Oregon enters the 2026 season with a familiar burden: big expectations and even bigger eyes on every move.
The USA Today preseason Coaches Poll dropped Tuesday, and the Ducks came in at No. 2 nationally, trailing only Ohio State. That sets up an early-season spotlight on a pair of Big Ten heavyweights expected to spend the fall fighting for position at the top of the league. Indiana is the only other conference team in the top 10, landing at No. 6, while Georgia, Texas and Notre Dame fill out the rest of the top five.
For Oregon, the ranking is impressive, but it doesn’t really change the assignment. Dan Lanning’s team is still expected to contend in the Big Ten and push for a College Football Playoff berth, just as the program has done before when it has entered a season near the top of the polls. Oregon has been as high as No. 3 in preseason AP Top 25 rankings in previous years, including 2024 under Lanning.
The path will not be soft. Oregon’s schedule includes road trips to No.
1 Ohio State and No. 14 USC, plus home dates against No.
16 Michigan and No. 19 Washington at Autzen Stadium.
The Ducks also open with a pair of non-conference games that should draw plenty of attention: Boise State and Oklahoma State.
The playoff format gives teams a little breathing room, since a loss or two in the regular season can still leave the door open to an at-large bid. But the margin tightens fast if Oregon ends up with two defeats.
That’s why the Ducks’ ranking matters, even if it doesn’t tell us much yet. They’re already being treated like one of the best teams in the country before a snap has been played, and the season will quickly become a test of whether they can back that up. There isn’t a marquee matchup waiting immediately after kickoff, so Oregon will be judged against the weight of that No. 2 spot until the Big Ten opener against USC arrives.
The bigger picture around the poll is just as loaded. Ohio State and Oregon could be headed for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 regular-season showdown, and the quarterback matchup between Oregon’s Dante Moore and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin would have NFL scouts paying close attention in Columbus.
Fall camp is already rolling across the country, and with it comes the usual uncertainty that turns preseason certainty into midseason chaos. The Big Ten race could still belong to Oregon and Ohio State, or Indiana could keep surprising people.
In the SEC, six teams sit inside the top 12, with No. 13 LSU lurking as one of the more interesting names just outside that group.
For Oregon, though, the first checkpoint is simple. Everything starts against Boise State on Sept. 5.
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