Ducks Digest

Will Oregon Ducks Be A Top-10 Football Team in Five Years?

Oregon Football has back-to-back 10-win seasons and is dominating the recruiting trail. Will the Ducks remain at the top of college football for the rest of the decade?

Kaleb Henry

Jan 1, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning reacts after being doused in Gatorade at the end of the 2024 Fiesta Bowl against the Liberty Flames at State Farm Stadium. The Ducks won 45-6.
Jan 1, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning reacts after being doused in Gatorade at the end of the 2024 Fiesta Bowl against the Liberty Flames at State Farm Stadium. The Ducks won 45-6. / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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The question is simple: Will the Oregon Ducks Football program be a top-10 team in five years?

One national columnist believes so. And there's no reason to disagree.

Kyle Golik for Mike Farrell Sports listed the 10 teams he believes will still be at the top in five years. The Ducks are among the group.

After the Mario Cristobal era, Ducks coach Dan Lanning has had Oregon on a steady rise since taking over in 2022. His Ducks have notched back-to-back 10-wins seasons, finishing with AP ranks of 15 and 6, respectively.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning sticks his tongue out to catch the rain as the No. 6 Oregon Ducks host California.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning sticks his tongue out to catch the rain as the No. 6 Oregon Ducks host California Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

But its off the field that has Golik impressed. Oregon's 2025 class is littered with highly ranked commits, placing the Ducks with the No. 4 class from On3, No. 5 class from 247Sports, and No. 6 class form Rivals.

All that momentum leads into a season with one specific date circled in red ink.

"As Dan Lanning continues to be scorching hot in the Class of 2025 with the No. 5 overall class, Lanning’s aggressiveness to build Oregon has been on full display," Golik writes. "With the inaugural Big Ten season for Oregon, the stakes couldn’t be any higher for their October 12 clash with Ohio State. A win only adds to the inferno that is burning in Eugene, a loss won’t extinguish it but can slow it down.

"The talent Lanning is assembling in Eugene is worthy to be near the top of the country, only thing Oregon has to do is produce results."

Ranked ahead of the Ducks are Ohio State and Texas. The rest of the group behind Oregon is Georgia, USC, Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida State, Nebraska, and Notre Dame. The honorable mention programs are Penn State, Michigan, Miami, Ole Miss, and LSU.

Stay up to date on all things Oregon Ducks by visiting Oregon Ducks on SI daily and following Oregon Ducks on SI on Facebook and X.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans.He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team.

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