Ranking the Oregon Ducks' most intriguing games in 2026 season

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We are less than two months away from the start of the 2026 college football season, and it's shaping up to be quite a doozy for Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks. With Dante Moore and a long list of returning starters back for one last ride in Eugene, there are legitimate aspirations for a national championship this year.

Of course, it's not going to be easy by any means. The Ducks will play some of the top teams in the Big Ten this year, and they also have a couple of sneaky-challenging non-conference games. Looking at the schedule, it's arguably one of the most exciting and loaded we've seen for Oregon in quite some time, if not only for its difficulty but also for its intrigue and storylines.

A trip to the Horseshoe in Columbus, a battle in Stillwater, an early-season test in Los Angeles, and the ever-entertaining rivalry against Washington, among others.

So, which games have us the most intrigued as we get closer to the season? Let's take a look, ranking them from last to first.

No. 12 — Portland State Vikings

Another year, another scrimmage-esque game against Portland State. If we don't see the 3rd and 4th string players by the third quarter, we've got a problem.

No. 11 — Northwestern Wildcats

We saw how easy the Ducks handled Northwestern last year on the road, and I don't think it's going to be any closer of a game this year in Autzen.

No. 10 — Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska coming to Eugene will be fun, and this game would be a lot more entertaining if Dylan Raiola were playing, but I don't think the Cornhuskers are going to be anywhere talented enough to compete with Oregon in 2026.

No. 9 — Illinois Fighting Illini

This game against Illinois doesn't do much for me. We will see how good the Fighting Illini can be this year, and the fact that it is on the road makes it a bit more difficult, but I don't think there is a world where the Ducks actually struggle here.

No. 8 — Michigan State Spartans

On its own, this game against Michigan State doesn't belong this high on the list. However, it is seemingly set up to be one of the bigger trap games for the Ducks, akin to the Wisconsin game on the road in 2024. Oregon will travel to East Lansing on a Friday night, jammed between games against Ohio State, Michigan, and Washington. That makes it one that should be circled on the schedule.

No. 7 — UCLA Bruins

UCLA's expected makeover under Bob Chesney is going to be pretty fun to watch this year. We will see if that means they can make it to a bowl game or anything of that nature, but as far as entertainment factor goes, this one is up there for me.

No. 6 — Oklahoma State Cowboys

Again, the Oklahoma State Cowboys may not be among the best teams on the schedule for Oregon, but they do have an entirely new coaching staff and a new roster, with Eric Morris coming in and making things over. The fact that this game is on the road in Stillwater, and that it's early in the year, makes it very intriguing to me.

No. 5 — Michigan Wolverines

Michigan should be an interesting team this year. With Kyle Whittingham in, and Bryce Underwood set to show what he can do in his sophomore year, there's a chance that the Wolverines are a dangerous team in 2026. Bringing them to Eugene for a showdown in Autzen is going to be wildly entertaining.

No. 4 — Boise State Broncos

You may think that Boise State is a bit high on this list, but I think the fact that the Broncos are expected to be the representative of the Group of 6 in the College Football Playoff, and that this game is coming in Week 1 of the season, makes it pretty intriguing. The last time these two teams played, Oregon needed a pair of special teams touchdowns in order to squeak by with a 37-34 victory. We will see what this year's matchup holds.

No. 3 — Washington Huskies

Oregon vs. Washington is always going to be one of the most intriguing games of the year, even when the Huskies aren't expected to be among the best in the conference this year. With the amount of hate between these two teams, though, the game is always going to be among the most important of the year.

No. 2 — Ohio State Buckeyes

The Oregon vs. Ohio State rivalry is continuing to grow, and after not facing each other at all in 2025 following a split 1-1 series in 2024, this game in Columbus will be highly entertaining. Both teams project to be among the very best in the nation, so this could be a College Football Playoff game preview.

No. 1 — USC Trojans

You could argue that other games belong in the top spot, but the mix of a rivalry vs. USC, it being on the road in Los Angeles, and the fact that this will be the first true test for either team in the 2026 season has me most intrigued for this game. When you come to think of it, there will be some acceptance if the Ducks lose to Ohio State on the road, but the fan base would not be okay with losing on the road to USC. That makes this game all the more important, in my opinion.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Ranking the Oregon Ducks' most intriguing games in 2026 season

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