'I'm a believer;' ESPN analyst sees Oregon Ducks in 2026 championship

While the Oregon Ducks made a great run at the national championship a year ago, falling only to the Indiana Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff semifinal, those who could look ahead felt that 2026, not 2025, was really set up for Dan Lanning and his team.

Should the right players return for another year instead of heading to the NFL, the pieces could be in place for Oregon to do something they have never done before: bring the championship home to Eugene.

Now, it appears that some major names across the nation are starting to wake up to that possibility.

Not only did Fox Sports' analyst Joel Klatt list Oregon as his No. 1 team in the country earlier this month, but now ESPN's Greg McElroy is predicting that the Ducks will end up in the big dance, playing for a championship when all is said and done this year.

"Oregon's going to be playing in the national championship game next year," McElroy said on his podcast. "I really look at the talent, and it's just too good."

Not only do the Ducks have Dante Moore leading the way, a projected top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, had he declared, but Oregon is also stacked at the skill positions on offense, with a loaded defense that is full of guys who will eventually be playing on Sunday.

"The defensive line, that's probably the biggest key," McElroy continued. "That is arguably the best in the country."

While the talent is there, questions remain about the coaching staff, where Oregon promoted both new offensive and defensive coordinators, with Will Stein and Tosh Lupoi leaving for head coaching jobs elsewhere. For McElroy, that's no deterrent for his prediction.

"I'm a believer in Drew Mehringer. I'm a believer in Chris Hampton," McElroy said. "I think they're going to find their new coordinator roles and fill them perfectly. And I think Dan Lanning knows what he's doing. He has the infrastructure to support them."

It's one thing to have the talent to win it all, but it's another to actually go out there and execute week after week, especially when you have a schedule like the Ducks do. They have a decently tough non-conference slate against the Boise State Broncos and , followed by a road game against the USC Trojans in late September. At the end of the year, they face the , , and in three of the final four weeks.