Where Oregon Ducks' College Football 26 ratings slipped most from a season ago

USA Today

17 hours ago

The EA Sports College Football 26 video game is set to drop in a matter of weeks, so new details and trailers have been pouring out over the last months as fans prepare to dive back into the beloved gaming franchise and get onto the digital gridiron.
Earlier this week, the team rankings were released for the top 25 squads in the game, giving us a preview of who the best units will be in the game based on the overall rankings. Unsurprisingly, some of the teams at the top of the rankings are who you would expect — Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, etc. It was, however, a bit of a surprise to see how low the Oregon Ducks were rated in the game, coming in at No. 9 among the top teams with an overall rating of 86.
On its face, seeing the Ducks behind the likes of Texas A&M and Clemson might be a bit jarring, but when you dig deeper into the ratings, some other things stand out. Primarily, it's interesting to compare how the Ducks are rated in the CFB26 version of the game compared to CFB25 a year ago. Let's look at the differences.
Oregon Ducks Overall Rating
Overall Rating in CFB 26: 86 (ranked No. 9)
Overall Rating in CFB 25: 93 (ranked No. 3)
Analysis: Going into the 2024 season, Oregon was viewed as one of the favorites to win the national championship. They had one of the leaders in the Heisman Trophy race at quarterback in Dillon Gabriel, and a long list of veteran playmakers across the board, like Tez Johnson, Terrance Ferguson, Jeffrey Bassa, and Jordan Burch.
While the Ducks still hold high expectations for 2025, there are a few more questions about how high their ceiling is. With a new quarterback, be it Dante Moore or Austin Novosad, and an admittedly young but talented roster, Oregon's ceiling feels high. Still, there is a lower floor than a year ago, especially with Evan Stewart's injury. For those reasons, it's understandable that CFB26 has the Ducks lower.
It should also be noted that no single team in CFB26 is rated at a 90 or above, whereas a total of eight teams held that distinction a year ago.
Oregon Ducks Offensive Rating
Offensive Rating in CFB 26: 85 (ranked No. 19)
Offensive Rating in CFB 25: 94 (tied No. 1)
Analysis: The most jarring difference in Oregon's ratings from CFB25 to CFB26 comes on the offense. The Ducks went from having what was tied for the No. 1-ranked offense (alongside Georgia) to having the No. 19 offense in the nation, according to EA Sports.
Regardless of what you think about players like Dante Moore and Kenyon Sadiq, two of Oregon's projected stars in 2025, it's hard to see them falling off to the point where they are behind the likes of Baylor, SMU, Oklahoma, and BYU, with all due respect. The Ducks might have lost players like Jordan James and Tez Johnson, but they added the likes of Makhi Hughes, Dakorien Moore, and Isaiah World into the mix. This feels like a drop that is far too drastic.
Oregon Ducks Defensive Rating
Defensive Rating in CFB 26: 92 (ranked No. 7)
Defensive Rating in CFB 25: 90 (ranked No. 3)
Analysis: Oregon's defensive unit is getting more respect than the offense going into the new season, but it still dropped below what it was a year ago, which, again, is to be expected after losing players like Bassa, Burch, Derrick Harmon, and Jabbar Muhammad to the NFL.
Still, there are a lot of pieces to be excited about going into the new year on Oregon's defense, with Bear Alexander coming in from USC, and Dillon Thieneman, one of the best safeties in the nation, transferring from Purdue. On top of that, both Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti are poised for huge seasons, and there are a ton of freshmen, both redshirt and true, who are in line for significant roles as well.
Overall Ratings Takeaways
From an outside perspective, it doesn't come as a surprise that the Ducks dropped in the rankings from where they were a year ago. While fans in Eugene may be incredibly excited about where the program is headed and what might be possible this season, a "wait-and-see" mentality should be adopted with this team going into 2025. It's fair for EA Sports to have the same thought when making their rankings.
College Football 26 Details
The standard edition of College Football 26 is scheduled for release on July 10 for $69.99. Both the Deluxe Edition and MVP Bundle are available for download on July 7. The Deluxe costs $99.99, and the MVP costs $149.99
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