Oregon's 2026 schedule demands adjustments in planning, practice

No one has depth anymore, not like the pre-portal days. Oregon lost 30 players to the NIL chase. Texas Tech lost 31. Thirty-one players left Jedd (Dedd) Fisch at Washington, 31 bolted Michigan, 37 boomed out of Oklahoma; Purdue turned over 58.

A coach brings in new players to replace them-- the Ducks have signed 11 so far--but the fact remains the best players on the second unit move on to become starters elsewhere. Everywhere there are runs at certain positions: Lanning and his staff lost six defensive backs and seven defensive linemen. Turnover requires retraining.

Come fall, Lanning has to plan for a schedule that finishes with eight straight games in a row after a bye on October 2nd. In November Oregon faces Ohio State in Columbus, Michigan in Autzen, travels to East Lansing to meet the Spartans, then hosts Washington to wrap up the regular year.

It's both a grind and a gauntlet, and to bring a team to the playoffs fresh and at full strength, Coach Lanning may have to make a critical adjustment. Rimington Award winner Jackson Powers-Johnson once said that the Ducks' mentor and mastermind was so intense that "He gets fired up for a Tuesday practice."

Tez Johnson once echoed that sentiment, saying that sometimes Tuesdays, a day the Ducks typically went full pads with live hitting, felt like a national championship game.

Lanning's intensity has built a culture, but in light of new realities, he may have to restructure it a bit. The roster has to survive a 16-game season and two months without a bye. The goal is to reach the national championship game with healthy running backs, a full complement of wide receivers and an intact offensive line.

Curt Cignetti talks often about his model at Indiana, which involves crisp 90-minute practices and minimal hitting during the season. "I don't like to waste anybody's time," he said.

While Lanning has had a lot of success coaching in his own way, compiling a 48-8 record after four seasons (.857 winning percentage, one of the top marks among active coaches) the big prize has thus far eluded him. One way or another, he has to account for reduced depth and a longer season, the need to manage the roster and preparation time to peak in December and January. The schedule demands it. No one has strength in numbers anymore, not like they used to.