Going into the final stretch of the season, everything needed to break right for the Oregon Ducks in order to reach their ceiling. The Ducks had taken care of business ever since that Week 1 loss to Georgia, but there were a handful of teams ahead of them that needed to lose in order for Oregon to have a realistic shot at making the College Football Playoff.
Well, how about that?
In a single day, No. 1 Tennessee, No. 4 Clemson, and No. 6 Alabama all suffered upsets, paving the way for the Ducks to get into the playoff. Before Oregon fans start getting too far ahead of themselves, though, they need to focus on the upcoming slate of games, which is arguably the toughest stretch that the Ducks will see all year. According to The Oregonian’s James Crepea, the Ducks have the No. 7 touchest remaining strength of schedule in the nation, with games against No. 23 Washington, No. 12 Utah, and Oregon State in the next three weeks.
Oregon’s strength of schedule is 80th. Its remaining strength of schedule is tied for 7th hardest with a 1 game difference from Nos. 1-6. Cumulative SOS is 39th entering critical stretch.
— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) November 6, 2022
What are the chances that they can get through all of that unscathed and make it into the conference championship, and beyond? We look to ESPN’s Football Power Index to see what the computers say: