Oregon is entering the 2026 season with the kind of buzz that only comes when a program has both the talent and the résumé to back it up. CBS Sports has the Ducks sitting in Tier 1 of Brad Crawford’s College Football Playoff contender rankings, labeling them "Clear Front-Runners" alongside Notre Dame, Ohio State, Miami, and Georgia.
Crawford didn’t hold back on what makes Oregon such a serious threat. "Oregon's defense, built by Dan Lanning, could be the best in college football," Crawford wrote. "Lanning is due for a breakthrough, and it feels like the 2026 campaign is when it'll happen."
That kind of confidence is rooted in what Oregon just did. The Ducks went 13-2 in 2025, reached the College Football Playoff semifinals, and walked into the offseason with a roster that now carries real postseason mileage.
Last year, the question was whether Oregon had enough experience to match its talent. This time around, that argument looks a lot thinner.
The biggest reason is retention. Several players who could have tested the NFL Draft market after the 2025 season decided to come back to Eugene, giving Oregon a rare mix of continuity and upside. Dante Moore returns at quarterback after guiding the Ducks to within one win of the national championship game, and he’s surrounded by a group that gives the offense real juice.
Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. are back after forming one of the top backfields in college football. Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan return at receiver after strong 2025 seasons, and a healthy Evan Stewart adds another dangerous option who can threaten defenses downfield.
The defense may be even more compelling. Oregon looks loaded up front with Bear Alexander, A'Mauri Washington, Matayo Uiagalelei, and Teitum Tuioti leading the charge. Behind them, the secondary got a boost through the transfer portal with Koi Perich and Carl Williams IV joining the mix.
Still, the path to a first national title won’t be smooth. November brings the stretch that could define the season, with Oregon heading to Columbus on Nov. 7 to face Ohio State before coming home a week later to play Michigan. Those two games loom large for both the Big Ten race and playoff positioning.
There are other moving parts, too. The revamped secondary has to come together quickly, especially with defensive backs arriving from different programs and learning Oregon’s system on the fly. On offense, the Ducks have one of the deepest receiver rooms in the country, but managing a group full of former five-star recruits through a long season is never simple.
Even with those questions, Oregon has the look of a team built to make another run. The Ducks return an experienced quarterback, a defense Crawford believes could be the nation’s best, and a roster packed with proven talent from last season’s playoff push. That’s why CBS Sports sees Oregon as one of the clearest championship contenders heading into 2026.
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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 🡒]