Growth isn't linear, and that's especially true in this current era of college football. A successful season one year is not a guarantee of another, and with how quickly rosters can change in the portal era, plenty of teams find themselves at the midpoint of the 2026 season wondering what happened to the optimism and hope surrounding their program last year. A wild coaching carousel last year added to the chaos of the portal, and a handful of teams who exited the 2025 season feeling like they were on the ascension have come crashing back to earth in 2026.
That can be a tough pill to swallow, especially for those who felt they were climbing the ladder into a contender role -- either at a conference level or nationally. But six weeks into the season, there's nowhere to hide. While there's still time to salvage something positive from 2026, the reality is that these teams have taken a serious step back from last year and must identify how to begin climbing again.
The Ducks began the season No. 2 in the preseason polls, but after a dismal performance at home against UCLA, Oregon's College Football Playoff dreams are on life support, and they're outside the top 25 entirely. Oregon has a strong case for the biggest disappointment in college football this season. While the Ducks' struggles against UCLA were compounded by Dante Moore's absence, this Oregon squad hasn't looked right all season.
The offense hasn't been as efficient or explosive as it was a year ago, and the defense touted as one of the nation's best coming into the season has been merely good, not great. How did the Ducks get here? For starters, their staff was hit by the coaching carousel, with offensive coordinator Will Stein now thriving at Kentucky, while defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi has gotten off to a rocky start back at his alma mater, California -- although they picked up a needed win on Saturday.
Dan Lanning opted to promote from within, hoping continuity could keep the Ducks rolling, but to this point, neither side of the ball has played up to expectations, and it didn't take long for those promotions to be second-guessed. At 3-2, Oregon still has a chance to reach the playoffs, but has no margin for error in its final seven games, which include a trip to Columbus to face Ohio State. The Aggies have likewise gone from a playoff berth in 2025 to a preseason top-10 ranking to out of the polls by Week 6.
Mike Elko's third season in College Station has already reached the "antagonize the message board fans" stage, and after getting dismantled in Week 6 by Missouri, there are real questions about whether the Aggies will reach a bowl game in 2026. Well, like Oregon, the Aggies lost both of their top coordinators to the coaching carousel. Offensive coordinator Collin Klein took the Kansas State job and took co-defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson with him, while defensive coordinator Jay Bateman took the DC job at Kentucky.
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