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.
In Other News...
Oregons Crowded WR Room Comes With One Surprising Early Snub
The preseason Biletnikoff Award watch list offered an early look at how Oregons receiver room is being viewed nationally, and it provided a reminder of just how deep the Ducks are at the position. Iverson Hooks and Jamari Johnson landed on the list, giving Oregon a pair of early standouts on a group that already has plenty of intrigue heading toward the 2026 season.
What stood out just as much was who did not make the cut. Evan Stewart, Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan were left off the list even though all three have been expected to be central to Oregons passing game next season. For a receiver group this crowded, the watch list only sharpened the conversation around how much production is available, and how quickly the Ducks could sort out their pecking order once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Still Has One Big Oregon QB Decision To Make
Fall camp has given Oregon a clear picture at the top of the quarterback depth chart with Dante Moore entrenched as the starter, but the work is far from finished behind him. Dan Lanning and quarterbacks coach Koa Ka'ai are still sorting through a crowded room of six passers as the Ducks try to settle on the backup order, a job made trickier by the mix of experience, talent and different stages of development in the room.
The staff has been evaluating the backup candidates on consistency, arm strength and command of the offense, and it has made clear the competition is still open. Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola, fifth-year senior Brock Thomas and sophomore Akili Smith Jr. are all in the mix as Oregon keeps watching how each quarterback handles the daily grind of camp, with no official decision yet and no sign the evaluation is close to being over. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Is Fighting Oregon's Biggest Problem Before Week 1
With Oregon carrying a lofty preseason ranking into Week 1, Dan Lanning is trying to keep the Ducks from getting pulled into the noise that comes with national attention. At practice and in conversations with players, the message has been clear: the hype is nice, but it cannot become the story. Quarterback Dante Moore and edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei were among the Ducks who talked about the challenge of handling expectations without letting them change the way the team prepares.
Lanning has stressed staying locked in and avoiding complacency, a familiar concern for any team that starts a season with real playoff ambitions. The players have their own ways of managing it, too, including limiting time on social media so the outside conversation does not spill into their focus or mental health. For Oregon, the bigger question is not whether it has earned the ranking, but whether it can keep that ranking from becoming a distraction once the games start. [Read more 🡒]