Oregon Football: Bowl projections for Ducks after Stanford loss

Playoff hopes took a hit in Week 5 as Oregon football lost a tough battle to Stanford on the road in a game that looked to be in hand in the final few minutes.

The Ducks were up a touchdown with the ball before a disastrous drive led to Stanford getting the ball back and they drove the field for the game-tying touchdown. Oregon was unable to muster a touchdown in the overtime period after Stanford scored first, leading to its first loss of the season and a drop to No. 8 in the AP Top 25.

We are still just five games into the season with plenty of time left to make up for this heart-wrenching loss.

Each week, top experts and sites release bowl projections, and this week, the Ducks are still looked at as a New Year’s Six team.

Where is Oregon football projected to play?

With a 5-1 record and first Pac-12 loss, Oregon may have taken a step back, but there’s still a good chance it wins out and makes a playoff run.

But where do the top sites believe the Ducks will end up in the postseason?

• CBS Sports projects the Ducks as a Rose Bowl participant, facing Penn State in the annual Jan. 1 game.
• USA Today also has Oregon in the Rose Bowl against Penn State.
• Sporting News has a bit of a different Rose Bowl matchup for the Ducks against Iowa.
• Bleacher Report has Oregon in the Rose Bowl like the rest, but with Ohio State as the opponent.
• Finally, 247Sports has Oregon in the Rose Bowl with Ohio State as well.

The consensus is that the Ducks will be in the Rose Bowl this postseason, but the playoff is not out of the question quite yet.