The Oregon Ducks ' 2024 campaign ended in blowout fashion, as they were run off the field by the eventual national champion Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal. The loss fueled them during the 2025 season, as they went one step further, reaching the CFP Semifinal, before once again being outed by a wide margin, this time to the eventual national champion Indiana Hoosiers .
Though two straight seasons of losing by 20-plus points to end the year may seem like a disappointment, they advanced further and took steps forward as a program. Now, the next step is to make the national championship game and win it, something that head coach Dan Lanning believes will be helped by their defeat at the hands of the Hoosiers to end last season.
"Yeah, we didn't finish the way we wanted to, but there's a lot of lessons there," Lanning said during his first spring press conference. "I think that film's been watched a lot by all of us."
There were many lessons to learn, no doubt. The Ducks turned the ball over three times and were beaten by 34 points by Indiana . Despite that, Lanning is turning the page to 2026's team and how they can adjust and improve upon last season.
"It's a new group now," he said. "A new team. Every year's individual, right? What we accomplished last year has nothing to do with what we're going to accomplish this year, but it allows you to say, okay, what can we add? What are the wrinkles that we can adjust? How can we play off of our personnel? There's some different personnel this year than it was last year. So, all those things play into it."
The personnel will certainly be different, as nine Ducks participated in the NFL Scouting Combine and hope to be drafted. However, a lot will be the same as well, as seven more Ducks who were draft worthy decided to run it back in Eugene for one more season highlighted by quarterback Dante Moore , wide receiver Evan Stewart , tight end Jamari Johnson and the entire starting defensive line.
Roster-wise, Oregon is right there at the top in all of college football. A standout 2025 true freshman class will be one year older. Moore will be one year wiser, as he added 15 more starts under his belt last season.
As Lanning said, nothing that happened prior to 2026 matters, aside from the lessons that they learned and potential adjustments that they may make. In doing so, they hope that it powers them to the pinnacle of college football, and an honor that they've never had the chance be called: national champions.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dan Lanning speaks on how Oregon will bounce back from Peach Bowl loss
