Week 4 of the season is in the books, and it was a nearly perfect weekend for Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks. The lone concern for Oregon is Dante Moore's status, but the Ducks are riding high after Dylan Raiola led the team to a pivotal win on the road over a fellow Top 25 opponent in the USC Trojans. Given the fact that Oregon lost to Oklahoma State, the Ducks simply couldn't afford to start the year with a 2-2 record.
Now Oregon has gotten the season back on track in a sense, and head into the bye week with a ton of momentum. The Ducks now get to spend the week recovering, and getting healthy while preparing for another Top 25 showdown, this time with the resurgent UCLA Bruins.
Given that we're just 4 games into the season, Oregon is a long way from the finish line, and the Ducks still have plenty of work to do if they're going to reach their goals. With that said, Oregon beating USC was massive for the direction of the season, and the team is starting to creep back into the early College Football Playoff conversations where they belong.
How ESPN's Football Power Index views Oregon's Playoff chances post Week 4
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Oregon’s chances of making the College Football Playoff are now up from 20.6% to 41.1%. The easiest path to securing a place in the Playoff is by winning the Big Ten, which ESPN’s FPI gives the Ducks a 19.1% chance of doing, up from last week's 9.2% mark thanks to the 1-0 start to league play. The Ducks were given just a 3% chance of winning the National Championship last weekend but are now up to 3.2% as the team slowly crawls back into the picture.
This was a great weekend for the Ducks, starting with the fact that Oregon knocked another CFP contender, USC, down a notch. Michigan got stunned by Iowa, Oklahoma looks out of the race, Louisville took a second loss, as did Texas A&M, and Wisconsin stunned Penn State in Happy Valley.
Interestingly, the win didn't move Oregon up any places in the FPI rankings with the win over the Trojans, while USC also stood pat at 18th. Part of Oregon not moving up in the rankings is the fact that none of the teams ranked ahead of the Ducks lost, as the model wasn't high on Ole Miss.
Oregon's resume continues to look better as both Boise State and Oklahoma State now rank inside the Top 25. Boise State carries a massive 33.3% chance of making the CFP while Oklahoma State is given just a 4.1% chance, but will be in the mix to win the Big 12.
Given that Oregon will spend this weekend on the bye before facing UCLA, they can't help their FPI and CFP stock, but others should tumble. No. 7 Alabama faces No. 16 Mississippi State, No. 5 Ohio State faces No. 14 Iowa, No. 8 Florida faces No. 25 Missouri, and No. 18 USC faces Washington, with both teams coming off a loss.
Now that league play has begun around the Country, the games are only carrying higher stakes, and it'll benefit Oregon as long as the Ducks continue their winning ways.
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