60+ point wins. Additionally, this may be the year that Moore elevates to the most pro-ready quarterback Oregon’s ever produced, joining Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and Justin Herbert as a potential fourth starting Duck quarterback in the NFL next year (fifth, if you do count Texas Tech’s Tyler Shough in New Orleans, or if Mariota gets an opportunity to start due to injury).
Oh what a moment it’ll be to see Evan Stewart return to that damn green Eugene grass—(Photo via Naji Saker)
Bottom Line: Oregon Needs to Overperform Anyway
Now, what do preseason rankings mean? Nothing. You can move up or down 10 slots before even taking a snap on the field. Look to Clemson or Penn State’s 2025 preseason rankings as the poster children for that sentiment.
What does matter is that Oregon is expected to not only make the College Football Playoff, but also make another convincing run. Preferably one that doesn’t end in embarrassing blowout fashion.
Moreover, this is the season for our Ducks. There’s so much at stake entering 2026; it’s all seemingly built up to this year with Dan at the helm. 2025 was a year in which Oregon majorly overachieved with the amount of young talent starting their first collegiate games. Lanning’s rise has gotten one step further each consecutive season, and I fully expect that to continue, with 2026 bringing home Oregon’s first football championship to Eugene.
Let’s see (in about 11 months…) if they can get it done.
As it stands today, are the Ducks fairly ranked? Are they being overlooked or overhyped? What do you expect out of Oregon this early in the offseason? Who are your key contributors entering 2026? Let us know in the FishDuck Forum with decorum.
GO DUCKS!
Alex Heining
Los Angeles, California
Top Photo By: Eric Becker
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Alex Heining is an Oregon alumni from the graduate class of 2021. After studying sports business and media studies, he has moved into the field of digital marketing as a copywriter and content manager in the Los Angeles area. Still, he loves his Ducks and goes to local high school games all over the Los Angeles and Orange County area to check out new recruits of the future (and a SoFi game or two with the pros). On any given Saturday, expect to find him doing martial arts, playing the guitar, or screaming at the tv over a missed holding penalty.