The Oregon Ducks have just three, potentially four games left before they get the chance to sit back and wait to see where the College Football Playoff committee seeds them at the end of the year. Should they get by unscathed over the next month, theres a good chance that they will be in the final four, with a date against a national power, likely Georgia or Alabama.
Before we get to thinking about that scenario too much, though, we need to look at the game right in front of us. Washington State is coming to town on Saturday, and anyone who knows Oregon football history knows that this is a trap game in the making.
The Cougars have almost always played the Ducks tight, and with the game coming in a Pac-12 After Dark window, everyone is expecting things to get weird.
Will the Ducks be able to avoid a fatal upset? We’ll have to wait and see.
As will happen every week of the season, the managing editor of Ducks Wire, Zachary Neel, will convene with staff writers Don Smalley and Andy Patton to preview the game, set expectations, and ultimately make a final prediction.
Here’s what Ducks Wire thinks about the game against Washington State:
Confidence Meter
Question: With just three games left in the regular season, Oregon is in a prime position to find their way back into the Pac-12 Championship, and there’s a good chance they get into the College Football Playoff if they can win out as well. What is your confidence level for the following scenarios?
Oregon returns to Pac-12 Championship
Zachary Neel: 99%
Don Smalley: 95%
Andy Patton: 90%
Oregon wins third-straight Pac-12 Championship
Neel: 80%
Smalley: 75%
Patton: 75%
Oregon makes it back to College Football Playoff
Neel: 65%
Smalley: 50%
Patton: 40%
Oregon wins at least one game in the CFP
Neel: 1%
Smalley: 20%
Patton: 15%