Where the Oregon Ducks rank in ESPN's Future Power Rankings for college football

USA Today

a day ago

Where the Oregon Ducks rank in ESPN's Future Power Rankings for college football
In the college football world, being set up for the future is almost as important to fans as being ready to win right now. With a large emphasis on recruiting and the classes that are set up to come down the pipeline, fans who may not root for a team that is projected to be in the championship mix in a given year often opine about "down the road."
For the Oregon Ducks, you can have both things.
Dan Lanning's squad is among the top teams in the nation this year, expected to once again compete for a Big Ten championship and make it into the College Football Playoff. However, they are also uniquely positioned for the future, with stacked years of elite recruiting classes that have coffers stocked with talent.
ESPN appears to agree with this sentiment, ranking Oregon among the top teams in the nation in their Future Power Rankings ahead of the 2025 season. ESPN takes into account both the presence of a returning quarterback and the likelihood of a multi-year QB, offensive and defensive line outlook, roster management, star power, and the coaching staff to formulate their rankings.
Here's a look at where Oregon placed in the top 10 of the rankings:
When you put those factors together, it's not hard to see why the Ducks are expected to be near the top of the sport for years to come. Let's break things down by section and compare our opinion to what ESPN had to say.
Oregon Ducks Returning Quarterback in 2025
Our Take: Obviously, Oregon will have a new starting QB in 2025, whether that be Dante Moore or Austin Novosad. The Ducks appear to feel great about their chances no matter who steps up and wins the job this offseason, though.
ESPN's Take: "No. For the second straight year, Oregon must replace a record-setting quarterback in Dillon Gabriel, an NFL third-round draft pick of Cleveland."
Oregon Ducks Quarterback Future
Our Take: Building on 2025, there's a feeling that whoever the starting QB is in 2025 will also be the starting QB in 2026 as well. Early expectations are for that to be Dante Moore, who could be among the top candidates for the Heisman Trophy both this year and next year, and a potential early NFL draft pick in 2026 should he play to his ceiling in Eugene. The Ducks have also recruited the QB position well at both the high school and transfer portal levels, giving them a handful of options for the 2027 season and beyond.
ESPN's Take: "A definite possibility. Dante Moore will be entering his third college season and second at Oregon after transferring in from UCLA. Moore, ESPN's No. 2 overall recruit in 2023, started five games for UCLA but barely played last fall and might benefit from two full seasons as a college starter."
Oregon Ducks OL/DL Outlook
Our Take: If there's one thing that Dan Lanning has excelled at during his years recruiting at Oregon, it's building up the trenches. Most notably on the defensive side of the ball, the Ducks have a stacked group of players on both the edge and interior defensive line, supplemented by transfer portal pieces like Bear Alexander this year. Over on the OL, Oregon used the transfer portal heavily this year to bring in top-ranked guys like Isaiah World and Emmanuel Pregnon, but the recruiting has put enough talent in the room to keep the expectations high for the next few years as well.
ESPN's Take: "Coach Dan Lanning has been masterful in building up Oregon's line play, but both groups will be tested after recent NFL draft losses. The defensive end spot looks strong with juniors Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti both back, but there are some immediate questions inside. Oregon's offensive line will be transfer-heavy in the short term with Isaiah World (Nevada), Alex Harkey (Texas State) and Emmanuel Pregnon (USC) arriving."
Oregon Ducks Roster Management
Our Take: If you're breaking down Lanning as a coach, then his roster management definitely leads the way as a top trait, and that's a credit to the guys around him, like Chief of Staff Marshall Malchow and the rest of the group. Oregon is routinely in the mix for the top recruits in the nation and is one of the premier transfer portal destinations. Building the roster with blue-chip players and supplementing with top-ranked transfers is a recipe for success, and the Ducks are following it to a T.
ESPN's Take: "Lanning has been everything Oregon asked for and more in the personnel space. Oregon is consistently contending for top recruits and transfers, adding several for 2025 at offensive line, running back Makhi Hughes (Tulane) and defensive backs Dillon Thieneman (Purdue) and Theran Johnson (Northwestern). Oregon signed top-eight recruiting classes in the past three seasons. In the 2025 class, the Ducks signed five-star receiver Dakorien Moore, who could make an immediate impact this fall."
Oregon Ducks Star Power
Our Take: The star power is lower this year than we've seen in past Oregon teams simply because it is a young roster with a lot of unproven pieces. In Eugene, there are expectations for guys like Dante Moore, Dakorien Moore, Makhi Hughes, Matayor Uiagalelei, and Dillon Thieneman to be stars, but those guys are national household names just yet. After this season, though, there could be a lot of "stars" in Eugene if the Ducks play up to expectations.
ESPN's Take: "Despite losing a team-record 10 players to the NFL draft, Oregon retained potential national award candidates like Uiagalelei and linebacker Bryce Boettcher while adding impact transfers like Hughes, World, Thieneman, and Johnson. Moore certainly has the ability to become Oregon's next impact quarterback. Another top player, receiver Evan Stewart, would likely have been a big name in the 2025 season, but he suffered a knee injury in early June that could limit his availability this season."
Dan Lanning's Coaching Prowess
Our Take: The on-field results still need to come in order for Lanning's accolades to match his hype as a coach, but it's impossible to ignore the fact that he is good at both keeping players and coaches in Eugene where they want to buy in and win a championship. The recruiting is as good as anyone in the nation, both at the high school and transfer portal level, and Lanning is yet to swing and miss on a young coach who he hires. The Ducks' staff is loaded with up-and-coming coaches who will undoubtedly move on to be head coaches and coordinators in the near future.
ESPN's Take: "Lanning has made Oregon a place where both players and coaches want to stay. He retained his coordinators and lost only one assistant to the NFL from the Big Ten championship team. Oregon's staff is filled with younger coaches who thrive in recruiting."
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