Oregon’s 2026 season? Dude, it’s been a flat-out disaster so far. This team was pegged as a preseason favorite to win the whole damn national title, and here we are, not even halfway through October, and they’re sitting at a dismal 3-2. Honestly, it’s looking way more likely they’ll miss the College Football Playoff entirely than even sniff it, let alone hoist the championship trophy. But then there’s Saturday’s game, and that’s where things get wild, man.
Seven Turnovers and a Two-Point Loss? What Even Happened?
You gotta look at the numbers from Saturday to really get a grasp of the Oregon problem. Their backup quarterback started the game and played so poorly they had to yank him for the third-stringer. And get this: the team coughed up the ball a shocking seven times. Seven! Imagine your average college team in that situation, with their starter out, two backups playing, and seven turnovers. What kind of blowout are you expecting? A 40-point loss? A 50-point drubbing? But no, not Oregon. They only lost that game by two points. That’s not a typo. Two. Points. The fact they even had a shot to win it late, despite playing that horribly, is a crazy testament to the talent on that roster and what they could be capable of if they ever actually play a clean game.
Fornelli’s Ratings Just Got a Huge Headache
This whole situation is a massive headache for guys like Tom Fornelli trying to figure out power ratings. How do you accurately judge a team that’s a preseason title contender, is 3-2 with an injured starting QB, and can turn it over seven times but still nearly win? Fornelli says Oregon did fall in his latest ratings, but honestly, not nearly as far as you might’ve expected given that absolute mess of a game. Three teams from last week’s top 12 are gone, but Oregon is still hanging in there. The big question mark is quarterback Dante Moore. He might be back for this week’s game against Nebraska, and if Moore is under center, Oregon is a much, much better squad than the one we saw on Saturday, even if they’re not quite the world-beaters everyone thought they’d be. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the rankings, Ohio State held onto the No. 1 spot after a textbook 45-16 win where Jeremiah Smith snagged two touchdowns. Georgia, at No. 2, saw Gunner Stockton’s downfield passing look a lot different and much improved against Alabama, a team that still moved up the chart despite an “admirable defeat.”
So, what’s next for Oregon? They’ve got Nebraska coming up, and that Dante Moore news is everything. If he’s back, suddenly a season that looked like a complete trainwreck could get a shot in the arm. Without him? Well, man, who knows what to expect from a team that can be that bad and still that close to victory. It’s going to be wild to watch.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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