Somehow, the college football season is already nearly halfway done, and man, has it been a mess for some teams that had huge expectations. We’re talking about squads that were eyeing trips to the College Football Playoff, and now? Now they are just trying to find a way to make sense of what’s happening on the field.
The Ducks Are Drowning in Turnovers, And Coach Lanning’s on the Hook
Talk about a gut punch. Oregon, currently sitting at 3-2, looks absolutely nothing like a national title contender right now. You just can’t see it. Yeah, star QB Dante Moore was out for their recent game against UCLA, which stings, but this is exactly why you bring in an experienced signal-caller like Dylan Raiola. Except, Raiola had one of the worst games of his career in that 17-15 loss. The dude turned the ball over *three times* and was a brutal 6-of-19 for just 43 yards before Brock Thomas had to step in during the second half. And get this: thanks to a frantic, last-play fumble while trying to lateral the ball, the Ducks finished with a mind-boggling SEVEN turnovers. Seven! That’s just asking to lose.
And who does that fall on? Coach Dan Lanning, big time. Here’s why: after pulling within two points on a late fourth-quarter touchdown, Oregon failed the game-tying two-point conversion. But they shouldn’t have even needed that. They blew a two-point try earlier, after their first touchdown of the day. If they had just kicked the simple PAT in the first quarter, they would have only needed another PAT to tie UCLA with 2:16 left to go. That’s a coaching decision that cost them. Remember Week 2 too? Oklahoma State’s defense was reportedly picking up cues on Oregon’s offensive plays. This roster is loaded with talent, but it’s clearly not being maximized, and the Ducks might need to win out just to have a prayer at the College Football Playoff.
Texas A&M’s Offense Is a Total Disaster, And Coach Elko Is Fed Up
Over in College Station, it’s not much better. The Texas A&M Aggies are sitting at a disappointing 3-3, halfway through their season, and their offense is an absolute train wreck. Losing Collin Klein, who’s now the head coach at Kansas State, and KC Concepcion, a first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns, has just crushed them. Those guys were integral to their offensive success in 2025, but maybe we all just totally underestimated how much they really mattered.
Saturday’s 27-6 loss at Missouri was brutal. A&M’s offense had less than 80 yards in the *entire first half*, and honestly, they were super lucky to only be down by seven at halftime. Things barely improved in the second half until the game was already out of reach after Jamal Roberts’ game-clinching touchdown run. Coach Mike Elko sounded like a broken man in his postgame presser, like he was searching for an offensive repair manual. He started by calling it “another extremely disappointing road performance.” And when someone asked him what gives him confidence about his offense getting on track? He just replied, “I mean, does this look confident to you?” Yikes. To top it off, he even took a shot at the Aggie fans on TexAgs.com. The offense is struggling big time, and the Aggies are just treading water at .500.
It’s clear that some teams with sky-high expectations are just not living up to the hype right now, and the pressure is mounting for these coaches and players. What a wild season it’s turning out to be. And speaking of disappointing, our own Huskies just dropped one at home. The Iowa Hawkeyes beat the Washington Huskies 41-24. That’s a tough pill to swallow for the Emerald City faithful. We gotta regroup and get ready for whatever comes next because the season keeps on rolling.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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