Oregon’s 2025-2026 athletic department landed at No. 18 in CBSSports’ latest rankings from Cody Nagel, a placement built across six major sports: football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball.
The strongest push came from football. Oregon reached the semifinals of the College Football Playoff before losing to the eventual national champion Indiana Hoosiers.
The Ducks dropped only two games all season, and both came against Indiana. Along the way, they also knocked off the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the JMU Dukes in the CFP.
Baseball also gave the Ducks a real boost, even if the ending stung. Oregon finished 43-18 and made it to the Super Regionals before falling to the Texas Longhorns. A trip to Omaha would have lifted the profile even more, but the Ducks still finished inside the top 16.
The men’s basketball season pulled the other way. Oregon missed March Madness, finished below .500, and won just 12 games overall. The Ducks went 5-15 in Big Ten play, making it the roughest result of the group and the biggest drag on the department’s overall standing.
Women’s basketball was more solid than spectacular. Oregon went 23-13, beat the Virginia Tech Hokies in the second round of the tournament, then ran into the Texas Longhorns and lost in blowout fashion. It was a decent season, but not one that pushed the ranking upward.
Softball delivered another strong year, finishing 41-14 with a 20-4 mark against Big Ten opponents. The Ducks hosted a regional but came up short there, leaving a frustrating finish to a season that otherwise looked like a success from start to finish.
Volleyball rounded out the list with a season that never quite reached the standard of the department’s better programs. Oregon finished 17-13, posted a negative record against Big Ten teams, and missed the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year.
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