The 2026 Big Ten schedule for the Oregon Ducks is finally here, with the entire conference schedule being released on Tuesday afternoon.
The first three games of the year had already been scheduled, and the opponent and location of the games for the Big Ten matchups had already been released as well. But now, we have the entire slate — not an easy thing to digest, especially when trying to project where teams will be and how they'll look once Oregon takes them on.
But that's exactly what we'll do here, as there are three big things that stick out about the Ducks' schedule, which is very similar to the 2025 schedule in a lot of ways.
Just like last season, the four-game November slate is going to test these Ducks. If they get through it unscathed, as they did from a win-loss perspective in 2025 (certainly not from an injury perspective, unfortunately), they'll once again push for a top four seed in the College Football Playoff.
There's also an early-season test, very much like when the Ducks went on the road to face then-No. 3 Penn State. They took care of that game, but can they do the same in 2026?
And finally, an old friend of the Oregon program will be back in Autzen Stadium — on Halloween, to make matters even more interesting.
Without further ado, here's our analysis of our three biggest takeaways of the Ducks' 2026 schedule release.
Brutal November Stretch
If you thought Oregon's November schedule last season was tough (away vs. Iowa, home vs. Minnesota, home vs. USC and away vs. Washington), think again when looking at the 2026 version.
It begins with a trip to The Shoe and a likely top-10 matchup with Ohio State before a home bout against Michigan — another team that could be ranked within the top 10. Facing those teams back-to-back is a test in and of itself, and not an easy one in the slightest.
But it doesn't end there.
After traveling 2,437 miles to Columbus, OH, the Ducks will follow up their home matchup against the Wolverines in Week 11 by traveling another 2,340 miles to East Lansing, MI, to take on Michigan State. The Spartans don't project to be very good under new head coach Pat Fitzgerald, but the travel is sure to take a toll on Oregon.
To finish it off, the Ducks will host their biggest rival, Washington. That's never an easy game and doesn't project to be next season, as Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. will have another season under his belt and could be a problem for an exhausted Oregon defense.
Oh, and this stretch doesn't begin with a bye week, as it did in 2025. Because of a calendar issue last year in which Week 1 couldn't occur before Aug. 29, every team was awarded two byes.
That vanishes in 2026, making way for Oregon's bye to occur during Week 5 and setting up an absolutely brutal eight-game stretch to finish the season. Within that, and after four games without a bye, is this November stretch.
Not an easy draw for the Ducks.
Early-Season Prove-It Game — Or Two
Last season, Oregon cruised through its early-season schedule and was on a crash course with Penn State, a matchup that occurred in Week 5 right before the Ducks' first bye. A similar test is set to take place in Week 4 in 2026, with Oregon's only bye coming the week after.
In 2026, that will be a game on the road against USC, a team that put up a fight in Eugene but ultimately fell by two scores last year.
Gone for the Trojans are top wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane, but back is quarterback Jayden Maiava and rising true sophomore receiver Tanook Hines, who had a monster six-catch, 141-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Ducks.
Considering that this game will be on the road in the LA Memorial Coliseum, it follows a theme that is emerging for the Ducks' schedule in 2026: it won't be easy.
And it may not even be Oregon's biggest early-season test.
The Week 2 matchup with Oklahoma State, which was scheduled years in advance as a home-and-home, projected to be a blowout just six weeks ago. But since then, the Cowboys hired North Texas head coach Eric Morris, who brought along standout quarterback Drew Mestemaker (nation-leading 4,379 yards in 2025), running back Caleb Hawkins (1,434 yards, 25 TDs), wide receiver Wyatt Young (1,264 yards, 12 TDs) and a bevy of other Mean Green contributors.
Mind you, North Texas was on the verge of claiming a spot in the CFP if they'd have beaten Tulane in the AAC Championship.
The game will also take place in Stillwater, which can be a raucous college football atmosphere when the team is good. And the Cowboys disguised as the Mean Green will be good, marking two early-season road tests for the Ducks in 2026.
Halloween Return for Chip Kelly
The slight reprieve that the Ducks get before their road matchup with Ohio State is a home game against Northwestern, a program that won seven games in 2025 by the skin of their teeth.
But the most intriguing storyline is that former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly was hired as the Wildcats' offensive coordinator this offseason and will be back in Eugene, where he is beloved.
It's on Halloween as well, a fun opportunity for Ducks fans to show off their costumes and support their team at the same time.
But Oct. 31, 2026 also marks 17 years to the day of a monumental moment in Kelly's career.
In 2009, Kelly's first year as the Ducks' head coach, he led the team to a 47-20 victory over No. 5 USC. Kelly's offense ran for 391 yards and four touchdowns, far outperforming a talented Trojans offense led by quarterback Matt Barkley.
Oregon, ranked tenth in the nation at the time, jumped to No. 8 the next week and showed the world that Kelly was for real as a college head coach.
On Halloween 2026, he'll visit Eugene as an opponent — to loud ovations, regardless — 17 years to the day of one of his biggest wins as a coach.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Biggest takeaways from Oregon's 2026 schedule release
