Oregon came into the season with the kind of buzz that usually follows a team built for January, not September. Dan Lanning had the Ducks knocking on the door in each of the past two College Football Playoff runs, Dante Moore was back, and the roster looked loaded enough to make the hype feel justified.
Two weeks in, though, the results have told a different story.
The Ducks opened with a shaky 34-27 escape against Boise State at home, then went on the road and handled Oklahoma State - at least on the spread, not on the scoreboard. Oregon was a 24.5-point favorite in both games, while Oklahoma State entered Week 1 as a 13.5-point favorite before getting rolled 24-10 by Tulsa. Instead of looking like a juggernaut, Oregon has looked alarmingly ordinary.
That’s where the conversation changes. Oregon’s season point differential sits at -1, which doesn’t scream playoff threat. It looks more like a team trying to find itself than one ready to chase a national title.
And yet, the path is still there. Because of that preseason ranking, the Ducks should remain in the playoff mix even after this sluggish start. The bigger question is whether they can do anything with the opportunity.
There’s still a chance Oregon catches fire and turns this into something far bigger, the kind of run that brings 2019 LSU Tigers comparisons into the conversation. But that’s a leap, not a prediction.
The schedule won’t offer much breathing room either. Oregon gets FCS opponent Portland State in Week 3, then the real grind begins: a trip to USC, a trip to Illinois, a trip to Ohio State, a home game against an unpredictable Michigan team, and a regular-season finale against Washington.
After what the Ducks have shown through the first two weeks, there isn’t much reason to circle any of those as easy wins.
So the question hangs there: can Oregon straighten this out, or are the Ducks exactly what they’ve looked like so far?
In Other News...
Boise States Lone 2028 QB Commit Just Raised A New Concern
Zeke Thomas has already given Boise State an early foothold in the class of 2028, but his recruiting profile is the kind that can keep a staff on edge. The three-star quarterback from Willamette High School in Oregon is not only the Broncos lone commitment in that class, he is also one of the states top quarterback and baseball recruits, with offers from Boise State, Idaho, Oregon State and Sacramento State.
That two-sport appeal is part of what makes the situation worth watching, especially after Thomas recently visited Oregon State for an official baseball visit. Boise State has added quarterbacks in other upcoming classes and is planning for changes at the position, but when a priority commit is drawing attention on the diamond as well as the football field, the recruiting picture can get a little more complicated than a simple verbal pledge. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Fans Are About To Hear A Lot More From Danielson
Boise State fans should get a different window into Spencer Danielson when the Broncos host Memphis at Albertsons Stadium, with the head coach set to be micd up as part of the Pac-12 Field Pass program. The idea is to bring viewers closer to the game by putting microphones on coaches and players, and for Boise State it means a chance to hear more than the usual sideline snapshots.
Danielson said the setup can show fans more about the Broncos culture and how he approaches games on the sideline. It is a small broadcast wrinkle, but one that could add a little more personality to a matchup that already has plenty of attention, especially for viewers who want to hear how the coach handles the game as it unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Basketball Is Chasing A Home Crowd Identity Fans Miss
Boise State basketball has been trying to recapture something that used to come naturally at ExtraMile Arena, the kind of home-court edge that starts in the student section and spills onto the floor. The school took a visible step toward that goal when it named Ella Gendreau president and Mateo Bertagnolli vice president of the student section for the 2026-27 academic year, a leadership change tied to the newly rebranded Stampede.
The move comes with a clear mandate: bring more students back, make the nights louder, and turn the arena into a place opponents notice right away. The switch from The Corral to The Stampede was announced on social media on Aug. 11, and the name change says plenty about the energy Boise State wants to reclaim, even if the real test will come once the seats fill and the season begins. [Read more 🡒]