The Oregon Ducks are one of the many national championship contenders who are expected to make a deep run in the college football playoffs.The Oregon Ducks recently received a major projection, as Brooks Austin, also known as The Film Guy, projected that the Oregon Ducks will be the 2026 national champions.Brooks Austin College Football Playoff ProjectionOregon head coach Dan Lanning listens to a reporter’s question during the head coaches’ press conference ahead of the Peach Bowl at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia, on Jan. 8, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectAustin seeded the Oregon Ducks as the No. 5 seed, meaning that they would have to play in the first round of the college football playoffs, rather than being one of the four teams that won a conference championship and received a bye to begin the playoff slate.The reported conference champion winner that Austin had for the Big Ten was the Indiana Hoosiers, who entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed just one year removed from their national championship victory. The remainder of the byes included the No. 2-ranked Miami Hurricanes, No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs, and the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.For the first round matchups, he projected that the Oregon Ducks would play against the No. 12 seed, which was the Group of Five representative, the UNLV Rebels. The remainder of the games consisted of the No. 8 BYU Cougars vs. No. 9 Texas Longhorns, No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide, and the No. 6 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners.Oregon coach Dan Lanning directs football practice April 5, 2022.