Ok, I know, click bait maybe. He thinks we will already have 1 to 2 losses before we even get to Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Washington. I decide to post this just to get your opinion as to where you might think our beloved Ducks will stand by the time of the BIG conference championship game?

Austin Lloyd is a college football fanatic who has years of experience covering the sport. Beyond Saturday Blitz, his interest has landed him opportunities to write for other sites, as well as host multiple radio shows and podcasts.

"Picture this: December’s on its way, and we’re shaping up to have a playoff similarly deep to last season’s, which would leave little room for error if you’re already an imperfect candidate. In walks a one (if not two)-loss Oregon, who has the Buckeyes, Wolverines, sure-to-improve Spartans, and top-rival Huskies, all lined up with a bye nowhere to be seen. Am I really supposed to believe that the Ducks are going to strut out of that canyon destined for the bracket?"

Saturday Blitz

Oregon: The CFP dreamer that’s in for a rude awakening th...

The Oregon Ducks often feel they’re right on the verge of a breakthrough, but 2026 won’t just be more of the same—it’ll be a considerable setback.

At the core of his contention is the idea that our schedule is brutal. It is. I am more optimistic than he is about our chances, but 2 losses is not hard to envision.

Click bait. Nothing specific to back up the claims and oblivious to returning production that includes as many as five potential 2027 first round draft selections. The idea that Oregon will enter the tOSU game with two losses is particularly wrong headed.

The only early game where the spread will be maybe less than a TD is against USC. Riley just hasn't come close to proving his teams can put one over on the Ducks. Where would the threat of another loss come from? Boise St, Okie St, Nebraska, UCLA or Illinois? Not a guarantee, but a healthy OBD will dramatically out talent every team leading up to the trip to Columbus.

Way too early for season predictions but I think Oregon gets it's one loss at the 'Shoe then enters the CFP ranked no lower than #6 and hosting a first round game at Autzen.

You'd never hear this drivel out of Pate, Klatt or Pickett, guys that actually know the game and do their homework. There's a reason why no one has ever heard of this guy. By the looks of him, the dude needs to get off the couch and participate in something more strenuous than a BBQ.

Thanks, NJ, for another terrific post. Lloyd's take will make the folks in Austin happy, but ...

Lloyd is taking a shallow look at the 2026 schedule with no in-depth analysis. CBS rates Oregon's 2026 schedule the 11th most difficult in the nation, so it's not for the faint-hearted. But strength-of-schedule has to be balanced out by a team's strength-of-roster and coaching.

For an opposing POV, 247 Sports' Ducks Territory has OBD going 11-1, with the only loss on the road at Ohio State. Other than Lloyd's, few, if any, projections have Oregon losing more than two games in 2026.

Oregon's finishing stretch in November is as difficult as any team's in the nation, no doubt. But setting this aside for the moment, what does November have to do with the first eight games?

Oregon will have a significant roster advantage in every game it plays in September and October except for the game in LA vs. USC.

Yes, SC has upped its recruiting and NIL game, but it still has the same head coach who has floundered in the more difficult Big Ten conference. A conference where he has more than just the Texas Longhorns to compete against.

Unlike Riley, OBD has been a B1G road warrior under Dan Lanning. Games at North Texas West, a/k/a Oklahoma State, and Illinois, with the Illini coming off a bye week, will not be easy but will, IMO, be victories.

Returning to November and a four-game finishing stretch of an eight-game grind, the second time B1G HQ has handed OBD 8 without a break in three years, begs the following questions. Where will OBD be on the injury front? Is there enough depth to handle this gauntlet? What will the weather be in Columbus and East Lansing in November?

But the opposition has to answer the same questions. Ohio State's schedule before the Oregon game is taxing to say the least, and even with its recruiting chops, can Ohio State replace all of the studs on defense who left for the NFL? (And no-showed vs. Miami.)

Is the Michigan QB the real deal? Even if he has greatly improved, who is he going to throw the ball to? Michigan plays four games straight before visiting Autzen, including back-to-back games vs. Indiana and Penn State.

