Oregon Ducks Championship Hopes Could Suddenly End Against USC
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The Oregon Ducks were a popular national championship pick entering the college football season.
Oregon is led by head coach Dan Lanning, who’s considered to be one of the top coaches in all of college football. Star quarterback Dante Moore — who was a shoo-in to be the second overall pick — decided to not declare for the NFL Draft and returned to college to try and win a national championship.
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The Ducks did lose offensive coordinator Will Stein, who took the Kentucky Wildcats head coaching job, but the roster was loaded with talent. The offense was set to be one of the best in the country, but through three weeks, the Ducks have struggled.
Oregon barely got by Boise State in Week 1, then in Week 2, the Ducks went on the road to play Oklahoma State as 23.5-point favorites and lost 39-31.
It’s an inexcusable loss for the Ducks, and it hindered their playoff hopes. And now, Oregon has to go on the road to play the USC Trojans on Saturday in a tough Big Ten game, which the Ducks can’t afford to lose.
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If Oregon loses to USC, not only are their national championship hopes over, but their playoff hopes would be over too.
The Ducks still have to play Ohio State on the road and host Michigan, which aren’t easy games. Even if Oregon beats USC and Michigan but loses to Ohio State, a 10-2 team that lost to Oklahoma State isn’t guaranteed to make the playoffs.
This year has been a massive disappointment for Oregon as they are mimicking last year’s Penn State, which had national title aspirations and had several impact players return. Yet, some early struggles led to James Franklin being fired, which can’t be ruled out for Dan Lanning if Oregon goes 9-3 or 8-4.
Dan Lanning, Oregon Know USC Isn’t Just Another Game
Given that Oregon already slipped up against Oklahoma State, the Ducks can’t afford a loss to USC on Saturday.
The pressure is on Oregon and Lanning every game, which the coach is well aware of, as he knows this Saturday isn’t just another game, as either he or Lincoln Riley will be on the hot seat after the game.
“It’s certainly not just another game,” Lanning said on Monday. “We don’t talk about all the scenarios that play out. We worry about the things that we can control. How can we go out here and perform the best that we want to be able to perform? But do we think this is a big game? Absolutely. Do our players realize that? Absolutely. It’s Big Ten play. That’s different, right? All that matters. We don’t go through all the what-if scenarios. We go through, okay, how do we prepare to be the best version of us for this game?”
Oregon is a 3-point favorite on the road against the Trojans. The Ducks are now also +190 to make the college football playoff. Yet, a loss to USC ends all its hopes and could result in major changes for the program.
Related: Dan Lanning Should Be On Hot Seat After Oregon Ducks Lose In Week 2
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This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on Sep 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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