The sky may seem like it’s falling in Eugene after the Oregon Ducks suffered a devastating loss to the Indiana Hoosiers in Week 7. But, as is the beauty of the expanded 12-team format that is the College Football Playoff, the season is far from over for the Ducks.
In fact, the main goal that is set out for them — a national championship — is still well within the realm of possibility.
ESPN senior college football insider Heather Dinich provided a CFP projection coming out of Week 7, listing the Ducks as the No. 8 seed.
As for why they could there, she wrote “The Ducks faced their toughest opponent to date and lost at home to Indiana, a significant setback in the Big Ten race but hardly a dagger in their CFP hopes. The bigger problem is the lack of a true statement win, as the Sept. 27 double overtime win at Penn State has been significantly devalued following the three-loss Nittany Lions‘ unraveling. A win against FCS Montana State isn’t going to impress the committee, nor will a win against an Oklahoma State team that fired its head coach. Oregon’s best win so far is at 4-2 Northwestern, which also beat Penn State. Indiana’s defense also gave Oregon its biggest challenge of the season, holding the Ducks to a season-low 20 points.”
She then listed Oregon’s Nov. 29 bout at the Washington Huskies as their toughest game remaining — hardly a resume-builder from the perspective of the CFP committee.
It’s an unfortunate reality that the Ducks don’t appear to have another chance to bolster their resume before the regular-season ends. A home date with the USC Trojans the week before Washington could also be difficult, but it’s highly unlikely to compare to their home test against Indiana.
The plus to not receiving a first-round bye in the CFP and being seeded from 4-8 is that Oregon would be awarded with a home playoff game, the first in program history.
For that to happen, the Ducks have to play with a sense of urgency and win out — a somewhat daunting task no matter the opponents considering that there is still over six weeks until the end of the regular-season.
Regardless, the moral of the story reigns true: the season is far from over for head coach Dan Lanning and his Oregon squad, as their main goal is still very much attainable.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: ESPN analyst breaks down Oregon Ducks’ path to CFP after Week 7 loss
