Defending Big Ten college football champion Oregon has high expectations in way-too-early 247 Sports rankings

Oregon coach Dan Lanning took the Ducks to near-perfect heights this past season. Lanning guided his team to an undefeated Big Ten regular season, including a trip to the conference title game in the team's first season since leaving the Pac-12. Oregon defeated Penn State, 45-37, in one of the best championship games in recent memory.

However, the Ducks were on the wrong side of College Football Playoff history. After earning a first-round playoff bye, subjecting them to extra rest was a colossal failure. The Ducks were routed in the Rose Bowl by the eventual national championship-qualifying Ohio State Buckeyes, 41-21, ending a season as to what could have been.

Lanning has denied any potential talk of leaving for the NFL, which is excellent news for a Ducks team that ranks No. 4 in Brad Crawford's 247 Sports' way-too-early top-25 rankings.

There is reason to see why the Ducks have the potential to be elite again next fall. Oregon plays a traditional nine-game conference slate, and only two teams, Indiana and Penn State, made this year's edition of the College Football Playoff.

The Ducks play three of their first five games at home, with their two road trips coming against Northwestern, which attempts to return to a bowl game for the first time since 2023, and their trip to State College for the soon-to-be highly-anticipated rematch.

Oregon should feel confident after its initial Week 6 bye, too. The Ducks draw two teams that struggled to close tight games last season in Rutgers and a rematch against Wisconsin in Eugene.

Oregon closes November with a split – two games at home against Minnesota and USC while the other two see it travel to Iowa City and Seattle for games against the Hawkeyes and Washington Huskies. 

If it can beat Penn State again, Oregon finishing with nine, 10, or 11 wins isn't too far-fetched. After all, the Ducks carry 247 Sports' fifth-best recruiting class with 20 commitments, including four-star quarterback Akili Smith Jr.

It appears the Ducks have set themselves up. for success next fall in an attempt to repeat again.