Ohio State Shows a Break in the Armor with Oregon Matchup Looming

There is a lot that needs to happen between now and when the Oregon Ducks fly east to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 7th. There is nothing to say that their season won't be over by then, there is also nothing to say that the season won't still be very much alive by the time that matchup rolls around.

For any legitimate postseason hopes, the Ducks simply have to win out. There is no other way around it. 

Their loss to Oklahoma State and UCLA have removed all room for error going forward. The positive is that they know the requirement. It's win or go home for the Ducks, simple as that, so there is no reason to look beyond any of their opponents.

However, it would be impossible not to get a sense of hope within the Ducks program about the prospects of completing a couple of upsets with what happened to the Ohio State Buckeyes last week.

In their marquee matchup against the Indiana Hoosiers, second-year quarterback Julian Sayin took a big hit on his throwing arm that has led to him likely being out for the rest of the year.

Even before that, the Buckeyes were not the collection of Avengers that they have been in years past, but they are still one of the five best teams in the country.

Remove their quarterback and all of the match changes on them. Before last Saturday, that trip to Columbus seemed like an insurmountable hurdle for the Ducks but now, it would be impossible for them to not see a path, especially if the Buckeyes are starting a true freshman quarterback behind center.

It is a little bit of an infusion of hope that could change the attitude within the walls of the program for both the short and long term.

The challenge that remains for the Ducks is right now. It is doing whatever it takes to score just one more point against the Illinois Fighting Illini. It doesn't have to be pretty; it doesn't even have to be good. 

The only thing that matters is them scoring just one more point, and if they can do that, their heart stays beating. That sets up a potential return for quarterback Dante Moore prior to two of the biggest games of the year against Northwestern and Ohio State.

You come out of those games 3-0, then the College Football Playoffs are absolutely back on for the Ducks. 

The road is still really, really hard even if the outlook got marginally better.