A monster brand will only take a program so far. This week in college football there are four ranked-versus-ranked matchups that are certain to reshuffle the playoff bracket:
No. 9 Notre Dame (7-2) at No. 22 Pittsburgh (7-2)
No. 11 Oklahoma (7-2) at No. 4 Alabama (8-1)
No. 10 Texas (7-2) at No. 5 Georgia (8-1)
No. 21 Iowa (6-3) at No. 17 USC (7-2)
Meanwhile the Ducks host unranked, 6-3 Minnesota at Autzen Stadium on Friday night, 6 p.m. PT on Fox television. Despite a rash of injuries Oregon is a 25.5-point favorite in mild weather.
Minnesota's not a pushover. On October 17th they clubbed then-No. 25 Nebraska 24-6, sacking Cornhusker quarterback Dylan Raiola nine times. Gopher running back Darius Taylor, who's been in and out of the lineup with a nagging hamstring injury, ran for 148 yards and a touchdown.
The Gophs have lost to Cal, Ohio State and Iowa, all on the road, by a combined score of 110-20. They're a middle-of-the-pack team vulnerable to explosive plays: opponents have 10 plays of over 40 yards, second worst in the conference.
Nationally, it's a week of reckoning for Texas and Notre Dame, who are alive in the College Football Playoff at 7-2 but even their glittering brand identity cannot survive another blotch on the resume. So too Oklahoma.
CBS analyst Rick Neuheisel said this week about the Irish, "It's a monster brand and it resonates. The fact is that the Texas brand resonates as well. Those two brands are getting all sorts of recognition."
Brand recognition has kept the two iconic programs at No. 9 and No. 10 despite two losses, but it won't keep them there if they fall again. At Oregon, Dan Lanning and the Ducks are focused on a pesky Gopher squad. They can't possibly think about the playoffs until the final draw on December 7.