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EUGENE — Two losses in five games. Seven turnovers against UCLA. An offense that managed just 73 rushing yards at 2.7 yards per carry.
Unranked Oregon is 3-2 after opening the season at AP No. 2. The real danger here is a repeat of what we saw back in 2016. Lanning’s 2026 Oregon squad is flirting with the “Helfrich trap.”
For programs that recruit talent on a level to legitimately talk about being national title contenders, having players of that caliber looking at two losses in the season’s first five games, early-season disappointment can get dangerous.
So, will 2026 Oregon go the way of Rich Brooks’ resurgent 1994 Gang Green conference champs? Or is a repeat of Mark Helfrich’s 2016 collapse brewing in the shadow of Oregon’s new practice facility construction?
Between those extremes, here’s how the likely scenarios play out:
