College football analyst J. D. Pickell, host of "The Hard Count" podcast from On3 Sports, has Oregon in an intriguing spot in his latest projection of the College Football Playoff Poll.
Pickell sets the Ducks at No. 7, which means they would host Kalen DeBoer No. 10 Alabama in a first-round playoff game if the playoffs started this week.
Of course they don't, and Oregon has to take care of business against an upset-minded USC squad to even stay alive for the playoffs. They host them this Saturday at Autzen Stadium, 12:30 p.m. PT on CBS.
The Ducks are 7.5-point favorites but Riley's Trojans are riding a three-game winning streak, coming off an emotional comeback win over Iowa in The Coliseum yesterday.
SC trailed 21-7 in the second quarter before rallying for 19 unanswered points, taking their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter after defensive end Jahkeem Stewart gathered in a weird carom off the knee of Hawkeye wide receiver Jacob Gill, Trojans ball on the visitors 44, scoring six plays later on a one-yard run by 6-0, 235 reserve running back Bryan Jackson.
What a wild INT 🤯@uscfb's Jahkeem Stewart reels in the ball after it deflects off an Iowa WR's knee 👀
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 15, 2025
📺: BTN pic.twitter.com/RZIKAMgBgE
Pickell vaults Texas A&M to No. 2 over Indiana after their 31-point comeback at home against 3-7 South Carolina. Big 12 leader Texas Tech, 9-1 after a big win over BYU two weeks ago, comes in at No. 5, while 9-1 Ole Miss edges out the Ducks for the No. 6 spot.
Cheat sheet for the CFP committee. Here to assist like Cliff Paul.🧃https://t.co/QVoOAL9ogs pic.twitter.com/iTVINA1lqA
— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) November 16, 2025
A clean, convincing win over the Trojans would help Oregon mightily in closing the gap for the fifth or sixth seeds and a more favorable draw. A loss might leave them out of the playoff picture altogether. In their dominant win over Minnesota Friday they averaged 9.2 yards per play on first down while holding the Gophers to 2.6 yards per carry on the ground.
The Ducks' drive to their ninth win started up front, with standout play from guard Emmanuel Pregon (a USC transfer) and center Iapani Laloulu. Oregon broke 39 and 49-yard touchdown runs straight up the middle of the Gopher defense.
“We’re blessed to have the best center in the nation in my mind,” Dan Lanning said after the game. “His leadership is just as important as the way he plays.”