ESPN host Rece Davis interviewed College Football Playoff Committee Chair Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek at CFP rankings reveal show Tuesday night and the spokesman had high praise for Oregon and the gauntlet they've run in November.
The committee moved Oregon to No. 6 in the latest rankings, ahead of 10-1 Ole Miss.
Davis asked, "How much of an impact potentially could it be, on Ole Miss, if it's determined they don't have their head coach in the field?"
In a moment of cultural zeitgeist run amok, Yurachek led with the 6-7 meme, then got down to business.
"We didn't have any discussion about Ole Miss and their coach," the committee chair said. That was all about Oregon and their performance against USC. Their strength of schedule continues to climb. They've been dominant on the offense and defensive side of the ball, really good in special teams, and the committee had been waiting for them to have a signature win to really put them where we thought they deserved to be."
The Ducks earned their ranking with a 15-point win over the Trojans, intercepting two passes and outgaining them 179-52 on the ground.
I thought this was AI…it is not. And these are the people deciding the fates of playoff teams with millions of dollars at stake. It is time to get rid of the committee pic.twitter.com/d5xsfLknNy
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) November 26, 2025
The final bracket comes out Sunday afternoon December 7, so seedings and playoff positions are all hypothetical until then. Oregon has a tough game Saturday against Washington in Husky Stadium, 12:30 p.m. on CBS.
What's clear is that the Ducks have the committee's attention and respect. They're in a prime spot for a home playoff game and a favorable matchup, likely the ACC Champion, the Group of Five team if they notch up to five.
That all evaporates if the Huskies knock them off. On the shores of Montlake, they are the hunted.