The Big Ten’s annual Media Days are set to put Oregon back in the spotlight this week, and the Ducks are arriving in Chicago with plenty of attention already locked on them.
The three-day event runs from Tuesday, July 28, through Thursday, July 30, and it gives all 18 conference programs a chance to speak as the 2026 college football season creeps closer. For Oregon, Wednesday, July 29, is the day to watch.
Dan Lanning is scheduled to take the podium at 9:15 a.m. PT, with his press conference listed for approximately 10:45 a.m.
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Fans can catch the event on the Big Ten Network, with streaming available through the FOX Sports App or live TV streaming services that carry BTN.
The Ducks enter the week with national championship buzz already swirling around the program. ESPN’s College Football Power Index gives Oregon the fifth-best odds to win it all at 9.2 percent, behind only Ohio State, Texas, Notre Dame, and Georgia. That kind of number is enough to make any appearance in Chicago feel like a headline event.
Lanning won’t be the only Oregon face making the rounds. The Ducks’ player representatives in Chicago are quarterback Dante Moore, tight end Jamari Johnson, and linebacker Teitum Tuioti, a trio that brings a little bit of everything: production, leadership, and the kind of upside that has Oregon thinking big.
Moore is back for his second season as the starter after guiding Oregon to a 13-2 record and a College Football Playoff semifinal berth in 2025. He passed on the NFL Draft and chose to return to Eugene, and the numbers from last season explain why he’ll be one of the biggest draws at Media Days: 71.8 percent completions, 3,565 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
He’s also viewed as one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft, which only adds to the buzz around his return.
Johnson is stepping into a bigger role at tight end with former Oregon standout Kenyon Sadiq now in the NFL. He wasn’t the featured option at the position last season, but he made his chances count, finishing with 32 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns. Now he heads into his first year as Oregon’s starting tight end, already on multiple preseason watch lists, including the John Mackey Award watch list.
Tuioti gives the Ducks a veteran presence on defense. He’s coming off a 2025 season that included 68 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles, and he remains a central figure in a front seven expected to be among the best in the Big Ten and beyond. Oregon will need that kind of production, along with his voice in the locker room, as the program replaces several key contributors while carrying lofty expectations into the new season.
For Oregon, Chicago is the first real stage of the 2026 build. And with Lanning, Moore, Johnson, and Tuioti all set to speak, the Ducks will have no shortage of storylines when they finally step up to the microphone.
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