The experts lowballed the Ducks as a playoff and national title contender this year. Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports and The Athletic predicted they'd go 9-3 this season with losses to Penn State, Iowa and Washington.
Before the season, Stewart Mandel of The Athletic wrote, "I see the Ducks taking a slight step back because (Dante) Moore, the former UCLA QB, is not likely to be the next Bo Nix/Dillon Gabriel."
Although Moore has looked like he might exceed the measured expectations these non-ball-knowers had for him, that's not the only big miss regarding the Ducks in their 3-0 start.
Few outside the Hatfield-Dowlin Center realized the big leaps in development some of the Ducks would make, particularly players like Jayden Limar, A'Mauri Washington, Jerry Mixon, Bear Alexander, Malik Benson and Alex Harkey.
Benson leads the Ducks in receiving. Alexander is fifth on the team in tackles with 12. Harkey has been a piledriver on the offensive line. Mixon leads the nation in PFF grades among linebackers after swiping two passes in two weeks.
Washington's posted 1.5 tackles for loss as the Ducks have recorded three turnovers on downs, turning away opponents in key moments. The first team defense has yet to give up a touchdown, starting two freshmen at cornerback, Finney and Ify Obidegwu.
Another huge factor in Oregon's early success is freshmen and redshirt freshmen playing above the line. In Dan Lanning's first three seasons he only rarely played freshmen, but this season Dierre Hill, Jordon Davison, Dakorien Moore and Brandon Finney are lighting it up in their first year of college football.
Brandon Finney turned a lot of heads in Fall Camp, leading to a starting role in Week 1's matchup against Montana State. Dan Lanning raved but Brandon's work ethic at today's media availability ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/l0QjeIn7h8
— Ted Leroux (@TedontheDucks) September 3, 2025
Finney has been tenacious in coverage. Redshirt freshmen Aaron Flowers and Kingston Lopa have been stalwarts at safety, along with sophomore Peyton Woodyard. Redshirt freshmen Aydin Breland and Nasir Wyatt have been part of the Ducks pressure packages.
Experts knew the Ducks had talent, but few were prepared for how deep it went. Already it's paying dividends. This team has the depth and development to play its best ball in the postseason, and that is the goal.