The Oregon Ducks are facing one last big stand on their Big Ten schedule as they try to stay in the College Football Playoff race with three losses and without quarterback Dante Moore, who was ruled out for the remainder of the season last week. 

The Ducks will travel to play No. 11 Ohio State. The Buckeyes were humbled by USC on Saturday night. Given that OSU will be without quarterback Julian Sayin, Oregon will have a chance to steal a win against Ohio State before finishing the season against Michigan, Michigan State, and Washington.

While Sayin won't be throwing him the football, star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith can still make plays. He caught 10 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in Ohio State's 30-18 loss to the Trojans on Saturday night. 

During his news conference on Monday night, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning talked about the challenges of defending Smith. He noted that even double-teaming the receiver allows Smith to get open. Putting three defenders on him would open up other opportunities for Buckeyes receivers. 

Lanning wants to use his linebackers and secondary as a collective unit to try to limit his ability to make explosive plays. Even with a great game plan and execution, Smith is going to get his hands on the ball, and Ohio State will do everything it can to feed him the ball. Oregon will try to limit the damage. 

Lanning praised Smith as being ready for the NFL, and thinks he could have been in the league two years ago. 

Even with injuries on offense, Ohio State should put up points at home against the Ducks’ defense.

The test for Oregon will be to see how the offense responds. Quarterback Dylan Raiola played a great game in the Ducks' win over Northwestern. Playing at Ohio State will be a completely different test.

In 2024, Raiola went 21 of 32 passing for 152 yards and one interception in Nebraska's 21-17 loss to Ohio State at "The Shoe." That was his freshman season, and he should be ready to play at a higher level this year.

The front seven for the Buckeyes will provide a challenge for Oregon's offensive line. The Ducks will have to protect Raiola and provide some sort of running game for them to win. They should look at USC's game plan for a potential blueprint.