Oregon enters this season with the kind of roster that makes people in college football offices sit up and take notice.
That much showed up in a recent CBS Sports survey of 23 conference front-office employees, who were asked which teams have the best roster in the country. Several picked the Ducks, but Oregon was hardly the only program drawing buzz. Ohio State got plenty of support too, and the Buckeyes remain one of the biggest obstacles in the way of Oregon’s Big Ten and national title hopes.
The Ducks and Buckeyes are set to meet Nov. 7 in Columbus, a game that shapes up as one of the season’s biggest matchups. It also may not be the last time the two programs cross paths if both keep pushing toward the top of the sport.
Ohio State’s case is easy to see. Like Oregon with Dante Moore, the Buckeyes have a star quarterback situation and a dangerous receiver room led by Jeremiah Smith, one of the best players in college football. Even with major NFL losses on defense, Ryan Day’s team is still expected to be one of the best units in the Big Ten.
But Oregon’s profile is just as loud, and maybe even louder. Moore is back in Eugene for his second season as the Ducks’ starter, and the weapons around him are stacked: Dakorien Moore, Evan Stewart, Jeremiah McClellan and UAB transfer Iverson Hooks give Oregon real firepower on the outside.
The Ducks also have more than one answer at tight end. Even after losing Kenyon Sadiq, whom the New York Jets selected in the first round at No. 16 overall, Oregon still has Jamari Johnson, who posted 32 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns last season.
There’s balance in the backfield too. Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. combined for 1,323 yards and 20 touchdowns last year, giving Oregon another layer of production that can keep defenses from keying on Moore. The offensive line took hits this offseason with Emmanuel Pregnon and Isaiah World heading to the NFL, but center Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu is back to anchor a reworked group.
That kind of depth is a big part of the Ducks’ argument. Not many teams can point to a returning quarterback, multiple playmakers at receiver, proven production at running back and a veteran center all at once.
The defense brings its own selling points. Oregon returns all four of its key defensive linemen from last season: Matayo Uiagalelei, A’Mauri Washington, Bear Alexander and Teitum Tuioti. At linebacker, Jerry Mixon, Devon Jackson and sophomore Nasir Wyatt are expected to take on bigger roles.
The secondary could be especially important. Minnesota transfer safety Koi Perich and sophomore cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. are projected to lead that group, and both are viewed as having the potential to be among the best at their positions in the country. If they deliver, Oregon has a chance to avoid the kind of defensive fade that has hurt it before.
That issue is impossible to ignore. In the Ducks’ last two playoff losses, to Ohio State in 2024 and Indiana, both of whom won the national championship, Oregon allowed more than 40 points. If the Ducks are going to make a third straight CFP run, they likely can’t afford a repeat unless the offense turns those games into shootouts.
Other teams got plenty of attention in the CBS survey as well. Georgia, Miami, Texas and Notre Dame all received support, and all four are considered favorites to reach the 12-team CFP this season.
Georgia is trying to get back to championship form under Kirby Smart and help the SEC end its recent CFP struggles. Miami is aiming to return to the title game behind Duke transfer quarterback Darian Mensah and a roster with talent on both sides. Texas and Notre Dame each return Heisman Trophy-contending quarterbacks in Arch Manning and CJ Carr, respectively, after both programs finished last season with nine or more wins but missed the playoff.
Still, the Ducks are in the same conversation as all of them, and that’s the point. Oregon has built a roster strong enough to be mentioned with the sport’s elite, and if it reaches the CFP, it could have to navigate a brutal path that includes as many as five of these contenders on the way to the national championship game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 25, 2027.
For a fan base that has waited a long time for that first title, that’s exactly the kind of challenge that comes with being in the mix.
In Other News...
Oregon Secondary Suddenly Has Two Stars Fans Need To Watch
Oregons secondary is drawing national attention before the 2026 season even gets rolling, and it starts with Brandon Finney Jr. The sophomore cornerback is back after a standout freshman year in which he appeared in all 15 games and earned Second-team All-Big Ten honors, a strong enough debut to land him on CBS Sports Preseason Second-team All-American list for the coming season.
Koi Perich gives the Ducks another headline name to watch. The transfer safety arrived from Minnesota as the projected answer to the spot vacated by Dillon Thieneman, and CBS Sports pegged him as a Preseason First-team All-American. With Finney on one side and Perich patrolling the back end, Oregon suddenly has the kind of star power in the secondary that can change how opponents attack it. [Read more 🡒]
Familiar Oregon Name Is Suddenly Creating Buzz At Oregon State
A familiar name from the Oregon football orbit is popping up across the river in Corvallis, where freshman defensive back Kai Wheaton has been turning heads during fall camp at Oregon State. The three-star recruit from Texas arrives with a little extra attention attached to his last name, but it has been his work ethic, experience and steady approach that have coaches and teammates talking as the Beavers sort through a young secondary.
Oregon States defensive backfield is competitive and still taking shape, which gives Wheaton a real opportunity to carve out a role early if his progress keeps matching the early buzz. For Ducks fans, it is another reminder that the Wheaton family name still carries weight in this region, even if the newest chapter is being written in orange and black rather than green. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Young Secondary Is Giving Ducks Fans A Real Reason To Watch
After the 12th practice of fall camp, Oregon cornerbacks coach Rashad Wadood had plenty to say about a secondary that is starting to look like a real strength in the making. The Ducks have spent camp sorting through a young group, and Wadood pointed to the progress of sophomore Brandon Finney Jr. and Na'eem Offord, while also praising Ify Obidegwu for the way he has emerged as a leader.
There has been more good news beyond the top names, too. Dorian Brew has shown noticeable improvement after missing last season, freshman Davon Benjamin has already displayed some versatility, and Wadood said the bigger story is the collective buy-in across the room. The standard in that defensive backs group has gotten more unified, and for a defense that wants to keep rising, that kind of internal growth can matter as much as any one standout. [Read more 🡒]