Three Things Oregon Must Learn From Its Favorable Non-Conference Schedule

The Oregon Ducks’ 2026 schedule is full of tests and big games with major College Football Playoff implications. The Ducks are tasked with playing Ohio State on the road in Columbus, hosting a new-look Michigan program at Autzen Stadium and making a highly anticipated trip to Southern California to take on the USC Trojans.

Although those are the games many people have circled on their calendars, Oregon’s non-conference slate might be just as valuable. The Ducks open the season against Boise State on Sept. 5 before traveling to Oklahoma State on Sept. 12 and returning home to face Portland State on Sept. 18.

Oregon Ducks 2026 football nonconference schedule Evan Stewart running back depth secondary Big Ten USC Ohio State — Oregon’s Dakorien Moore, right, flies over the goal line ahead of Oklahoma State’s David Kabongo for a second-quarter touchdown at Autzen. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Oregon should be expected to win its first three games, but that does not mean the games are meaningless. The Ducks have several questions to answer before entering a demanding Big Ten schedule.

The early portion of the schedule gives the Ducks an opportunity to evaluate players in live-game situations, establish roles and find answers to questions that simply can’t be fully answered during practice.

Oregon will have three games to work through those questions before Big Ten play begins with a trip to USC. With that in mind, here are three things the Ducks must learn from their favorable non-conference slate.

Evan Stewart Must Prove He Is Ready for Game Speed

Evan Stewart’s return is easily one of the biggest storylines surrounding Oregon this season. However, his place at the top of the depth chart is not guaranteed.

Stewart did not play during the 2025 season after suffering an injury, but before that, he established himself as one of the most impactful receivers on Oregon’s roster. In his first season with the Ducks in 2024, Stewart started 12 games and finished with 48 receptions for 613 yards and five touchdowns. He also recorded two 100-yard receiving games.

This is the version of Stewart that Oregon is hoping to get back.

The difference heading into 2026 is that Stewart is returning to a receiver room that continued developing without him. Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan both played significant roles in 2025, while Oregon also has younger players competing for opportunities.

McClellan finished with 38 receptions for 557 yards and three touchdowns. Moore recorded 34 receptions for 497 yards and three touchdowns despite playing in only 11 games.

The question isn’t whether Stewart has the talent to be a major part of the offense. His production at Oregon has already shown that.

Instead, the question is how quickly he can translate his return to live-game situations and whether he can reclaim a significant role in an offense that continued to grow without him.

The Boise State, Oklahoma State and Portland State games should give Oregon an opportunity to assess Stewart’s confidence level as well as find out how Stewart handles the physical demands of playing again.

How Deep Is the Oregon Ducks Running Back Room

Oregon entered last season with plenty of options at running back, but the Ducks learned the hard way that having a deep room on paper does not guarantee having that depth available when it matters most.

Now, Oregon enters 2026 with two sophomore backs who exceeded expectations as freshmen and return for 2026 with more experience under their belts. Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. are anticipated to lead the Ducks’ rushing attack and build off their stellar freshman campaigns.

Davison rushed for 667 yards and 15 touchdowns on 113 carries as a true freshman in 2025. Hill rushed for 656 yards and five touchdowns on 75 carries. Hill also averaged 8.75 yards per carry, which led the Big Ten and ranked second nationally.

But the biggest question the Ducks will look to answer across the first few weeks of the season is who provides depth behind them.

Oregon saw its running back depth completely deteriorate during the final stages of the 2025 season. Davison suffered a broken clavicle during the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Texas Tech. At the same time, Jayden Limar and Makhi Hughes entered the transfer portal, while Da'Jaun Riggs was also dealing with an injury.

Jay Harris also entered the portal during the week of the Peach Bowl but remained with the team long enough to play against Indiana. Without Harris, Oregon would have entered the semifinal with only Noah Whittington and Hill as healthy scholarship backs.

What once was one of the deepest rooms on Oregon’s roster became a huge concern in the postseason, and that experience will make the early portion of the 2026 schedule especially valuable.

Oregon has added Colorado transfer Simeon Price, and Da’Jaun Riggs is also healthy and expected to take on a larger role in 2026. The Ducks also have younger options such as Tradarian Ball and Brandon Smith behind Davison and Hill, but the Ducks need to determine which players can actually be trusted with meaningful snaps before the schedule becomes more demanding.

The first three games provide an opportunity to answer that question without immediately throwing inexperienced backs into the deep end of Big Ten play.

Oregon Must Find the Right Balance in a Loaded Secondary

Oregon's secondary may just be one of the most talented groups heading into the 2026 season, but talent is not the biggest question facing the unit. Playing time is.

The Ducks lost several important pieces from last season, including first-team All-Big Ten safety Dillon Thieneman. At the same time, Oregon returns players who gained significant experience as underclassmen as well as acquired some new pieces through the portal.

Brandon Finney Jr. is the obvious starting point. The sophomore started all 15 games as a true freshman, earned FWAA Freshman All-America honors and second-team All-Big Ten recognition from the coaches and Associated Press. Ify Obidegwu also brings experience after starting 12 games in 2025.

Then there are the players competing for additional roles.

Na'eem Offord enters his sophomore season after appearing in all 15 games as a freshman. Dorian Brew also returns. Trey McNutt is another option after missing his true freshman season with an injury.

Oregon also added significant experience through the transfer portal.

Koi Perich, who earned second-team All-Big Ten honors at Minnesota in 2025, joins the Ducks after recording 82 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, an interception and a forced fumble. Aaron Scott Jr. arrives from Ohio State, and Carl Williams IV provides another veteran option after beginning his career at Baylor.

Oregon has enough talent to rotate multiple players, but the Ducks have to determine which combinations work best together.

The non-conference games should give Hampton a chance to evaluate which defensive backs communicate well, which combinations can consistently handle different formations and which players can be trusted when the game speeds up.

Add us as a preferred source on Google