Just this weekend Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks ended one of the longest title droughts in sports with their first NBA championship in 53 years.
The Ducks' span of futility has lasted a lot longer. They've never won a national championship in 133 years of college football.
Yet there are signs that long string of misses interspersed with complete irrelevance is about to end. Despite some frustrating losses Dan Lanning has brought them closer and closer, progressing from a 10-win season in 2022 to 12-2, then a Big Ten Championship and the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, then two playoff wins and a shutout of Texas Tech last season.
"Oregon fans, this is the year," George Wrighster said on his podcast, "The Unafraid Show," this week. Wrighster believes the Ducks have the roster, the quarterback, the offensive firepower and the stout defense to win it all.
"This ain't a cute team. This is not a finesse, West Coast team trying to trick people. No, no, no. This is an NFL roster and the draft proves it."
Wrighster's optimism isn't singular. Ari Wasserman and J.D. Pickell of On3 have both published pieces touting the Ducks as a championship contender.
Wasserman wrote, "People think that because something has already happened, it's the only thing that will ever happen. Ask Kirby Smart about narratives."
"So why not Oregon in 2026?"
December in CFB is a point of attack game.
— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) May 5, 2026
Big reason to buy Oregon stock.https://t.co/K1JYkioIMv pic.twitter.com/6OFXZdVFQY
The attention is nice, but it's also an alluring trap
That's some potent rat poison, but it takes more than hype to end a 133-year title drought. It takes consistency. It takes mindset. It demands execution and focus.
Oregon's 2026 schedule is daunting. The Ducks have road games at USC and Ohio State. They host Michigan and Washington. In Week Two they travel to Oklahoma State, a team they beat 69-3 last season but also a squad that's completely overhauled from a year ago.
Now the Cowboys have one of the best receiving corps in college football, and their transfer quarterback Drew Mestemaker led the NCAA in passing yards in 2025.
The Trojans and Huskies both feel they've closed the gap with the Ducks. Ohio State fans still regard Oregon as the soft little school they pummeled in the Rose Bowl. The margins are smaller now, because everyone has access to NIL and the Transfer Portal.
Oregon has to solve problems on the offensive line and at linebacker. They have two new coordinators. It's one thing to be a championship contender in June, quite another to sustain that purpose and focus for seven long months until the end of January.
So much of this journey takes place away from the limelight. Much of it is a battle within-- players like Dante Moore and Matayo Uiagalelei have to push themselves to be great, not merely good, not merely well-compensated, but truly special, to be warriors and leaders, to train and prepare to take over games in the fourth quarter.
That preparation is as much mental as it is physical. Uiagalelei graduated this week, along with teammate Bear Alexander, who also got baptized. The environment an athlete creates away from the game is just as important.
Championships are won in the lonely hours in the summer, training when no one is watching and the cameras are busy in other arenas.
It's not something you can merely talk about. A championship culture is forged in the choices a group makes every day. There are at least 133 ways to fall short of it.
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