The college football and Oregon Ducks 2026 season is less than 60 days away.
As Dan Lanning, Dante Moore and the Ducks look to make a run at their third straight College Football Playoff appearance, and improve upon their semifinal loss a year ago to Indiana, they’ll also look ahead to a tough regular season slate. The schedule features a November trip to Columbus against Ohio State, a road conference opener against rival USC and a home rivalry game against Washington to close the regular season.
Four of the 12 teams on Oregon’s schedule were ranked in USA Today’s post-spring top-25 following spring practices in April.
So, which matchups are most difficult for the Ducks, and which should be cakewalks? Here’s The Register-Guard’s ranking of Oregon’s schedule from easiest to toughest.
12. Sept. 18 vs. Portland State
Oregon has not struggled against FCS opponents under Dan Lanning. It did not struggle when it played eventual FCS national champion Montana State last year, and it won’t struggle against a team that went 1-11 last year in the lower tier of college football under a first-year head coach.
11. Oct. 10 vs. UCLA
What will the Bruins be in 2026? It’s hard to say after a 2025 campaign that saw them go 3-9, fire their coach during the season and replace him with Bob Chesney, who faced Oregon in the College Football Playoff as the head man of James Madison. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava is an intriguing piece of the puzzle, but on paper this is a matchup the Ducks should win by a lot.
10. Oct. 17 vs. Nebraska
This game sits during a manageable homestand for Oregon, just after UCLA and a bye week, and against a team that has struggled to consistently perform against the better teams on its schedule for decades. The Cornhuskers were good when Dylan Raiola, who transferred to Oregon over the offseason, was healthy. After he suffered a leg injury, Nebraska’s offense suffered mightily. It remains to be seen if the Cornhuskers have the firepower to keep up with Oregon in Eugene.
9. Nov. 20 at Michigan State
The only reason this game isn’t lower is because of where it sits on the schedule. The Spartans have yet another new coach in Pat Fitzgerald after former Oregon State head man Jonathan Smith was fired last season, and it’s possible Michigan State is the least talented Power Five team on the Ducks’ schedule this season. However, it’s a Friday road game just before a rivalry tilt against Washington, it’s in the Midwest in late November and it comes right after games against Ohio State and Michigan. If you’re a believer in “trap games,” this has all the makings of one.
8. Oct. 31 vs. Northwestern
The Wildcats didn’t play most of the Big Ten’s elite last season but gave just about everyone on their schedule trouble in 2025 and went bowling under David Braun. With former Ducks’ coach Chip Kelly taking over as offensive coordinator and former Oregon State QB Aidan Chiles likely snagging the starting reins in 2026, this is certainly one of the more intriguing games on Oregon’s schedule, though the Ducks will likely be a double-digit favorite.
7. Sept. 12 at Oklahoma State
This will not be the same team Oregon trounced by over 60 points at Autzen Stadium last season under Mike Gundy. Under new coach Eric Morris, who guided North Texas last season, the Cowboys have reloaded their roster with over 50 transfers, including talents like quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins, who both starred under Morris at UNT. We don’t really know what Oklahoma State will look like with so many new players, but given it’s Oregon’s first road game, this one could be trickier than most people think.
6. Sept. 5 vs. Boise State
This game has never been easy for Oregon, regardless of the state of either program. The Ducks picked up their first-ever win over Boise State as heavy favorites two seasons ago, but it was just by three points and featured two Oregon special teams touchdowns. The Broncos finished 9-5 a year ago and return starting quarterback Maddux Madsen and running back Dylan Riley, who rushed for over 1,000 yards. The Ducks will be heavily favored in their season opener, but history tells us this shouldn’t be a cakewalk.
5. Oct. 24 at Illinois
The Fighting Illini will have to replace a ton of production from last season, including quarterback Luke Altmyer, but coach Bret Bielema has proven he can build a reliable Illinois team year-in and year-out. Lanning and the Ducks have been great on the road through his four-year tenure at Oregon so far, but a late October game on the road ahead of a big month of November that features Ohio State, Michigan and Washington could spell a trap game for the Ducks.
4. Nov. 28 vs. Washington
Lanning and the Ducks will be searching for their third consecutive win against the Huskies after dropping the first three games against UW in 2022 and 2023. Washington’s offseason was mired by controversy throughout a contract dispute involving quarterback Demond Williams, but the Huskies should be good on paper. Third-year coach Jedd Fisch needs to find a running back with Jonah Coleman off to the NFL, and a new lead receiver, but the Huskies will be a stiff test to end the regular season for the Ducks.
3. Nov. 14 vs. Michigan
The Wolverines made a big splash over the offseason after announcing the hiring of longtime Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. One of the winningest coaches in college football history, Whittingham has perhaps one of the most talented rosters he’s ever had and perhaps a future superstar in sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood at QB. Following what expects to be a dandy on the road against Ohio State the week before, this will be one of the toughest stretches of the season for the Ducks in 2026.
2. Sept. 26 at USC
USC has certainly done its fair share of trolling ahead of the 2026 season, specifically at Oregon and Lanning after the Trojans won some recruiting battles over the summer. None of that really matters in September, when Oregon heads to Los Angeles looking for its fifth consecutive win against USC, including its third straight at the Coliseum. It won’t be an easy task, though, as USC returns quarterback Jayden Maiava, running backs Waymond Jordan and King Miller and a star on the defensive line in Jahkeem Stewart.
1. Nov. 7 at Ohio State
At this point, anytime these teams play each other there will be hubbub. Along with recruiting battles off the field, Oregon and Ohio State have traded blows over recent seasons and have consistently been ranked inside the top-5 since the Ducks joined the Big Ten in 2024. This game has all the makings of a classic with Ohio State returning Heisman finalist Julian Sayin and the Buckeyes looking for revenge after an Oregon win in Columbus in 2021.
Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football and women’s basketball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Ranking Oregon football’s 2026 games from easiest to toughest
About the Author
