In the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings, the Oregon Ducks (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) were surprisingly placed in the No. 23 slot.
Coach Dan Lanning's Ducks have beaten the No. 20 USC Trojans on the road and the No. 25 Boise State Broncos at home. One of their three losses came at the hands of the No. 8 UCLA Bruins at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon .
Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola walks off after the Ducks' win as the Oregon Ducks host the Northwestern Wildcats on Oct. 31, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Now, Oregon awaits the largest test of its 2026 season with the No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) on Saturday, Nov. 7. The Ducks travel to Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, at 12:30 p.m. PT on CBS.
Ohio State is coming off an upset 30-18 loss at the USC Trojans on Oct. 31, their first contest without junior quarterback Julian Sayin under center . Sayin is out indefinitely with a right throwing arm and shoulder injury that he suffered while taking a sack from junior defensive lineman Mario Landino at the Indiana Hoosiers in their previous game back on Oct. 17.
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) leaves the field in a sling following the 19-15 win over the Indiana Hoosiers in the NCAA football game at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., on Oct. 17, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Sayin's replacement is true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey. In the eyes of Lanning, what stands out about Fahey is his overall intelligence when directing an offensive, both at the high school and college level.
"I remember Luke coming out of high school," Lanning told the media on Nov. 2. "Went by seeing him when he was in high school, and he's an operator. He's a really smart quarterback. He's a winner. His intelligence shows up. This is an offense that has a lot of moving parts. I thought he handled it extremely well in that environment (at USC).
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Luke Fahey (13) looks at the scoreboard for a replay during the NCAA football game against the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Oct. 31, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Fahey, a four-star prospect out of the 2026 recruiting class, threw for over 7,000 yards in his high school career at Mission Viejo in Southern California.
In his first career start in the recent fall to the Trojans, the current 19-year-old completed 21 of 38 passes for 260 passing yards, one touchdown, and zero turnovers. He finished with a 49.0 quarterback rating in a slippery game at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
Lanning continued on Fahey's performance at USC, " I thought he operated well. It wasn't the best conditions either, playing in the rain. But he's proven that he can be a guy who can be successful and run their offense. Certainly, coming out of high school, I remember him being a guy who was like that."
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day motions during the NCAA football game against the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Oct. 31, 2026. Ohio State lost 30-18. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Back across the country on Nov. 2, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day gave his thoughts on the current status of this Oregon program heading into their pivotal Big Ten Conference matchup.
"They have all the talent in the world. They have NFL players all over the field," Day said. "This is not going to be your typical three-loss team coming in here. All the stuff that came up last week, we gotta get corrected fast."
Ohio State has some next-level talent of its own in the likes of junior wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who is second in the NCAA in both receiving yards at 1,067 and touchdowns at 13.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oregon as Dan Lanning Identifies What He Notices First About Ohio State's Luke Fahey .
