It's a hard bracket and it's hard getting there, but it was always going to be hard.
The College Football Playoff Committee released their second poll Tuesday night, and Oregon jumped up one slot to the No. 8 spot, which means they are on track to host a playoff game in the first round at Autzen Stadium against one of the most storied programs in the game, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Playoff football is always going to be a gauntlet. The current 9th-seeded Irish are 7-2, with early season losses to Miami and Texas A&M, seven straight wins since, including Arkansas, Boise State and No. 17 USC, 34-24.
They feature one of the nation's best running backs in Jeremiyah Love, who has toted the rock for 988 yards and 13 touchdowns this year, a Heisman Trophy candidate. Quarterback CJ Carr has thrown for 2,275 yards and 19 touchdowns, 10.1 yards per attempt. The ND defense ranks 31st in the country in yards per play at 5.01.
The winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup would play the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinals, currently Ohio State. That game would be played at a neutral site, either the Rose Bowl (likely), Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl or Sugar Bowl. The semifinals are the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale and the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
The Final will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on January 19th.
I would rather chew broken glass than have our reward for a first round W, be seeing Ohio State this early in the CFP, again… https://t.co/REoGoGe1nV
— Hightop Oregon (@HightopOregon) November 12, 2025
Four weeks of football have to be played before any of this comes to pass. To hold on to the No. 8 spot Oregon must top Minnesota and USC at home while dealing with a rash of injuries, then win a rivalry game against Washington in Seattle.
A loss jeopardizes their playoff hopes, bigly. Slipping to the 11th or 12th seed risks being passed over for the ACC Champion and the highest-ranked Group of Five team, currently South Florida at No. 25. Both of those receive automatic bids, jumped up over those teams on the bubble.
Latest College Football Playoff Rankings courtesy @On3sports: pic.twitter.com/PzwZaF9uzt
— Friend of the Program (@TheFOTP) November 12, 2025
It helps Oregon that Iowa remained in the rankings at No. 21, something that adds to their strength of schedule. That means the winner of Iowa at USC will likely be ranked, and if Oregon can handle the Trojans on November 22, they would enter the final drawing with two recognized ranked wins.
While reaching the playoffs and making a deep run are the Ducks' goals, the only reliable way to reach them is to remain beady-eyed focused on growing and improving, plus beating the opponent directly in front of them.