Take Two: Oregon should expect a championship, and the Dan Lanning “big game” narrative needs to die

There is an interesting tension surrounding Oregon as fall camp moves into its second week. On one hand, Dan Lanning and his players have spent months talking about ignoring the telescope, focusing on daily improvement and breaking enormous goals into smaller actions through the Harada Method. On the other, nobody inside or outside the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex needs a vision board to understand the ultimate expectation.

Oregon believes it can win a national championship.

That expectation is not unreasonable, either. The Ducks are coming off three consecutive seasons of at least 12 wins, won the Big Ten in their first season in the conference, reached the College Football Playoff quarterfinal in 2024 and advanced another round to the national semifinal last season. Oregon enters 2026 with an experienced quarterback in Dante Moore, one of the deepest defensive fronts in the country, young players who were forced into significant roles last season and enough returning experience that Lanning has repeatedly talked about asking players to operate on knowledge rather than ability alone. (University of Oregon Athletics)

That brings me to today’s Take Two.