Preseason polls are already starting to shape the conversation for the 2026 college football season, and Oregon has landed in a familiar spot near the center of it.
On3 released its top 25 on Tuesday, and while Ohio State took the No. 1 position overall, the Buckeyes did so without a single first-place vote from the 11 voters. That distinction went elsewhere, and Oregon was one of the programs to draw top billing.
Three voters - including Zak Herbstreit - placed the Ducks at No. 1.
Herbstreit’s vote carries a little extra familiarity with the sport’s biggest stage. He is the son of Kirk Herbstreit, the former Ohio State quarterback and longtime ESPN college football analyst.
Zak Herbstreit also has his own Ohio State connection, having played tight end for the Buckeyes after starring at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. His final season in Columbus ended with Ohio State winning the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Oregon’s appeal is easy to trace. The Ducks return Dante Moore, a quarterback viewed as a surefire top-five NFL draft pick who was previously ranked as the No. 2 signal-caller in the 2026 class before choosing in January to stay in Eugene.
He won’t be short on help, either. Oregon brings back its second- and third-most productive wide receivers, plus tight end Jamari Johnson, who finished 2025 with more than 500 receiving yards.
Evan Stewart is also back, giving the Ducks a former five-star receiver set for a big return after missing all of 2025 because of injury.
The roster strength doesn’t stop on offense. Oregon is in the same category as Georgia, Notre Dame and Oklahoma in terms of defensive retention. The Ducks only went to the portal to find new starters at nickelback and free safety, while also filling one linebacker spot by promoting from within and keeping every other starter from last season.
Dan Lanning’s teams have done plenty in the regular season to earn trust, but the postseason has been the source of the noise around Oregon. The Ducks’ closest brush with a title came in the 2011 BCS National Championship loss to Auburn. They never led after the first quarter of the first College Football Playoff National Championship against Ohio State, and in their two College Football Playoff losses in the 12-team era, they trailed by as many as 34 points at different times.
There will be some new faces calling the shots, too. Will Stein and Tosh Lupoi left to become head coaches at Kentucky and California, respectively, and Lanning responded by promoting former tight ends coach Drew Mehringer and former defensive backs coach Chris Hampton into the coordinator roles.
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Oregons Crowded QB Room Says A Lot About This Teams Ceiling
Oregons quarterback room has become one of the more interesting pressure points on the roster, and Brock Thomas is right in the middle of it. The redshirt junior has stayed put even with returning starter Dante Moore in place and transfer Dylan Raiola now added to the mix, a sign of how much talent the Ducks are trying to keep under one roof. Thomas has flashed in limited game action and in practice, and he remains part of a group that also includes redshirt freshman Akili Smith Jr., giving Oregon more depth and more options than most programs can claim.
For Thomas, the situation also carries a longer view. He has the kind of profile that could eventually make a starting job elsewhere tempting if the path stays crowded in Eugene, but for now he is focused on helping the Ducks in whatever role they need. That kind of internal competition says plenty about Oregons ceiling, because it suggests the staff is trying to balance immediate production with future upside at the most important position on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Markus Dixon Returns To Oregon With One Big Role To Prove
Markus Dixons arrival gives Oregon another interesting piece to sort through at tight end as fall camp gets underway. The Clemson transfer brings position flexibility and a frame that the Ducks can use in a room that needed reinforcements after a starter left for the NFL Draft, which made his addition more than just a depth move on paper.
What makes Dixon worth watching is how much remains unsettled about his fit. Oregon brought him in to help the tight end group, but his exact assignment is still being determined as camp unfolds, leaving him with a clear chance to carve out something bigger than a reserve role if he can quickly show the staff where he belongs. [Read more 🡒]