Three Trap Games Looming On Oregon Ducks Football Schedule

Here are the three games on Oregon’s 2026 schedule that could cause the Ducks to slip up and crush their CFP and national championship hopes. 

at Oklahoma State (Sept. 12)

After dominating the Oklahoma State Cowboys 69-3 at Autzen Stadium this past season, don’t expect the Oregon Ducks to put up the same rout on the road in Stillwater this time around in week 2. While the Ducks should still be able to win, Oklahoma State could present some challenges for Oregon on Sept. 12.

With new head coach Eric Morris and North Texas transfer quarterback Drew Mestemaker, many expect Oklahoma State to have an incredible turnaround next season after finishing 1-11 in 2025.

Mestemaker led the nation in passing this season, throwing for 4,379 yards, 34 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Mestemaker, along with an impressive transfer portal class for Oklahoma State, will look to pull an early-season stunner over the Ducks. 

at Illinois (Oct. 24)

Oregon has a chance to be undefeated heading into what could be a midseason trap game in Champaign against the Illinois Fighting Illini on Oct. 24. Illinois has been a tough place to play for top Big Ten teams, as of recently. Just ask Oregon’s arch-rival, the USC Trojans, who fell 34-32 on the road to Illinois last season, a loss that derailed their CFP chances.

In road games last season, the Ducks went undefeated, with the toughest challenges coming against the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions. Both wins came down to the final play, with the win against Penn State coming off a Dillon Thieneman game-winning interception in overtime, a victory that helped set the tone for the Ducks' 2025 season.

vs. Washington (Nov. 28) 

While the 2026 addition of the Oregon-Washington rivalry is set to take place in Eugene at Autzen Stadium, the Huskies have always presented a challenge for Lanning's Ducks in recent seasons, no matter where the game is.

Lanning struggled to beat the Huskies, starting his coaching tenure with the Ducks, going 0-3. Lanning, however, has won the last two games of the rivalry series, with the latest being a 26-14 win in Seattle that clinched a spot in the CFP for Oregon.

Having lost two straight games in the rivalry series, the Huskies would like nothing more than to go into Eugene and upset the Ducks in 2026. Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is set to return to the Huskies for the 2026 season and looks to have a better performance than he did in last year’s loss to Oregon.