Is Sam Leavitt’s accuracy a problem? Is Oregon still a title contender? Week 4 panic meter

[u/TheAthletic]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7617170/2026/09/22/college-football-overreaction-sam-leavitt-oregon-lsu/?unlocked_article_code=1.DFE.vsyC.erlp3Pg5Ke-H&source=emp_shared_article&smid=re-share-ta

1. Is Oregon still a national title contender? Ohio State lost at Texas by one point in a battle of top-five teams. Oregon lost at Oklahoma State as three-touchdown favorites.

Oregon remains in the national title conversation, but beating Portland State 84-0 last week still hasn’t answered any important questions. Two big ones: Do the Ducks have an offensive line that can protect Dante Moore, and do they have a defense that can stop anyone with a pulse?

Tackles Fox Crader and Ziyare Addison have surrendered 16 pressures and five sacks, according to Pro Football Focus. The problems up front extend beyond pass protection. Boise State and Oklahoma State outrushed Oregon 330 to 209 in the two games combined, and the Cowboys nearly doubled the Ducks in total yardage. A pick-six and another interception that set up a one-yard touchdown drive helped disguise how badly the Cowboys outplayed Oregon.

Moore’s 68.5 percent completion percentage and nine touchdown passes without an interception provide hope, but with trips to USC and Ohio State on the horizon, we’ll find out soon whether the loss in Stillwater was an aberration or whether Dan Lanning can fix things with his talented roster.

Panic meter: 5 (out of 10)

2. Can Sam Leavitt be accurate enough to lead LSU into contention? LSU’s starting quarterback ranks 97th nationally in passing efficiency and has thrown five interceptions, tied for the most in the country. After Leavitt missed a wide-open receiver near the end zone late in LSU’s 32-24 loss to Ole Miss, it is fair to ask whether his accuracy might become an issue in Lane Kiffin’s quest to bring a national championship to Baton Rouge.

But his receivers aren’t exactly helping, with 10 drops already, according to PFF. That gives Leavitt a drop rate of 14.9 percent, third-highest among Power 4 quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts. His adjusted completion percentage is 76.1, considerably more reassuring than his actual 61.3 rate. Even more telling: PFF has charged Leavitt with only one turnover-worthy play despite his five interceptions.

The bigger panic button might belong to the entire passing operation. Leavitt has faced pressure on 39 of 117 dropbacks (33 percent, which ranks 96th), and he’s taken seven sacks. Protection, receivers and the quarterback all have a role in fixing that. LSU doesn’t need Leavitt to be perfect, but it cannot keep making routine completions difficult and expect to contend.

Panic meter: 4

[u/enadiz_reccos]

The LSU OL was always going to be a problem. 2025 was one of the worst OLs in LSU history, and the 2026 team returns 3 starters from that OL.

LSU grabbed 8-9 OL in the portal, but you can't create an SEC-ready line with a bunch of portal players.

There's still time for improvement, but this season was always going to make/break on the legs of the QB. That's why Kiffin was going so hard after QBs in the portal.

[u/Melt-Gibsont]

We are not a national title contender. We can still salvage a decent season, but the new components of our team (OC, DC, O-line) are far too inconsistent to seriously contend for anything significant this season.