Boise State coach Spencer Danielson previews massive Week 1 test against No. 2 Oregon

‘I think they’re the best team in the country,’ Danielson said

Spencer Danielson | Boise State Athletics

Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson held his weekly pregame press conference on Monday ahead of the Broncos’ highly anticipated 2026 season opener against second-ranked Oregon.

Kickoff between the Broncos and Ducks is slated for 1:30 p.m. Mountain time at Autzen Stadium. The game will air nationally on CBS. 

“Playing arguably the best team in the country,” Danielson said. “I know they’re ranked No. 2, I’m not smart enough to know how everybody ranks those things. But when I look at their roster, when I look at how they develop their team, I think they’re the best team in the country.

“Really excited for the task at hand.”

The Broncos are 3-1 all-time against Oregon. The teams last met in Week 2 of the 2024 season with the Ducks pulling out a 37-34 victory at Autzen Stadium. Both teams went on to reach the College Football Playoff. 

The Ducks will be the highest-ranked opponent Boise State has ever faced. The previous honor belonged to TCU, which was ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll entering the 2010 Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos defeated the Horned Frogs 17-10 to complete a perfect 13-0 season. 

Here are the highlights from Danielson’s Monday press conference. 

On opportunity to play second-ranked Oregon

“We’re fired up. Everybody schedules differently and I’ve got a lot of different questions about like ‘Hey, how do you schedule? What’s the best way to schedule?’ I’ll tell you what man, college football is the best game on the planet. And when we’re able to go open up Week 1 with the No. 2-ranked team in the country, it’s awesome for college football, awesome for our fan base, awesome for our players, and awesome for our team to know ‘Hey guys, you want to know where you’re at?’ 

“This is going to be a monster test come Saturday afternoon, and competitors don’t run from the test. You fight every battle you’re given, and you give it your absolute best shot. … When you’re opening the season, going on the road against the No. 2-ranked team in the country—and especially from a regional standpoint, a team that we know a lot about and have a lot of respect for—awesome for college football, awesome for our fan base and most importantly, awesome for our team.”

On Oregon head coach Dan Lanning

“I don’t know him super well, but have a ton of respect for him. We’ve talked a couple times, and I have a ton of respect for him as a head coach, him as a defensive coach, and just what he’s been able to do at Oregon over his time. I mean, hats off to him. It’s very, very impressive how they’ve been able to win at a high level, consistently.”

On Oregon quarterback Dante Moore

“They have arguably the best player in the country at quarterback. Got a lot of respect for Dante Moore. I watched a lot of film on him through the offseason to now. Elite accuracy, makes great plays with his feet, either can run the ball or make tough throws. Very hard to get rattled. Cool, calm, collected.”

On Oregon’s defensive front

“Probably one of the top front fours in the entire country. And honestly in this day and age, really cool to see all four of them come back. I love seeing that where guys come back to school, finish what they started. … All four would’ve had opportunities to go be top-round picks in the NFL, all four came back. They’re a really, really good front.”