I understand some have questioned Oregon because it hasn't won a national championship, but it's strange to think this team isn't one of the two best heading into this college football season.
Oregon has all of the talent in the world to win a national championship, a head coach who is widely regarded as one of the best offensive minds in college football, an elite quarterback who could have gone second overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, and a defense that some are saying might be the best in America.
At the end of the day, Oregon has to win when it matters most. It has done so in every aspect of the game in recent years, outside of the College Football Playoff. Even then, Oregon isn't losing to bad programs. This is an Oregon team that is legitimately right on the doorstep, as one could argue that it has been just as good as any team in the country over the past few seasons.
Even ones that have won it all.
Still, some other programs are going to get some more respect than the Ducks for whatever reason. Oregon can't worry too much about that and just has to go out and do what's needed on both sides of the ball.
However, for a program that's looking to be at least the second-best team in America this year, seeing them come in at No. 4 in ESPN's recent rankings comes as a bit of a surprise.
“After falling in the CFP to each of the past two national champions, the Ducks have unfinished business in 2026. That's one of the reasons quarterback Dante Moore bypassed the NFL draft and returned to Eugene. Can Dan Lanning's team get over the hump in 2026? The Ducks play at Ohio State on Nov. 7, but they won't face Indiana -- unless the teams meet up in the postseason,” Mark Schlabach of ESPN wrote.
Having Ohio State ahead of Oregon isn't unfair, but to me, no other team in the country is better than the Ducks, aside from maybe Ohio State.
I honestly think Oregon is the top team in the country heading into next season and believe that if the program is finally going to do it, it's going to happen this time around.