Three Reasons Why the Sky Isn't Falling on Oregon, Dan Lanning

The No. 21 Oregon Ducks spent most of the college football offseason as the talk of the town, enjoying lofty preseason expectations thanks to a roster that rivals any team in the country. Now, that same Oregon Ducks team is one of the biggest early storylines in all of college football, but for far more unexpected reasons.

After struggling to beat Boise State in week 1 at home, the Ducks struggled again in week two and were upset by Oklahoma State despite entering the game as 24.5-point favorites, per DraftKings.

oregon ducks dan lanning dante moore oklahoma state upset loss college football playoff usc ohio state big ten drew mehringer — Sep 12, 2026; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) is tackled by the Oklahoma State Cowboys defense during the second quarter at Boone Pickens Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's Still Early for Oregon Ducks, Dan Lanning

Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his team were dealing with an early kickoff on the road that turned into approximately a 90-minute weather delay after warm-ups had already started. None of that excuses the loss from the then-ranked No. 6 team in the country, but all of the doubt cast onto Lanning, quarterback Dante Moore, offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, and defensive coordinator Chris Hampton might feel premature.

Sure, hiring two coordinators from within deserves questions, and the Mehringer hire was arguably the most questioned by Ducks fans. The offense has not always looked in sync and the offensive line has struggled, especially in the run game, but Oregon has scored an average of 32.5 points per game. On the other side, Hampton and the Ducks defensive unit has given up an average of 33.0 points in two games.

Lanning has earned the trust of improving Oregon's defense since arriving in Eugene, but 30+ points per game is not going to cut it if the Ducks want to keep the College Football Playoff on the table. As for the offense, the injury to tight end Jamari Johnson and a season-ending injury offensive lineman Trent Ferguson hurt.

The offensive line was always going to be a question after replacing three starters lost to the NFL, but the Ducks now have even less margin for error while figuring out an offensive line combination during the season.

Opportunity to Respond

Luckily for the Ducks, they get a chance to refocus earlier than normal with a Friday-night home game against Portland State.

According to betting odds from DraftKings, the Ducks are favored to beat the Vikings by 57.5 points, among the largest spreads in the country for week 3. How the team responds in the next game after a loss is always telling, and the Ducks are expected to take care of business against Portland State.

Looking ahead, the real opportunity for Oregon to respond to more adversity will be in week 4, on the road against the No. 12 USC Trojans. With kickoff scheduled for prime time at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, all eyes will be on Lanning and company.

The Trojans present a threatening offense led by quarterback Jayden Maiava and a number of true freshmen who have burst onto the scene: receiver Trent Mosley, tight end Mark Bowman, and receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. On defense, USC has also taken strides under defensive coordinator Gary Patterson, allowing an average of 18.7 points through three games.

Was the Oklahoma State game a fluke, or can Oregon's defense contain a talented quarterback with an above-average receiving corps?

The Ducks had a players-only meeting after the loss to the Cowboys, and Moore shared his thoughts:

"The player-led meeting was great. I feel like every team needs it. Just to communicate, debrief, talk about the thoughts everybody's having in their heads. Wasn't much screaming going on. It was just trying to get on the same page with everybody. And I feel like it was very important because we needed it. And I feel that what we said in that meeting helped carry over into this week, and we've been attacking it every day," Moore said.

College Football Playoff Hopes Still Alive

One loss no longer eliminates a team from national championship contention. However, with the Ducks still scheduled to face teams like USC, No. 6 Ohio State, and No. 19 still on the schedule.

After the 2025 season, Miami reached the national championship game with two losses. Alabama and Oklahoma made the 12-team field despite having multiple losses, but the bubble is firmly set on two losses (depending on conference championship game performance, of course). Teams like Notre Dame, BYU, and Vanderbilt all had two losses and missed out on the postseason.

Oregon does have less margin for error with the most difficult games of the season coming up, but the team still has time to grow before facing the Buckeyes on the road. The response against the Trojans will be a test, but the season does not end in September.

As Lanning said on Monday, he's worrying about the present moment instead of the future:

“We have the capability to be good. We have good enough players. We have good enough coaches. I haven't coached them well enough. I haven't done a good enough job, so I know I can do better. So that's where it starts," Lanning said.

“And guess what? If I do better, I bet this team gets better, right? And if this team gets better and we play like we're capable of playing, then we could have a team that could be pretty good. But it doesn't matter unless we focus on today. Let's stop worrying about tomorrow. Let's stop worrying about the end of the season. Let's worry about today.”

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