Oregon’s move into the Big Ten drew plenty of doubt when it happened. The Ducks, along with USC, Washington and UCLA, left the Pac-12 for a league built on long trips and colder weather, and plenty of people figured that grind would eventually catch up to the West Coast programs. Instead, Oregon has handled the transition better than anyone else and quickly forced its way into the conversation at the top of the conference.
That standing showed up again in On3’s Crain and Cone matchup rankings for the 2026 Big Ten season. Oregon landed three of the top five games on the list, with matchups against Ohio State, Washington and USC all getting the nod. The rankings underline just how central the Ducks have become to the league’s biggest games.
NEW: Top 5 Big Ten Football Games in 2026🔥
(via @crainandcone) https://t.co/SLxn1ZC8zt pic.twitter.com/D1AjsGCaqb
- On3 (@On3) July 14, 2026
There’s even an argument that Oregon’s marquee games should be slotted higher. With Indiana expected to face plenty of turnover, Oregon against Ohio State could wind up as the biggest game on the schedule no matter what conference it’s in. Michigan versus Ohio State still carries its usual weight because of the drama, but the source material points to uncertainty around the Wolverines after the coaching turnover.
Dan Lanning’s team faces a brutal stretch, but that kind of schedule can sharpen a roster over time. Oregon is chasing a national championship this season, so the Ducks would gladly trade a softer path for the chance to finish with the trophy. If they win it all, nobody in Eugene will care much about the record.
Since joining the Big Ten, Oregon has matched up with Ohio State as one of the league’s standard-bearers, while Curt Cignetti has pushed Indiana into that same tier. Lanning is 17-1 in Big Ten play and has already won a Big Ten Championship. The only loss came against the national championship Indiana Hoosiers, who may have been the only team better than Oregon this season.
The Ducks still have to keep proving it. Programs with deeper history in the conference may have the legacy edge, but the present day belongs to recent results, and Oregon has stacked plenty of them. The source also notes that post-John Harbaugh Michigan has been a disaster, while Penn State fired James Franklin.
For Oregon, the checklist is almost complete. The Ducks are now in the country’s toughest conference, they already have a conference championship, and a national title would finish the job.
In Other News...
Oregons Running Back Room Just Earned A Massive National Ranking
Oregons backfield is already drawing national attention after CBS Sports slotted the Ducks running back room third in the country, a nod to how much production is returning and how much depth is piling up behind it. The group is headlined by sophomores Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr., who gave Oregon a steady one-two punch last season and now give the offense a proven foundation to build around again.
Davison and Hill combined for more than 1,500 scrimmage yards and 21 total touchdowns in 2025, and the Ducks are not stopping there. Colorado transfer Simeon Price has joined the mix, while freshmen Brandon Smith and Tradarian Ball are also in the room, giving Oregon a crowded competition for the next snaps and a depth chart that still has some sorting out to do. [Read more 🡒]
Dana Altman Suddenly Has Oregon Back In A Familiar Conversation
After a rough 2025-26 season that left Oregon at 12-20 overall and 5-15 in Big Ten play, the Ducks are suddenly back in a conversation they badly needed. CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein has pointed to Oregon as a potential sleeper in the league for 2026-27, and the reason is simple enough: the roster has been turned over almost completely through the transfer portal, giving Dana Altman a fresh group to work with in his 17th season.
Oregon lost eight players and brought in eight transfers, a makeover that gives Altman a chance to reset the program quickly rather than spend another year patching holes. Rothsteins view is that the Ducks could be one of the most improved teams in the Big Ten and have a path back to the NCAA Tournament, which is exactly the kind of expectation shift that can change the mood around a program before the season even starts. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lannings Rare Oregon Portal Misses Still Sting For Ducks Fans
Oregons transfer-portal haul has usually been a point of pride under Dan Lanning, but not every addition has delivered the instant boost fans expected. Makhi Hughes, Isaiah World and Caleb Chapman all arrived with real buzz and the sense that they could help shape the Ducks season, yet each one ran into a different kind of roadblock once the games started.
Hughes never found a consistent role in the backfield, World had stretches where his play did not match the lofty projections attached to him, and Chapmans time in Eugene was derailed by injuries before he could build momentum. For a program that leans on the portal to patch holes and raise the ceiling, those misses still stand out because they show how quickly a promising fit can turn into a quiet footnote. [Read more 🡒]