Oregon makes a big leap in latest College Football Playoff rankings

Just three weeks ago, the Oregon Ducks' College Football Playoff hopes appeared to be toast. According to Ducks Wire, the team had scored only 10 points in a loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini, dropping their record to 4-3 on the season. Following two ranked victories over the Northwestern Wildcats and Ohio State Buckeyes, a viable path emerged for Oregon to reach the Big Ten championship game and secure a guaranteed conference champion bid.

Ducks Wire reported that Oregon head coach Dan Lanning stated during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, 'Yeah, I don't think it's any secret that our conference probably doesn't get the respect it deserves especially when you see week-in-and-week-out what's accomplished in this conference.' Lanning added that 'based on what we showed we're capable of and how we're playing right now, I'm sure a lot of teams don't want us in those 12 teams.' He noted that if the playoff is about having the best teams in the end, they need to see who is playing the best football at the conclusion of the season.

Ducks Wire noted that while the Playoff Committee favors teams playing their best football late in the year, Oregon holds three losses, specifically against Oklahoma State and Illinois, which are not slated to be in the CFP. Lanning acknowledged, 'I get it, we haven't had sustained success all season. But ultimately, we're playing really good football and if we can keep that trend running, this conference can keep that trend running, than they should certainly consider teams like ourselves, right, and certainly these other Big Ten teams we've played to be in that hunt.'

Lanning compared their situation to Miami from the previous year, pointing out that Miami was almost left out before reaching the national championship. There are three weeks remaining in the regular season, alongside a potential spot for Oregon in the Big Ten title game against UCLA. Winning the final three games and the conference championship would provide the Ducks with an automatic bid into the 12-team field.