Five Reasons Why Oregon Ducks Can Win Big Ten Next Season

EUGENE – Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning led the program to a Big Ten Conference Championship in their first season in the conference. After just missing another appearance in the conference championship game in 2025, the Ducks have the opportunity to win again next season.

Oregon is set to make a deep postseason run in 2026, and it starts with a potential Big Ten Conference Championship appearance.

1. The Ducks Have Key Returners

oregon ducks dan lanning big ten college football dante moore recruiting transfer portal schedule iapani laloulu indiana — Jan 9, 2026; Atlanta, GA, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) looks to pass against the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half of the 2025 Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In the Lanning coaching era, Oregon sees star players head to the NFL Draft each year. The Ducks lost 10 players to the NFL ahead of the 2025 season. The program had a new starting quarterback in each of the last two seasons and a changing offensive line.

Oregon didn’t lose starters to the transfer portal this offseason and the only starters who head to the NFL were graduating seniors or junior tight end Kenyon Sadiq and junior safety Dillon Thieneman. The Ducks’ core took them to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff last season, and with more experience, they can go even further.

Players like Oregon quarterback Dante Moore also have a better feel for playing against high-level Big Ten opponents. Even though many of the returners didn’t play in the 2024 Big Ten Conference Championship game, they still have similar experiences in the postseason and in intense matchups, such as the White Out game at Penn State in 2025.

2. Oregon's Already Won

Lanning understands what it takes to win the conference because he’s already done it. Oregon also had an opportunity to contend for the conference championship in 2025, but narrowly missed out on a second-straight appearance.

The Ducks went undefeated in their first season in the Big Ten and only lost one regular-season game in 2025. Lanning knows there isn’t much room for error in order to reach the conference championship game.

But the odds look good for Oregon. The program has only been in the Big Ten for two seasons and has so far won 50 percent of Big Ten Conference Championships.

3. Familiarity With Big Ten

The difference between the Ducks’ situation in 2024 and 2025 vs. 2026 is that the team was playing most of its opponents for the first time as conference foes. Oregon hadn’t played some Big Ten programs for decades.

The Ducks played every Big Ten school in their first two seasons, with the exception of Nebraska. The coaching staff will have a better feel for how to prepare for opponents in both regular-season matchups and a potential championship appearance. The starters also go into 2026 with experience playing against these teams.

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4. Players Poised for Second-Year Leaps

Lanning received some notable transfers, such as former Minnesota safety Koi Perich. Perhaps even bigger than the program’s offseason additions will be the offseason improvements by the Ducks’ 2025 recruiting class.

Oregon running backs Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. thrived in the backfield as true freshmen. Ducks cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. established himself as one of the best young cornerbacks in the nation and wide receiver Dakorien Moore showed why he was ranked the best receiver in his class.

And all of those players can become even better in 2026. Oregon already begun winter workouts and will have a long offseason ahead of it. The 2025 freshman class now enters 2026 with experience playing in the Big Ten. If their numbers can improve from last season, that makes the Ducks real contenders in the Big Ten.

5. Big Ten Scheduling Doesn’t Necessarily Favor the Powerhouses

Oregon’s 2026 schedule isn’t easy by any means. The Ducks go eight straight weeks without a bye to end the season.

To the Ducks’ relief, their competition doesn’t have easy schedules either. The Ohio State Buckeyes are always in contention to win, but they have a stretch of games against Indiana, USC and Oregon. Two of those outings are on the road and all of those teams consistently find themselves in the top-25 rankings. The Buckeyes also face Michigan at the end of the season.

The reigning National Champions, the Indiana Hoosiers, don’t have to play Oregon in the regular season, but do face Ohio State and Michigan back-to-back. They also host the USC Trojans.

The Michigan Wolverines are another Big Ten contender. They will play Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State in 2026. Although none of them are back-to-back, two of them will be in hostile road environments.

So even though the Ducks’ regular schedule is grueling, their top competition is set to have some really difficult stretches of football. The Ducks also won’t have to face the Hoosiers until the postseason.