Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks couldn't have had a better weekend after going on the road to knock off the Ohio State Buckeyes in dominant fashion. The showing was incredible as the Ducks responded to a 14-0 start by the Buckeyes to score the next 38 points, emptying out The Shoe at the start of the 4th quarter.
After the College Football Playoff committee ranked the Ducks 23rd in the initial rankings, there was a ton of excitement that Oregon could spark a late push for the CFP, and the win certainly helped make that case. While the College Football Playoff committee won't unveil their next set of rankings until Tuesday Night, there's an already a sense of how Oregon is trending.
How ESPN's Football Power Index views Oregon's Playoff after thrilling Ohio State win
After the Top 25 victory over Northwestern, Oregon's chances of making the Playoff were trending upward, but the Ohio State win really boosted Oregon in the eyes of the models. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Oregon’s chances of making the College Football Playoff are now up from 4.6% to 24.9%. The easiest path to securing a place in the Playoff is by winning the Big Ten, which ESPN’s FPI gives the Ducks a 16.0% chance of doing, up from last week's 2.6% mark. The Ducks were given just a 0.3% chance of winning the National Championship last weekend but are now up to 0.8%.
The win sent Oregon flying up 3 places in ESPN's FPI rankings from 12th to 9th, ranking 3rd in the Big Ten. The interesting part is that Ohio State only fell from 2nd to 5th in the rankings, and hold a 41.8% chance of making the Playoff, despite the fact that Oregon has the same record, a head to head win, but holds just a 24.9% chance of making the Playoff.
The good news for Dan Lanning and the Ducks is that while Week 11 doesn't look as exciting as this past weekend on paper, the games have a chance to further shake the Playoff race. LSU took a 3rd loss against Alabama, but has all the talent to potentially upset the Texas Longhorns, and hand them a 3rd loss. Utah faces Arizona in a big game in the Big 12 as will be the matchup between Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. The marquee matchup of the week may be the battle between USC and Indiana, which carries massive stakes in the Big Ten race.
Oregon didn't get off to the start that anyone expected or hoped for, but as we enter the late portion of the season, all of the goals the team had before the season are still alive. The team has looked like a brand new team since the offensive coordinator change, and if the Ducks can finish strong beating Michigan, Michigan State, and Washington, they'll be in the conversation for an at-large bid.
Over these final few weeks, Oregon fans should be rooting for Ducks' wins, chaos around the country, and for any team the Ducks beat to start building up their resume as this team still has a great chance to make the Playoff.
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