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The Oregon Ducks had an impressive win over the UCLA Bruins on Saturday that was overshadowed by a couple of late-game mistakes from the offense.
However, there is life in the program once again after three straight weeks of potentially sobering realizations about how good this team really is, starting with a loss to Stanford and followed by a bye week and a close win over Cal. On Saturday, though, the offense looked as good as it has all season, and the defense was dominant at times behind Kayvon Thibodeaux, Noah Sewell, and DJ James.
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With the new momentum, Oregon’s expected chances to reach the College Football Playoff at the end of the season went up pretty significantly. After last week’s debacle against Cal, the Ducks were given just a 13% chance to make the postseason, but they’ve now been bumped up to 20%, which is the 8th best chance in the nation.
The Ducks got some big help on Saturday, with both Penn State and Oklahoma State losing, dropping them down in the rankings. If they can continue to win from here on out and make it back to the Pac-12 Championship Game, the committee may have a tough time making an argument against their potential spot in the playoff, seeing as they have one of the best wins of the season — Week 2 against Ohio State — and a lone loss that came with their offensive coordinator sidelined due to medical issues.
It’s a long shot, but there’s still a chance.
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