Why does Michigan State have to be better? The roster is no better than last season. ESPN ranks Michigan State last in the Big Ten in off-season improvement. In the same category, OBD is ranked second behind Indiana.

UW will be a challenge, but I like Oregon's chances in Autzen. And UW will be traveling to Eugene, coming off a home game vs Indiana. Will UW be fired up or beat down?

Ohio State? On 10/31, the week before traveling to Ohio State, OBD plays Northwestern in Eugene. On 10/31, Ohio State plays USC in LA. Both teams will be making a three-time zone trip back east, with Ohio State playing back-to-back B1G-time opponents.

So, yeah, it's low-hanging clickbait that's warranted without a deeper dive into the schedule and without a look at the quality of Oregon's 2026 roster. With 18 new starters in 2025, Dan Lanning took Oregon to an 11-1 regular season finish. What's Dan going to do with a veteran roster?

With the help of the football gods keeping the injury bugs away, I see 10-2 as the floor for the 2026 team, with 12-0 as the ceiling.

The opening game. Boise's SP+ is the top in the G6, No. 39, 6.8 index - OBD is ranked 2nd, 28.3 index, by SP+ behind No. 1 Ohio State. Oregon will be a double-digit favorite in the home opener.

Beat Boise!

Yes, it is the off-season...when poorly researched articles with silly premises flourish, written by duplicitous writers.

Take a gander at his articles a year ago.

I didn’t bother calculating how terrible his predictions for 2025 were, but at first glance he has BSU being a sure fire playoff team and Texas Tech going 7-5….at which point I stopped reading.

He’s basically typing random words into Claude.

I love this forum......

I agree with JJ. 10-2 floor and 12-0 ceiling.

It all depends on the Oline and can the offense play balanced ball by week 4. Then get better every week.

To go 12-0, the defense must win the day against tOSU. The NFL talent filled D roster must show up, show out and show off. Control the LOS......

Go Ducks.....

2 hours ago, Jon Joseph said:

Oregon's finishing stretch in November is as difficult as any team's in the nation, no doubt. But setting this aside for the moment, what does November have to do with the first eight games?

Deja Vu 2025 closing stretch with little room for error. And how did that turn out?

4 hours ago, Charles Fischer said:

Yes, it is the off-season...when poorly researched articles with silly premises flourish, written by duplicitous writers.

Didn't I tell you to Stop Talking about me! 🤬

As FishDuck is being sold, see the pinned post if this is news to you... I have gone through ALL of my articles and backed them up. In doing so I found a few that I forgot I wrote that I am going to bring up here as I believe they are pertinent to this discussion.

https://fishduck.com/2024/12/is-oregon-finally-getting-the-respect-it-deserves/

https://fishduck.com/2025/11/is-oregon-physical-enough-for-the-b1g/

In short... we are still outsiders and are just disruptive to the B1G.

I think Lanning is actually at his best when he doesn't have bye weeks. Coming out of a bye or extended bye has always seen the Ducks more sluggish and less focused. Lanning thrives on the intensity of game week. But is an entire conference slate without a break healthy? Absolutely not... but if any coach can manage it it's Lanning.

I expect a single loss along the way... but we were told we would get destroyed in the B1G in 2024, turns out we won the conference. Oregon has still only lost ONE conference game in the B1G!

Nope, He didn't give the effort to write a coherent article let alone provide any rationale. It's like step 1, starting playing games, step 2, trust me bro, step 3 they lost a bunch of games.

Not bothering responding to this. Of course anything is possible, but good grief, not worth writing about.

Edited May 12May 12 by Solar

It was the worst of times. It was the best of times.

Oregon Ducks On SI

Best and Worst Case Scenarios for Oregon, Dan Lanning Nex...

The Oregon Ducks enter the 2026 college football as one of the favorites to win the national championship. Here are the best and worst cases scenarios for coach