Kirk Herbstreit didn’t need long to make his case for Oregon on College GameDay.
With ESPN’s crew in Iowa City for No. 14 Iowa’s showdown with No.
5 Ohio State, Herbstreit used the show’s buy-or-sell segment to back the Ducks, who are on a bye before facing No. 23 UCLA on Oct.
“I would have loved to pick Oregon last week before they beat USC, but I'm still gonna pick Oregon,” Herbstreit said. “Oregon, I think, turned their season around after that disappointing loss in Stillwater, everybody thought, 'What's going on with Oregon?'”
He kept going, pointing to the Ducks’ depth behind Dante Moore.
“And not only that Des (Desmond Howard), Oregon loses their starting quarterback. We saw that vicious hit Dante Moore, and Dylan Raiola came in, they played better.
So I think having a a capable backup. I don't know how long Dante Moore is gonna be out with that concussion, but they're sitting at 15.
I feel like they're going up. I feel good about Oregon,” Herbstreit continued.
That confidence comes after Oregon’s road win over USC, a game that flipped once Moore exited with roughly 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Dan Lanning’s team still found plenty of offense, rolling up 504 yards with no turnovers and scoring 28 second-half points to pull away.
The Ducks also controlled USC on the other side of the ball, limiting the Trojans to 2-for-11 on third down and holding quarterback Jayden Maiava to his worst completion percentage of the season at 54.8 percent.
Oregon now heads into a stretch that will test how real that momentum is. The Ducks have played only one Big Ten game in 2026 and are staring at eight games in eight weeks after the bye.
UCLA comes first, and the Bruins bring an undefeated record and a fresh ranking into the matchup. Even so, the early line has Oregon as a 12.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel.
After that, the Ducks’ October run keeps coming with Nebraska, a trip to Illinois, and Northwestern, which brings former Oregon coach Chip Kelly back to Autzen Stadium for his first visit as the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator.
The biggest hurdle still waiting is Ohio State in Columbus, but the Buckeyes have work to do before that date arrives. GameDay chose Ohio State-Iowa because of the Big Ten picture and College Football Playoff implications, and Ohio State still has No.
6 Indiana and No. 18 USC on its schedule before Oregon comes to town.
November closes with Michigan, Michigan State and Washington, giving Lanning and Oregon a path that could still put them in the mix for an at-large CFP berth or even the Big Ten title game.
For now, though, the next step is simple: UCLA on Oct. 10.
In Other News...
USC Fans Have Plenty To Debate After That Gritty Washington Win
The heat was no joke, and neither was USCs defense in a 25-21 win over Washington that gave the Trojans plenty to feel good about and even more to debate. Against the kind of grind-it-out test that can expose a team in September, USCs pass rush came through with four sacks, multiple tackles for loss and a sack-fumble recovery that turned into a touchdown, the sort of sequence that can swing a close game and change the feel of a night.
For a team ranked No. 18, the result mattered just as much as the details, and there were enough of both to keep fans talking well after the final whistle. The game offered a useful look at individual performances and how USCs defensive plan held up in tough conditions, but it also left room for questions about which players are emerging, which adjustments are working and how sustainable this kind of gritty win might be as the schedule moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Maiava's Rough Start Put USC's Offense Under A Harsh Spotlight
Jayden Maiavas afternoon against Washington put USCs offense under a harsh spotlight, as the Trojans spent much of the first half searching for any kind of rhythm. The quarterbacks decision-making and mechanics were both under scrutiny, and a series of poor throws, long holds in the pocket and drive-killing penalties left the offense looking flat when it needed to be sharp.
Maiava finished the half 12 of 19 for 143 yards, but the numbers only told part of the story as USC went to the locker room trailing 14-10. The Trojans still had time to settle in, but the opening half raised real questions about whether the offense could clean itself up quickly enough to change the tone of the game. [Read more 🡒]
USC Defense Escaped Washington After One Brutal Breakdown
USCs defense came out of Washington with a win, but not without a few uneasy moments that will linger in the film room. In a 25-21 victory over the Huskies, the Trojans had the kind of mixed outing that can leave a staff thankful for the result and still frustrated by the details, from a costly missed-tackle sequence that opened the door for a long touchdown to the kind of timely response that kept the game from slipping away.
Jahkeem Stewarts fumble return for a score gave USC a huge lift, and Kameryn Crawford made key defensive plays late to help secure the finish. Even so, Washington had chances behind Demond Williams Jr. and Chris Lawson, and the combination of injuries and breakdowns made this one feel closer than the Trojans would have preferred, with one brutal lapse standing out in a game they still managed to escape. [Read more 🡒]