Oregon, Oklahoma and more: The preseason contenders that turned into disasters

Injured quarterbacks.

Failed hires.

Busted offenses.

Collapsed defenses.

All of the above, in the case of Oregon. The Ducks’ flop from No. 2 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll has resulted from a combination of an injury to Dante Moore, coach Dan Lanning’s decision to promote the since-fired Drew Mehringer as offensive coordinator and declining production on both sides of the ball.

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Oregon has been the biggest disappointment in the Power Four after two months of the regular season. Already eliminated from the College Football Playoff, the Ducks are essentially playing out the string with no clear answer at quarterback or on offense.

They aren’t alone. Using the preseason poll as a way to gauge expectations, these teams have been the biggest lemons in the Power Four:

Oregon (4-3, preseason No. 2)

The drop in production on offense is even more striking when you remove an 84-0 blowout of Portland State. Counting just Bowl Subdivision opponents, Oregon ranks 70th nationally with 370.3 yards per game and 5.5 yards per play and 98th with 121.5 rushing yards per game. The offense has been abysmal in the three full games (two losses) without Moore, scoring only a combined 42 points. The defense has also been a disaster: Oregon ranked second in the Big Ten last season with 4.4 yards allowed per play but are giving up 5.2 yards per play through seven games. Barring a late-season turnaround, this team may end up on the list of the biggest flops in recent poll history.

Texas A&M (4-4, No. 8)

After a breakthrough 2025 under coach Mike Elko, the Aggies have slumped to the penultimate spot in the SEC standings amid serious issues on both sides of the ball. As at Oregon, Elko promoted Holmon Wiggins from within his staff to replace Kansas State-bound Collin Klein. The offense is averaging 5.1 yards per play, down from 6.4 yards per play last season, and failed to reach the end zone in losses to No. 13 LSU and No. 23 Missouri. A&M is 2-4 against Power Four teams, with one win coming against Arkansas.

Oklahoma (4-3, No. 9)

It’s the offense. Again. The defense has been good enough, putting Oklahoma in position to beat Michigan and Kentucky while doing just enough to deliver wins against No. 11 Texas and Mississippi State. But despite offseason optimism centered on quarterback John Mateer’s return and the increased experience in Ben Arbuckle’s scheme, the Sooners have been held under 4.9 yards per play in four of five games against Power Four teams and is averaging only 21.6 points per game despite a 51-0 win against Texas-El Paso in the opener. Remove that win, and the average drops to 16.8 points per game.

Michigan (4-3, No. 16)

Michigan’s offense has been equally inept — though that didn’t stop the Wolverines from beating Oklahoma, of course. But the continued failures seen in Kyle Whittingham’s first year have already led to a quarterback change from Bryce Underwood to true freshman Tommy Carr. He sparked a win against Penn State but couldn’t get the Wolverines into the end zone in last week’s overtime loss to No. 4 Indiana. Michigan had a controversial win against Western Michigan in the opener, topped the Sooners a week later and lost to No. 24 Iowa on a last-second touchdown, so Whittingham’s first two months haven’t lacked for drama. Things will get worse if the Wolverines don’t sweep Rutgers and Michigan State, which would leave them needing to take two of three against Oregon, No. 7 UCLA and No. 2 Ohio State to salvage bowl eligibility.

Penn State (3-4, No. 17)

The only team ranked in the preseason now holding a losing record, the Nittany Lions have failed to take advantage of a relatively friendly Big Ten schedule, though they’ve been competitive in losses to Wisconsin, No. 25 Southern California and Michigan. Looking back, the transfers Matt Campbell brought along from Iowa State have not been up the challenge of the Big Ten. The amount of experience that traveled from Ames overshadowed Penn State’s dramatic personnel losses in the wake of James Franklin’s dismissal.

Washington (4-3, No. 19)

The warning signs were there from the start: Washington opened the year with less-than-impressive wins against Washington State (24-10) and Utah State (16-14), forcing a quick recalibration of where this team stood in the Big Ten. The answer: Near the bottom. The Huskies lost close ones to Minnesota and USC and were blown out by Iowa before getting back on track against Purdue. Like others on this list, quarterback play has been a surprising issue. After an eventful offseason that saw him briefly enter and then leave the transfer portal, Demond Williams Jr. has battled injuries and missed all or part of the past two games.

Clemson (4-3, No. 23)

Clemson barely squeezed into the preseason poll because of last season’s disappointing seven-win finish and the program’s obvious decline in the portal and NIL era. That things have continued to crater raises the possibility that we’re nearing the end of the road for Dabo Swinney. Two losses stand out. In the opener, LSU embarrassed Clemson in a 51-10 loss that was over well before halftime. A few weeks ago, the Tigers were equally overmatched in a 41-13 loss at home to No. 1 Miami. Even if they rally against a pretty easy closing stretch to win eight games, the Tigers have become a second- or even third-tier Power Four program that barely resembles its former self.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oregon, Oklahoma and more: The preseason contenders that turned into disasters