The Oregon Ducks entered the season with high expectations after making the College Football Playoff semifinals last season.

Oregon Entered the 2026 Season with National Championship Hopes

Oregon was tied for No. 10 in college football in returning production this season at 66%. The Ducks returned several key players defensively, as well as star quarterback Dante Moore. He entered the year as one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2027 recruiting class.

Oregon entered the season ranked No. 2 in the season and was a trendy pick to win the national championship. In fact, Fox Sports' Joel Klatt called them the clear No. 1 team in the sport entering the season.

"There is a clear number one," Klatt previously said. "And I honestly don't understand why this is not more unanimous. If you actually evaluate rosters out there and what's coming back. Everyone else out there has a question. Everybody.... Guess who doesn't have questions? Not one. Oregon. Oregon is No. 1 in the country, and quite frankly, it's not close."

Paul Finebaum Sounds the Alarm on Dan Lanning After Oregon's Historic Loss

The season has started rocky for Oregon despite the preseason hype. Oregon narrowly beat the Boise State Broncos, 34-27, in the opener. The Ducks then suffered one of the biggest upsets in program history, falling 39-31 to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who had the longest FBS losing streak entering that game.

ESPN's Paul FInebaum revealed on "The Matt Barrie Show" that he was speechless after that game.

"I don't know what to say," Finebaum said. "I sat here last week with you making the excuses for Dan Lanning because he's always been my guy. He's going to be the next one, and you think about the Indiana game, and then the Boise game, and now this; you can't put three worst games together, and luckily he didn't lose last week, or his season might already be a complete dumpster fire. He's not far from it."

Lanning Now Has Little Margin for Error at Oregon

Finebaum's criticism points to a larger issue for Lanning. Oregon's season is far from over, and the Ducks still have time to recover from the Oklahoma State loss. But the expectations have changed dramatically in just two weeks. A team that entered the year being discussed as a national championship favorite is now trying to prove it can consistently perform at the level its roster demands.

The next few weeks will determine whether the Oklahoma State loss was simply an early-season disaster or the beginning of a much bigger problem. For Lanning, Oregon's championship expectations mean there is little room for another performance like the one in Stillwater.