Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Or Texas' Steve Sarkisian To Win First National Championship?

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning has been picked as the third-most likely coach to win his first national championship in the 2025-26 college football season. The list, compiled by Athlon Sports, ranks the top-10 coaches going into next season that have yet to lift the “big one”.

Lanning enters the year fresh off of an undefeated regular season that saw the Ducks win marquee matchups against Ohio State at Autzen Stadium, Wisconsin at Camp Randall, and Washington at home.

Dillon Gabriel throws the ball away — Oct 12, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Cody Simon (0) pressures Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Autzen Stadium | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There will certainly be new challenges and new faces for Lanning’s side: Dante Moore will presumably start at quarterback and run the offense, and freshman wide receiver Dakorien Moore is poised to have a breakout season. Can he replicate the production that Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had as a freshman in 2024?

Unfortunately, the challenges have already begun for Lanning and his staff, as they lost wide receiver Evan Stewart to a potentially season-ending knee injury before the regular season even started.

If Lanning is going to do what no Ducks coach has ever done, win a national championship, then he’s going to need to have a bit of luck on his side as well. Last year's Oregon football team very well could have won the national title, but they ran into a bit of bad luck as the No. 1 seeded Ducks drew the eventual national champions in Ohio State in Oregon's opening round of the College Football Playoff.

Lanning will need a bit of luck on the injuries side of things as well. Former Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel was able to play through the whole season without missing any major time, and Oregon will be hoping it is more of the same with whoever is starting at quarterback.

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Athlon's list has three coaches named from the Big Ten, five from the SEC, one from an independent (Notre Dame), and one from the ACC. The lone ACC coach to make the list is former Ducks coach and now Miami coach Mario Cristobal, who recently secured a commitment from the nation’s No.1 offensive tackle in the 2026 class in Jackson Cantwell.

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore and Tennessee coach Josh Heupel are listed at No. 10 and No. 9, respectively, on the list. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin slots in at No. 8 with Cristobal at No. 7.

Miami will have a new quarterback running the offense this season with Georgia transfer Carson Beck expected to start for the Hurricanes. Can he help lead Cristobal and the Hurricanes to the College Football Playoff?

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian topped out the list as the likely head coach to win his first national championship. Texas fell in the College Football Playoff semifinals last season against eventual national champions Ohio State. Behind Sarkisian is Penn State's James Franklin, followed by Lanning.