The No. 2 Oregon Ducks open their season Saturday at Autzen Stadium, and the buzz around Dan Lanning’s team is already centered on the kind of stuff that can swing a game fast: explosive receivers, a defense built to make life miserable, and a few debut moments that should tell you plenty about what this team is about.
Kickoff against Boise State is set for 12:30 p.m. PT, and Oregon comes in as a heavy favorite.
With the Ducks carrying their highest preseason AP ranking ever, the expectations are loud before the first snap. Autzen is set for a green-and-yellow “stripe out,” and the setting matches the stage.
One of the biggest questions is what Oregon gets from Evan Stewart, who is back for the first time since 2024 after missing all of last season with a torn patellar tendon suffered during a 7-on-7 drill in the summer of 2025. Stewart’s résumé already says plenty: in 2024, he had 613 yards and five touchdowns on 48 catches in 13 games, and his career numbers sit at 1,776 yards and 11 scoring grabs. Lanning sounded encouraged about where he is now.
“Evan Stewart’s had a really good offseason,” Lanning said. “I’m really excited about what Evan can bring to our team this year.”
If Stewart looks like himself right away, that could make Oregon’s receiver group even more dangerous alongside Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan, who are back outside after combining for 497 and 557 receiving yards, respectively, with three touchdowns apiece last season. The prediction here is simple: Stewart comes out hot and leads Oregon in receiving with a 100-plus yard day, which would be the seventh such performance of his career and his first since he went for 149 yards on Oct. 12, 2024 against Ohio State.
The Ducks’ defense also has a chance to make an early statement, and safety Koi Perich is right in the middle of that conversation. Perich arrives from Minnesota through the transfer portal after leading the Golden Gophers with five interceptions in 2024, which topped the Big Ten, and he brings 128 career tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss with him to Eugene. Oregon defensive coordinator Chris Hampton didn’t hide his admiration.
“I don’t see a lot of flaws in this game,” Oregon defensive coordinator Chris Hampton said of Perich.
“He’s shown the ability to cover in the slot. He can tackle.
He’s been extremely physical. He’s made a lot of plays on the ball.
He’s very ball aware.”
The bold call is that Perich gets Oregon’s first interception on Saturday.
Another prediction is more about what won’t happen. Oregon punter Bailey Ettridge, who arrives after averaging 44.7 yards per kick at Nevada in 2025 and earning All-Mountain West honorable mention plus a spot on the Ray Guy Award watchlist, may not get much work at all. Oregon punted 35 times in 15 games last season, but the expectation here is that Ettridge won’t need to wash his jersey after the opener and that his Ducks debut will have to wait until Week 2 at Oklahoma State.
And then there’s the emotional note waiting at the end of the day. Oregon will honor tradition by playing Dolly Parton’s “Eugene, Oregon” for the first time since the legendary country music singer’s death, a moment that figures to land hard in Autzen after the game.
For a team with national title ambitions, Saturday is more than a season opener. It’s the first chance to show whether the pieces fit the way Oregon thinks they do.
In Other News...
Oregon Faces An Early WR Twist Fans Didn't Expect
Oregons season opener against Boise State brought an early shakeup to the receiver room, with Iverson Hooks not dressed for warmups and set to miss the game. That is a notable development for a transfer who arrived from UAB as one of the Ducks more interesting offseason additions and even landed on the Preseason Biletnikoff Award watchlist, raising expectations for what he might add to the offense right away.
Freshman Jalen Lott was also not dressed, which opens the door for other Oregon wideouts to pick up snaps and prove their place in the rotation. For a team trying to establish rhythm early in the year, the absence of two receivers changes the look of the depth chart before the first kickoff is even in the books. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Opens With An Early Jalen Lott Concern Fans Will Watch
Oregons build toward its 2026 season opener against Boise State at Autzen Stadium got a little more complicated before kickoff when freshman wide receiver Jalen Lott and transfer Iverson Hooks were not spotted in pregame warmups. Lotts absence stood out most, given the attention he brought into camp and the fact that he was reportedly dealing with injuries suffered during the preseason stretch.
Because this is a non-conference game, the Ducks do not have to put out an official injury report, so the full picture remains unclear for now. What is clear is that Oregon may need to lean on some of its younger receivers sooner than planned, which adds another layer of intrigue to a first game that was already supposed to offer an early look at the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Just Got A Title Nod That Raises The Pressure Fast
Before the season even gets into its full grind, Oregon has already found itself in the kind of spotlight that can make a good year feel bigger. During a CBS Sports pregame show, the studio anchor and three college football analysts all said they believe the Ducks are the team to beat for the 2026 national championship, a prediction built around Dante Moore returning at quarterback and Dan Lanning still steering the program.
For Oregon, the attention is flattering, but it also comes with the familiar weight of expectation. The Ducks have been to the national title game before, in 2010 and 2014, and the next step is the one that has eluded them. Being talked about as a future champion is one thing, but living up to a forecast like this starts long before January. [Read more 🡒]