Oregon Fans Will Love This College Football Playoff Prediction

The Oregon Ducks have been predicted to return to the College Football Playoff, and to earn some hardware along the way.

Jan 9, 2026; Atlanta, GA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning on the field prior to the 2025 Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Indiana Hoosiers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks have sustained success over the past few seasons thanks to coach Dan Lanning and the staff he has put in place in Eugene.

The Ducks have reached the College Football Playoff in two consecutive seasons, playing Rose Bowl Game in 2024 and reached the Peach Bowl in 2025. With spring ball now wrapped up for programs around the country, CBS Sports' Brad Crawford put together bowl game projections for the upcoming 2026 season.

Oregon Ducks Predicted to Return to Rose Bowl Game

Dec 30, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart (7) poses during Rose Bowl media day at Sheraton Grand LA. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Crawford predicts that the Oregon Ducks earn a first-round bye and play in the Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena against the winner of Indiana and Ole Miss, who Crawford predicts will play in the first round against each other. The Rose Bowl Game would give Lanning and the Ducks a chance to win a prestigious trophy and would also allow the Ducks to undo their last Rose Bowl Game performance, which was a 41-21 loss to the eventual national champion Ohio State Buckeyes. 

Ducks Predicted to win Big Ten for Second Time Under Lanning

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning celebrates the Ducks’ win as the Oregon Ducks face the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sept. 27, 2025, at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Crawford's prediction that the Ducks will earn the No. 3 seed is also interesting because it would mean the Ducks win the Big Ten for the second time under Lanning. Crawford has Miami as the No. 1 seed, Texas as the No. 2 seed, and Notre Dame as the No. 4 seed. In the hypothetical bracket, the Big Ten only has three teams making the College Football Playoff with Oregon at No. 3, Indiana at No. 6, and the Ohio State Buckeyes at No. 8.

If the Ducks were to win the hypothetical Rose Bowl game against the winner of Indiana and Ole Miss, they would move on to the College Football Playoff semifinal against either No. 2 Texas or the winner of No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 10 SMU. 

With Crawford's projections, the Ducks would also avoid No. 1 Miami, No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 5 Georgia, No. 8 Ohio State, and No. 9 LSU until the national championship game. 

The Ducks have improved in each of the last three seasons under coach Lanning, from missing the College Football Playoff in 2023, to making the quarterfinal round in 2024, to making the semifinal in 2025. If the trend under Lanning continues, the Ducks' next step would be making an appearance in their first national championship game since the 2014-15 season, when they lost to Ohio State. 

Ducks One of Three Big Ten Teams Predicted to Make CFP

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning celebrates Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, during the Big Ten Championship game between the Oregon Ducks and the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Ducks defeated the Nittany Lions, 45-37. | Grace Smith/Indianapolis Star / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Below are the full seeding projections Crawford, who predicts that three Big Ten teams will make the College Football Playoff, four SEC teams, two ACC teams, one Big 12 team, one Mountain West team, and one independent program. 

No. 1 Miami
No. 2 Texas
No. 3 Oregon
No. 4 Notre Dame
No. 5 Georgia
No. 6 Indiana 
No. 7 Texas Tech 
No. 8 Ohio State 
No. 9 LSU
No. 10 SMU
No. 11 Ole Miss
No. 12 UNLV

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.