The start of the 2026 campaign has already burst the preseason hype balloon for a few programs. In Week 2, Oklahoma got a shock at Ann Arbor. But no result shocked college football more than the humbling of Dan Lanning’s Oregon at Oklahoma State. According to ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit, the loss was even more shocking given the talent on the Ducks’ roster.
“Disappointing and frustrating loss for Oregon,” Kirk Herbstreit said on NBC Sports on September 15. “I still think on paper you could make a case that they’re as talented as anybody in the country. Dan Lanning is an outstanding coach. Now, keep in mind Will Stein, their former offensive coordinator, is now the head coach at UK.”
Heading into the campaign, the Ducks were ranked No. 2 by the AP voters. However, the Week 1 game against Boise State was rocky, to say the least. Oregon managed to escape with a win. In hindsight, that performance should have drawn some red flags within the program.
Rather, the Ducks delivered the same sluggish performance against Oklahoma State. Only the Cowboys punished them for it in their 39-31 win. At 1-1, Oregon doesn’t look anything like the team that finished 11-1 last year and had a 8-1 record in the Big Ten.
The Week 1 performance had them drop to No. 6 in the AP Poll. The loss completely plummeted their ranking. Dan Lanning’s team is currently No. 21, something that has become unheard of over the last few years.
Both the DC and the OC moved on after the 2025 season. Dan Lanning chose to promote from within the building rather than conducting a national search. Chris Hampton was given the full-time role after serving as a Co-DC with Tosh Lupoi. Drew Mehringer was promoted from tight ends coach to offensive coordinator. According to Herbstreit, Oregon is looking similar to two teams that couldn’t live up to their preseason hype last season.
“It’s for me, Dante Moore, and that offense – they don’t look like you’d expect them to look right now. Hopefully, they’re able to figure that thing out because they haven’t lost a conference game yet. They’ve looked really poor in their first two games. But let’s not forget what kind of talent is on that roster right now. They feel a little bit like Penn State a year ago, right? Or a Clemson year. Let’s hope that they can right the ship for the Big 10 and start to play better football,” Herbstreit added.
Last season, Penn State entered the campaign as a contender for the national championship. James Franklin’s team even started 3-3. Interestingly, it was Oregon that first exposed the Lions during their double overtime win at Happy Valley in the whiteout game. Penn State then lost to UCLA and Northwestern, and Franklin was fired.
Similarly, Clemson also boasted returning production heading into the 2025 season. Cade Klubnik returned for another shot at glory and a chance to improve his draft stock. But the Tigers never got going from the jump. They lost at home to LSU to open the season and finished with a 7-6 record. Oregon has enough to fix its issues so as not a repeat Penn State and Clemson.
After the Week 2 loss, Lanning admitted that Oklahoma State repeatedly threw defensive looks and running schemes at them that the coaching staff completely failed to prepare for. While defense was still able to hold down the fort, offense struggled immensely.
“We did not perform at any level that was winning football,” Lanning said. “This is by far the worst performance that we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
It is not just Herbstreit who believes Dante Moore and the offense were not in sync. After their Oklahoma upset, Cowboys head coach Eric Morris revealed Moore’s weakness on the field, which was easy for them to exploit. Moore was inadvertently tipping run or pass plays based entirely on his pre-snap foot alignment. A balanced stance meant a run, while splitting his feet meant a pass, allowing the defense to suffocate the offense. This became his tell.
He completed less than half of his attempts, 14-of-29, for just 191 yards. During his media availability on Monday, he took full responsibility for his poor performance. He even admitted that he “second-guessed” a lot of his throws instead of executing with full confidence.
The Oregon Ducks will host the Portland State Vikings this upcoming Friday, September 18. This matchup will serve as the non-conference finale for the Ducks.