Duck fans outraged as College Football Playoff Committee downgrades Ducks

Nothing means nothing until December 7th. It's all conjecture. It's all up to the moment.

Ranked No. 6 in the Coaches Poll and the AP Poll, the College Football Playoff Committee placed Oregon No. 9, a reflection of the fact their schedule so far lacks quality wins.

Their road to improvement is right in front of them, however. In the coming weeks Oregon has games against Playoff Committee No. 20 Iowa, No. 19 USC, and No. 23 Washington.

Win those three, plus a November 14 Friday night game against Minnesota, and the Ducks will ascend to the 5-8 range and host a first-round playoff game. Suffer an upset at Iowa or Washington, and they're in danger of dropping into the 11/12 range and missing the playoffs, bumped by an automatic qualifier from the Group of Five, Big 12 or ACC.

The Ducks control their destiny, but their margin of error has shrunk after the loss at home to Indiana, plus offensive struggles at Penn State and versus Wisconsin.

If they want the playoffs and a favorable seed, they're going to have to be 4-0 in November. That's only possible if they can go 1-0 this weekend.

Playoff Committee Top 25

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0)

2. Indiana Hoosiers (9-0)

3. Texas A&M Aggies (8-0)

4. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1)

5. Georgia Bulldogs (7-1)

6. Ole Miss Rebels (8-1)

7. BYU Cougars (8-0)

8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-1)

9. Oregon Ducks (7-1)

10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-2)

11. Texas Longhorns (7-2)

12. Oklahoma Sooners (7-2)

13. Utah Utes (7-2)

14. Virginia Cavaliers (8-1)

15. Louisville Cardinals (7-1)

16. Vanderbilt Commodores (7-2)

17. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-1)

18. Miami Hurricanes (6-2)

19. USC Trojans (6-2)

20. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2)

21. Michigan Wolverines (7-2)

22. Missouri Tigers (6-2)

23. Washington Huskies (6-2)

24. Pittsburgh Panthers (7-2)

25. Tennessee Volunteers (6-3)

If first round were held today:

No. 9 Oregon Ducks at No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders

Winner plays: No. 1 Ohio State

No. 12 Memphis Tigers at No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs

Winner plays: No. 4 Alabama

No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers at No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels

Winner plays: No. 3 Texas A&M

No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at No. 7 BYU Cougars

Winner plays: No. 2 Indiana

Yet the first round isn't today. There are four weeks to play. While these rankings make headlines and set off a flurry of what-ifs, they're certain to change.

The Ducks have to prove on the field. The discussion is just an ad for Dr. Pepper and Home Depot.