The preseason AP Top 25 poll is out, and with its release comes not only more anticipation for the college football season ahead, but a little bit of history for one conference in particular.
Voters tapped Ohio State as the preseason No. 1 team, with the Buckeyes securing 40 first-place votes. But slotted in at No. 2 is another Big Ten team, Oregon. The Ducks received 14 first-place votes, sliding into the second spot, giving the conference the preseason top two teams for just the second time in conference history.
Five teams received first-place votes: Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame (6), Indiana (8), and Miami FL (1). Notre Dame slotted in at No. 4 in the preseason Top 25, while Indiana came in sixth and Miami came in seventh. Those two teams met in the national championship game a few months ago.
Georgia was the top-ranked SEC team, as the Bulldogs came in third. Texas was the next SEC team, with the Longhorns ranked fifth. Texas A&M (No. 8), Mississippi (No. 9), and Oklahoma (No. 10) rounded out the top ten.
But let’s focus on Oregon for a moment.
The Ducks at the No. 2 spot might be a bit of a surprise, but there is good reason for the faith in Dan Lanning’s squad. Obviously, it begins with the return of Dante Moore. The Oregon quarterback passed up a chance at being the second player taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, behind only Fernando Mendoza, to return to campus for another season.
That was something of a theme for the Ducks over the past few months.
Lanning will see a lot of familiar faces in the locker room this season, on both sides of the football. Starting with the offense, around Moore some critical pieces from last year’s 13-2 team return. Moore will have the duo of Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. back in the offensive backfield with him, as that running back pair combined for over 1,300 rushing yards as freshmen backups, and now they will take on the key roles next to Moore in the backfield.
Out wide, Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan are back after seeing significant time as freshmen, and senior Evan Stewart returns as well after missing last year due to a knee injury. That wide receiver group will get a boost from incoming transfer Iverson Hooks from UAB, who caught 72 passes for 927 yards and seven scores a year ago for the Blazers.
While Kenyon Sadiq is off to the NFL, the Ducks might not see much of a dropoff at tight end. Jamari Johnson will take on a bigger role for this team with Sadiq’s departure, after catching 32 balls for 510 yards and a trio of scores a year ago.
But the bigger story is the defense. Lanning returns nearly the entire defensive front from a season ago, starting with Bear Alexander and A’Mauri Washington on the interior. Those two defensive linemen will eat up double teams in front of linebackers Jerry Mixon and Devon Jackson, and free up space for Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti on the edges.
Then in the secondary, starting cornerbacks Brandon Finney Jr. and Ify Obidegwu are back as well. While Oregon lost standout safety Dillon Thieneman to the NFL Draft, Lanning secured Koi Perich from Minnesota, and the transfer could slot into the spot vacated by Thieneman.
In the Athlon Sports college football preview magazine, an opposing Big Ten assistant coach summed up the Ducks this way:
“That might be the best roster in college football, with the returners they have on the D-line and the back end, with the addition of Koi Perich from Minnesota — and then offensively, they return basically everyone but Malik Benson, Kenyon Sadiq, and a coupld running backs … [Dante Moore] was the best quarterback we faced last year … When you watch them on tape, they look like a team with a lot of 5-stars.”
These are among the many reasons Lanning sounded confident at the Big Ten Media Days last month.
“Very excited about this season. I really like the work that our guys have put in. Walking in this year, what’s different from last year, obviously we have some great returning players that have been big contributors to our program,” began the Oregon head coach.
“One thing I recognize is last year I felt like we had a team that had a ton of talent. This year we have a team that has a lot of experience returning. A lot of those young guys that played are guys that have great experience. I am excited to see what that looks like.”
Lanning also expects another big year from his quarterback.
“I have the same expectation for Dante that I have for every player on our team: It’s to grow and continue to get better. Dante understands the specifics of that. I won’t get into the specifics of that. This is a guy that’s worn a lot of hats in our program. He came and watched Dillon Gabriel for a year. Sat in that seat as our starting quarterback this past season. Now this is the opportunity to see that all mature and grow,” said Lanning at the Big Ten Media Days.
“Where he’s really grown as a leader. That’s really shown up this off-season. What he’s been able to do away, off the field, is extremely impressive. The impact he’s made on the community, his teammates. I’d love to see it all come together.
“I think we go as our quarterback goes, right? He is certainly in a special position to help create that and make us a special team this year.”
How special can Oregon be this year?
The voters believe the Ducks can be very special.
And with this returning group of players, the potential is certainly there in Eugene.
You can see the full Top 25 here.