Dan Lanning and Oregon spent part of the offseason digging into a problem that has followed the Ducks into the sport’s biggest games: they keep winning the first meeting, then losing the rematch.
It’s a frustrating pattern for a program that has otherwise surged into the top tier under Lanning. Oregon has won a Big Ten championship, made the College Football Playoff and firmly established itself as one of college football’s heavyweights. But when a familiar opponent shows up again late in the year, the Ducks have not found the same answer twice.
That showed up in 2023, when Oregon lost to Washington in Seattle during the regular season and then fell again in the Pac-12 Championship Game. It happened again a year later after the Ducks beat Ohio State in a memorable regular-season game at Autzen Stadium, only to lose the Rose Bowl meeting in the College Football Playoff. And it continued in 2025, when Indiana beat Oregon in the regular season and then knocked the Ducks out again in the College Football Playoff semifinals, closing the book on Oregon’s 13-2 season.
At Big Ten Media Days, Lanning said the staff has spent time studying why those second chances have gone sideways.
"Obviously, it's a tough league," Lanning said at Big Ten Media Days. "I think that speaks volumes about our league, especially when you're talking about repeat games within our league. We have some unbelievable coaches, great teams."
The Ducks’ losses in those rematches have come against teams that were able to make adjustments after the first game and then play their best when the pressure was highest. Lanning said there isn’t one clean explanation for it.
"Sometimes the ball has to bounce the right way," Lanning said. "Sometimes you can do something schematically. I think we will take all those notes, some of the things we have studied about ourselves."
Oregon’s review went beyond its own setbacks. The staff also looked at teams that flipped the result in a second meeting or simply played better the next time around.
"We have studied other teams that have won games in their second opportunity," Lanning said. "We're looking for our opportunity to be a team like that. Means you have to be clicking on all cylinders at the end of the year."
That, more than anything, is the lesson Oregon is chasing. The best teams keep getting better as the season wears on.
They stay healthy, keep adjusting and peak when the calendar turns to November, December and January. Once a team has already seen you, the margin gets smaller and the details matter even more.
Lanning also pointed to the quality of the opponents Oregon ran into. Indiana’s 2025 run was no fluke, he said, just as Ohio State’s team the year before had already proven itself.
"Obviously Indiana had an unbelievable team last year," Lanning said. "I think everybody that played them got to see that, everybody that watched. Ohio State the year before."
Oregon heads into the 2026 season with another roster built to chase a Big Ten title and a national championship. The Ducks will also do it with more experience and a reshaped coaching staff after several offseason changes.
In Other News...
Oregon May Have A Late Backcourt Decision To Make
A federal court ruling this week added an unexpected wrinkle to Oregons offseason roster planning, with a U.S. District Court judge granting a preliminary injunction that requires the NCAA to declare eligible all high school class of 2022 athletes who used up four seasons of eligibility this spring. For a Ducks program that has already largely assembled its roster but kept a few openings available, the decision arrives at a time when backcourt depth is still worth monitoring.
One name to keep in mind is Takai Simpkins, the former Oregon guard who was part of the case. Even with the portal already in motion and the roster picture mostly settled, the ruling creates a late-stage possibility the Ducks may have to weigh, especially if they want to preserve flexibility in the guard rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Is Suddenly In The Mix For A Proven Guard Again
A court ruling in Colorado has reopened the college basketball market in a way few programs could have predicted, giving players from the 2022 recruiting class another year of NCAA eligibility and prompting a fresh round of roster shuffling. For teams like Oregon, it has created an opportunity to revisit experienced backcourt options at a time when proven guards are always in demand.
Among the players drawing attention is Memphis guard Dug McDaniel, whose path has already included stops at Michigan and Kansas State before his time with the Tigers. Oregon is reportedly among the programs showing interest, and the broader appeal is obvious: a seasoned ballhandler suddenly available again, with multiple schools now trying to sort out where he might land next. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Tight End Battle Could Change The Ducks Offense Fast
The tight end room is shaping up as one of the more interesting parts of Oregons 2026 roster, with five-star newcomer Kendre Harrison already looking like a player who could push for immediate snaps. He brings the kind of blend the Ducks value there, with enough blocking ability to hold up in the run game and enough receiving skill to be more than just a line-of-scrimmage option. Add in his athletic profile, plus the expectation that he will also spend time around college basketball, and Oregon has a rare kind of mismatch piece entering the program.
Jamari Johnson gives the Ducks a proven returning option, which makes the battle feel less about finding one usable tight end and more about sorting out how quickly the offense can take advantage of two different skill sets. If Harrison adapts fast, Oregon could open the season with a much more dangerous group at the position than most teams in the country can match. The bigger question now is not whether the Ducks will have talent there, but how soon they can turn it into a real edge on offense. [Read more 🡒]