3 things that must go right for the Oregon Ducks in 2026
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The odds are in favor of the Oregon Ducks to make another playoff run and potentially take home the program's first national championship this season. A roster returning plenty of production, including Heisman candidate Dante Moore, and a coaching staff with experience in the College Football Playoff, both positive and negative, could have the Ducks finally putting all the pieces together.
However, for as much talent as the Ducks return, there are some pressing questions and concerns that the team must quell to win it all. There are some holes to fill, and the overarching concern is about the team's performance in the biggest game of the season, following blowout losses to Indiana in the 2026 Peach Bowl and Ohio State in the 2025 Rose Bowl.
How far the Ducks will go might boil down to three big questions, according to ESPN's Bill Connelly. Let's take a look at the biggest questions for Oregon that could swing the 2026 season.
Offensive Line
Oregon doesn't have many glaring weaknesses on the roster, but the offensive line remains an unknown entity heading into camp. While Iapani Laloulu and Dave Iuli return to help hold down the interior, the Ducks must replace both tackles and a guard. As of now, Fox Crader and Yale transfer Michael Bennett III look to be up to the task to take over as the tackles, while Kawika Rogers should become the left guard.
However, replacing three offensive linemen means the entire unit will take time to learn how to play alongside each other. Tendencies, strengths, weaknesses, blitz identification, etc. There is a lot to put together in a very short amount of time. Oregon's offensive line play has been solid the past two seasons, but in the playoffs, they have crumbled in both pass protection and in the run game. Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. could create explosive plays at any moment, but they need some better support up front deep into the season.
"Twenty-one tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 11 three-and-outs and 43.4% of snaps gaining zero or fewer yards," Connelly wrote. "That's what Oregon's offense looked like in the Ducks' season-ending losses the past two years — a 41-21 Rose Bowl defeat to Ohio State in 2024 and a 56-22 Peach Bowl walloping at Indiana's hands in 2025. The Oregon O-line has been good enough for most of the past two years, but with the season on the line each year, it got ruthlessly invaded."
Creating Negative Plays
Perhaps the biggest strength on Oregon's roster is the return of the four veterans along the defensive line. Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti, Bear Alexander and A'Mauri Washington all opted to come back to Eugene rather than turn pro. Uiagalelei and Tuioti have created one of the most fearsome pass-rushing duos in the country, while Alexander and Washington have suffocated opposing rushing attacks.
One knock against the group has been a lack of consistency. For as good as they are, offenses still ripped off chunk plays, and the Ducks didn't force as many negative plays as the amount of talent would suggest. Fortunately, the defensive linemen and linebackers have only improved with each passing season, so maybe this is the season where it all comes together.
"Oregon's defense is loaded with experience and known quality," Connelly wrote. "But the Ducks ranked just 46th in sack rate and 98th in stuff rate last year, and a lack of negative plays made them merely decent on third downs (52nd). Can new coordinator Chris Hampton unearth a few more TFLs?"
Dan Lanning
It's low-hanging fruit at this point, but the biggest question is whether or not Dan Lanning and his coaching staff can get the Ducks over the hump in the biggest game of the season. In the past three years, Oregon has only lost to a team that went on to appear in the national championship game. In the regular season, they play close and fight hard with the best teams on the schedule, but in the playoffs, they've imploded.
In my opinion, it might be unfair to say Lanning has never won a big game, because the goalposts for what is defined as a big game are often moved, thanks to a healthy dose of revisionist history. However, the lack of playoff success is undeniable, and something Lanning must set right this season, given all of the things working in favor of the Ducks.
"Oregon is 37-0 against teams that didn't make the national title game over the past three years," Connelly wrote. "They're virtually upset proof. But when your last two CFP losses have come by a combined 54 points, that's a black cloud until you rectify it."
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: 3 things that must go right for the Oregon Ducks in 2026
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