Oregon clearly tops USC, yet Ducks aren't part of Big Ten's elite club

We can be honest and direct about this point: Oregon football has definitely exceeded USC by a substantial margin over the past three seasons. USC was better in 2022, but Oregon has been far better since 2023. We don't have to explain this. Yet, for all that Oregon has achieved, and for all that USC has failed to achieve, the Ducks and Trojans do share more than they might care to admit. USA TODAY Sports ranked every Big Ten football program going into the 2026 season. Neither Oregon nor USC are in the top two.

USA TODAY wrote this about Indiana (ranked No. 2 behind Ohio State) very quickly surpassing Oregon despite having been a nowhere program with nothingburger credentials through the 2023 season:

"Last year’s unbeaten record and out-of-nowhere national title puts Indiana a hair ahead of Oregon, even if the Ducks’ recent and not-so-recent history is far beyond anything the Hoosiers achieved before 2024. Even with it's lack of long-term history, it's hard to argue with a team that has 27 wins in two seasons and looks poised for another playoff run."

USA TODAY then wrote this about Oregon, ranked No. 3:

"Probably the best program in the Bowl Subdivision without a national championship to its name, Oregon played for a pair during the Bowl Championship Series era and then advanced to last year’s semifinals before losing to Indiana. The Ducks are 46-8 under coach Dan Lanning and have blended into the Big Ten seamlessly with an unbeaten run to the conference title in their first year and an 8-1 record in 2025."

Oregon is setting the bar much higher than USC, but the Ducks remain outside the ultimate heavyweight tier of college football and the Big Ten. They're very close to it, but they're not part of the Big Ten's recent run of three straight national championships: Michigan in 2023, Ohio State in 2024, and Indiana in 2025. Dan Lanning and Lincoln Riley both have zero national championship game appearances as college head coaches. They have both made semifinals but have not gotten past that barrier.

Oregon and USC aren't exactly the same on a lot of levels, but they both know they aren't at the very top of the mountain.

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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Oregon clearly tops USC, yet Ducks aren't part of Big Ten's elite club