Oregon is on the edge of a small but notable piece of preseason history as the AP Top 25 is set to drop Monday at 9 a.m. PT.
The Ducks have opened a season ranked No. 3 four times - in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2024 - but they have never been slotted higher than that in the preseason poll. This year could change that. With Dan Lanning bringing back a veteran roster and expectations already stacked sky-high in Eugene, Oregon has a real shot to land its highest preseason AP ranking ever.
The conversation at the top of the poll looks crowded. Texas and Ohio State appear to be the strongest candidates to be placed ahead of Oregon, while Notre Dame could also slide in front of the Ducks and push them to No.
- Anything outside the top five would come as a surprise given where Oregon sits entering the season, both in the national conversation and in the betting market.
Lanning’s group has plenty of name power back on the field, with quarterback Dante Moore, receiver Evan Stewart, and defensive linemen Bear Alexander, A'Mauri Washington, Matayo Uiagalelei, and Teitum Tuoiti all part of the picture. That veteran core is a big reason the Ducks are being viewed as one of the country’s elite teams before a snap has been played.
FanDuel Sportsbook has Oregon with the second-best odds to win the Big Ten at +270, trailing only Ohio State. The Ducks also have the second-highest odds to reach the College Football Playoff at -330, tied with Miami and behind Notre Dame.
A projected top 25 for the season has Texas at No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame and Georgia. The rest of the top 10 includes Indiana, Miami, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Alabama, with LSU, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, USC, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, BYU, Utah, Iowa, Washington, Houston, SMU, Missouri and Louisville rounding out the full list.
Oregon’s path through the early part of the schedule includes tests against Boise State and Oklahoma State, and conference play opens with a road trip to USC. The Trojans are expected to check in somewhere between No. 10 and No. 20 in the preseason rankings.
Elsewhere around the country, a handful of non-conference games could help shape the early season picture. Texas and Ohio State are set to meet on Sept.
8, Michigan and Oklahoma will square off in week 2, Clemson and LSU are scheduled for Sept. 5, and Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech is another matchup that could alter the order.
September rankings rarely resemble the final picture that arrives in December from the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, but the first month still matters. Those results shape perception, and they can shape resumes too. For Oregon, even a preseason milestone that may not mean much later would still be another sign that Lanning has pushed the standard in Eugene to a new level.
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For a Buckeyes offense that always wants the ground game to travel, Jacksons rise matters beyond the individual recognition. He became one of the few true freshmen in Ohio State history to top 1,000 rushing yards, and now the question is how much farther he can push his role as the season unfolds, with semifinalists and finalists still to be sorted out before the award is handed out in December 2026. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces A Big QB Question Behind Julian Sayin
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Preseason camp, though, has kept that pecking order from feeling settled. St. Clair is still regarded as a strong prospect, but the battle for the No. 2 job remains alive, with the staff getting a closer look before the season begins. For Ohio State, it is more than a depth-chart footnote. In a quarterback room that is always under a spotlight, the backup spot can say a lot about how the next chapter is taking shape. [Read more 🡒]