Dan Lanning has spent the offseason looking for a better answer to a problem that keeps hanging around Oregon: what happens when the Ducks see the same team again?
The regular season hasn’t been the issue. Since joining the Big Ten, Oregon has dropped only one regular-season game, a home loss to Indiana last season in a close one. The postseason, though, has brought a different kind of trouble, and rematches have been part of the pattern.
Oregon’s recent playoff run-ins tell the story. In 2023, the Ducks lost twice to Washington, including the Pac-12 Championship Game rematch with a College Football Playoff berth on the line.
The next season, Oregon beat Ohio State in a thriller at Autzen Stadium, then fell flat against the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. Last year followed a similar script: the Ducks battled Indiana in Eugene, then got blown out from the opening snap of the Peach Bowl.
Lanning’s response has been to study how teams handle repeated matchups at the highest level, and he’s looked to the NFL for ideas.
“It's most common in the NFL," Lanning told reporters on Monday. "You know, so just more so conversations with approach and what that might look like.
You know, it's a little bit different. I won't hop into great detail on it, but there's certainly some things that I think we've learned from and can use."
That makes sense on its face. NFL teams face division opponents twice every year, and playoff paths often force a second or third meeting with the same foe. The best teams don’t just survive those games - they figure out how to flip them.
The source article points to the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, as the model. They played the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams three times each. Both division rivals beat Seattle in the first meeting, but the Seahawks won the final two against each, including playoff victories over both on the way to the title.
That’s the kind of adjustment Oregon is chasing for 2026. The Ducks may lose an early matchup and still need to come back with better answers, sharper execution and a steadier mindset the next time around.
Quarterback Dante Moore said Lanning’s approach has already made an impression.
“Coach Lanning does a great job just finding keys and details of certain things that will help us as a team," Moore said. "I wasn't a part of that with him, what he was doing, but it's just true.
You just got to find things from different teams. You know, you never want to be too big-headed.
You always want to learn from somebody.”
The rematch possibilities are real enough. Oregon’s Big Ten schedule includes USC, Michigan and Ohio State, all playoff-level opponents. The Ducks and Buckeyes, in particular, could see each other again in the Big Ten championship game or in the playoffs.
Moore said he’s treating last season’s games against Indiana as lessons, not losses, and he’s leaning on the people around him to keep Oregon in the right position.
“You know, Indiana, for example, did a great job last year on Ohio State," Moore said. "Everybody copied that defense.
So it's going to be a lot of things that happen with change. That's how football works.
But yeah, I know coach Lanning. I'm trusting his game plan, and I'm excited for this year.”
In Other News...
Oregons New Transfer Wideout Is Already Turning Heads At Camp
Fall camp is underway in Eugene, and Oregons passing game already has one newcomer drawing attention. As the Ducks prepare for their season opener against Boise State on Sept. 5, coach Dan Lanning singled out transfer wideout Iverson Hooks, a UAB transfer who brings speed and a polished skill set to a receiver room that has no shortage of options. With returners and other newcomers in the mix, Hooks is trying to carve out a role quickly in a group that will be central to Oregons push for a national title.
Hooks arrives at an important time for a Ducks offense that has to replace production while still keeping the tempo and explosiveness that have become part of the programs identity. Early praise in camp does not guarantee anything once the games start, but it does suggest Oregon thinks it has added a receiver who can fit in immediately. The only question now is how quickly that promise turns into a real workload when the Ducks finally line up against someone else. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon's Biggest Fall Camp Battles Are Happening Around Dante Moore
Fall camp is getting underway with Dante Moore settled in as Oregons starting quarterback, and much of the attention now shifts to the rest of an offense that still has plenty to sort out behind him. The Ducks are trying to piece together a two-deep depth chart that mixes returning players with incoming freshmen, while also clarifying how the running back and receiver groups will shake out before the season begins.
Several spots still feel open enough to make the next few weeks interesting, especially as coaches try to define roles and build depth around the quarterback. For Oregon, the real intrigue is not at the top of the offense so much as in the battles underneath it, where fall camp will decide which players are ready to carve out meaningful snaps. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Fans Already Have A New Name To Watch At Receiver
Fall camp opened with two new five-star additions on the field, and one of them already gave Oregon fans a glimpse of why he arrived with so much buzz. Jalen Lott, the wide receiver in that group, showed off his athleticism with an acrobatic catch during practice, a reminder that the Ducks have added another high-upside weapon to a position room that has plenty of established options.
The challenge now is less about whether Lott can make plays and more about where he fits once the season starts to take shape. Oregons receiver rotation is already deep, so the coaching staff will have to sort out how to work a talent like Lott into the mix while keeping the offense balanced and productive. For a team with big goals, it is a good problem to have, and one that could make this camp storyline worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]