Alabama Legend Mark Ingram Shares Honest Opinion on Oregon's Title Chances

The Oregon Ducks are inching closer to their season opener against the Boise State Broncos on Sept. 5. Similar to the rest of the offseason, fans and reporters have been quick to share their thoughts on who they believe will win the national championship.

The most recent prediction comes from college football reporter and former Alabama Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram, who made it clear that he believes the Ducks will win the national championship.

Oregon Ducks dan lanning eugene autzen stadium college football alabama crimson tide Mark Ingram — Oregon quarterback Dante Moore speaks during a press conference on Aug. 18, 2026, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"Dan Lanning will finally have a chance to get over the hump." — .@markingramII locks in his early National Title pick 👀 pic.twitter.com/M7fAiIqZRw
— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) August 31, 2026

Mark Ingram Believes Oregon Will Win the National Championship

"I'm riding with Oregon. Dante Moore came back for a reason. They have experience. They got dudes on both sides on the line of scrimmage, and I just feel like Dan Lanning is finally going to have the chance to get over the hump here, so I got Oregon winning its first national championship, man," Mark Ingram said.

The former Alabama running back mentioning quarterback Dante Moore is the best starting point to discuss. Moore has been great when it comes to being a leader in the pocket. He showed flashes of what he could be a season ago, even being labeled as a possible top 10 selection before he ultimately opted to return to Eugene for one final ride with the Ducks under coach Lanning.

This isn't a common thing, and in fact, this is something that leads many to believe that the Ducks could be a serious contender in the national championship picture, even if the Ducks have yet to start their season. One could argue that the Ducks would still be a contender with backup Dylan Raiola coming to town via the transfer portal and the Nebraska Cornhuskers program.

Regardless, it seems reasonable to believe that a returning star like Moore will put the Ducks in the best possible position to win their first national championship. When pairing that with an elite offensive line and an even better defensive group as a whole, the Ducks seem nearly incomparable and better than almost any other school with talent on paper.

Is This Season National Championship or Bust?

While the 2026 college football season is expected to be filled with ups and downs, even for the nation's top teams, each team will face different expectations. This includes the Ducks, in which some have labeled it national championship or bust. The Ducks have flirted around with the trophy for too long, and one could argue that this is the best team that they have had since quarterback Marcus Mariota was leading the team.

With that being said, the Ducks' biggest threat in the way also resides in the same conference. That team is the Ohio State Buckeyes, whom the Ducks will play against late in the regular season.

One could argue that the expectations are the same for many of the top teams in college football, but there is an emphasis when it comes to Oregon, due to the fact that they have yet to win a national championship when it comes to college football.

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