I’m not sure I’ve seen Nebraska have to play back-to-back football games against national championship contenders like they will in 2026 with games against preseason #6 Indiana followed by a road trip to #2 Oregon. (Nevermind the fact that #1 Ohio State is coming a month later.)
The Ducks look legit; their only losses in 2025 were to the Hoosiers (twice), and their only loss in 2024 was to Ohio State. So… yeah. This one is going to be a tough matchup for the Big Red.
It starts at quarterback with senior Dante Moore (6’3” 206 lbs.) who completed nearly 72% of his passes last season for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns with ten interceptions. A dual threat, he did rush for 156 yards and two more touchdowns. If not for a bad game in the first matchup with Indiana, Moore might have been a Heisman finalist last season. In 2026, he’s sixth in preseason odds for the Heisman. The only question with Moore will be cutting down the turnovers this season. Backing up Moore will be junior Brock Thomas (5’11” 191 lbs.), who’s a career 67% passer in mop-up duty, along with sophomore Akili Smith, Jr. (6’5” 245 lbs.), son of the former Cincinnati Bengal starter, and, of course, junior Dylan Raiola (6’3” 230 lbs.).
Oregon used a running back by committee approach last season with two of the three returning. Sophomores Jordon Davison (6’0” 236 lbs.) and Dierre Hill (5’11” 175 lbs.) will be a true thunder and lightning combination in 2026. Davison rushed for 667 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry last season while Hill rushed for 656 yards and five touchdowns with a eyebrow raising 8.7 yards per carry average. This should continue to be a potent rushing attack in 2026.
The receiver room loses their top two from last season to the NFL, but there’s still plenty of talent in Eugene. Sophomores Jeremiah McClellan (6’0” 195 lbs.) and Dakorien Moore (5’11” 195 lbs.) combined to catch 72 passes for 1,054 yards and six touchdowns. Junior tight end Jamari Johnson (6’5” 257 lbs.) caught 32 passes for 510 yards and three touchdowns, and is a NFL level talent. Senior wide receiver Evan Stewart (6’0” 170 lbs.) missed all of last season due to injury, but has 1,776 career receiving yards. The sophomores should be even better in 2026, which spells trouble for Big Ten defenses.
Only two starters return on the offensive line, but they might be the two best from last season. Senior center Iapani Laloulu (6’2” 329 lbs.) was a first-team All-American last season while senior right guard Dave Iuli (6’3” 332 lbs.) was a fourth-team All-Big Ten honoree. Yale transfer right tackle Michael Bennett (6’5” 320 lbs.) was a two-time All-Ivy League honoree. Oregon’s offensive lines have been traditionally strong, being finalists for the Joe Moore Award two of the last three years, so even if the line is down a little, they’ll still be strong.
Oregon’s defense was pretty good last season, except against Indiana, and it starts up front where the Ducks have all four starters back. On the interior, senior defensive tackle Bear Alexander (6’3” 302 lbs.) had 50 tackles last season with 5.5 for a loss while senior nose tackle A’Mauri Washington (6’3” 330 lbs.) had 33 and eight pass breakups. On the ends, senior Teitum Tuioti (6’3” 263 lbs.) terrorized opposing offenses with 68 tackles, 6.5 for a loss plus 9.5 sacks, five pass breakups and eight quarterback hurries. Matayo Uiagalelei (6’5” 272 lbs.) had 34 tackles last season with six sacks, 3.5 TFLs and six pass breakups. This defensive line might be the best the Huskers will face in 2026.
The Ducks have to replace two NFL draft picks at linebacker this year. Senior weakside linebacker Jerry Mixon (6’2” 240 lbs.) had 57 tackles last season with seven pass breakups. Senior Devon Jackson (6’2” 235 lbs.) will slide into the middle linebacker role; he had 41 tackles last season as a reserve. Baylor transfer Carl Williams (6’1” 192 lbs.) is expected to fill the star linebacker role. Williams missed most of 2025 due to injury, but has 56 career tackles. There’s a lot of inexperience in this group, at least at the start of 2026.
The secondary returns three starters led by sophomore safety Aaron Flowers (6’0” 208 lbs.), who leads all returning players with 70 tackles last season. Sophomore cornerback Brandon Finney (6’2” 203 lbs.) led the Ducks with three interceptions and eight pass breakups. Sophomore cornerback Ify Obidegwu (6’1” 203 lbs.) added 24 tackles and six pass breakups. Minnesota transfer safety Koi Perich (6’1” 200 lbs.) was third on the Gophers last season with 82 tackles. This should be a top-notch unit, and when matched with the Oregon defensive line, it should make it very difficult to throw the ball against the Ducks.
Loaded opponent? Hostile road environment? The Huskers will have a chance, but it may only be in the Lloyd Christmas sense.
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