After coming into the season as the No. 2 team in the AP Poll, the Oregon Ducks are unranked for the first time in the Dan Lanning era. The loss to UCLA has Oregon at rock bottom as the team now looks to climb their way out of a massive hole to try and salvage any hopes of making the College Football Playoff. The team needs to tread water until Dante Moore returns, but in Big Ten play there's truly no easy games.
The Ducks head into the weekend facing a dangerous Nebraska team that just went toe-to-toe with the defending National Champions. Taking another loss would seemingly kill any chance of the Ducks making the College Football Playoff, and with the way the offense looked last weekend, it's hard to feel confident. This weekend's game will kill the hopes of one Big Ten team as Oregon's already hanging on by a thread.
How ESPN's Football Power Index views Oregon's Playoff after the UCLA loss
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Oregon’s chances of making the College Football Playoff are now down to 9.7% from 39%. The easiest path to securing a place in the CFP now is by winning the Big Ten, which ESPN’s FPI gives the Ducks a 3.6% chance of doing, down from last week's 16.1% mark due to the loss in conference play. The Ducks were given a 2.3% chance of winning the National Championship last week, but that number also fell to 0.4%
Like the great Al Davis would say, the motto for the Oregon Ducks has to be "Just Win Baby". At this point, the Ducks aren't going to be back in the College Football Playoff race until they start to stack wins, and this weekend's game gives Oregon a great chance to start that push.
If Oregon can pick up a win this weekend, not only would the Ducks be helping their own case, but they'd be dealing a massive blow to Nebraska. The Huskers enter the game with a 20.9% chance of making the Playoff, and a 1.6% chance of winning the Big Ten, and both would take massive hits with a 2nd league loss.
It all starts with the Ducks winning, but if the team can beat Nebraska, the Big Ten is going to damage itself. No.4 Ohio State faces No. 5 Indiana, meaning one elite Big Ten school will take a loss. Wisconsin and UCLA also face off as two teams without a loss in league play, which will only help the Ducks regardless of outcome.
This week also presents plenty of setbacks for the SEC as No. 16 Mississippi State faces No. 22 LSU, No. 6 Alabama faces No. 14 Tennessee, No. 13 Missouri faces No. 9 Ole Miss, and No. 15 Kentucky faces a dangerous Oklahoma team.
Dan Lanning is going to have to get the Ducks to dig themselves out of this hole, but the chaos around the country can help this team climb back into the conversation if they win games.
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