Oregon came into the season full of hope. They were ranked second in the pre-season AP Poll and expected to contend for a national championship. Now, Oregon is looking to rebound from a loss to Illinois.

Now, details about how the season has gone off the rails are coming out, per Paolo Uggetti of ESPN.

It started in the preseason, with the weight of expectations, something that longtime Oregon benefactor Tinker Hatfield noted.

“There's a lot of expectations, a lot of pressure,” Hatfield said. “I think these guys can handle it.”

It was something that head coach Dan Lanning also recognized at Big Ten media days.

“We've played as good of football as anybody in the last few years outside of the team that won the national championship,” Lanning said. “So we're close.”

Oregon struggled right out of the gate, escaping with a win at home over Boise State. The next week, Oregon lost to Oklahoma State, 39-31. After the game, Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris explained why they were able to win.

“Morris said in interviews after that linebackers Ethan Wesloski and Tate Romney identified how Oregon's offense was giving away plays before the snap. While there was speculation that it was Moore's footwork before the play that was giving things away, OSU players also noted that it was the offensive line formations that were more telling,” Uggetti reported.

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This would not be the only time that the fact that the plays could be read before the snap was made. After the loss to UCLA, a coach echoed what was seen against Oklahoma State.

“Regardless of personnel, their formations will give it away,” the coach said. “They give a lot away with their alignments and what they're doing. We have to take full advantage.”

Now, Oregon's season took another blow, as Dante Moore will be out for the season with a concussion. The Ducks would need to win out to have any chance of making the playoffs. That starts this Saturday when they host a ranked Northwestern team.