The Oregon Ducks were named as part of an unwanted area after Week 5 of the season.
The Oregon Ducks were off this past week, having a bye week coming off a massive win on the road against the USC Trojans.
Oregon has been trending up since they fell to Oklahoma State a few weeks ago, giving this team some life. This team entered the season with a ton of hype, and they do still have a very talented roster, which could bode well for them.
Even with quarterback Dante Moore going out with a concussion against the Trojans, Oregon was able to withstand the injury to get the win. Moore is still considered day-to-day with the injury after taking a scary hit, but the Ducks do have a strong backup quarterback in Dylan Raiola.
Raiola was able to replace Moore against the Trojans, keeping the offense in full command of the game. But the Ducks know that the road for them will only get tougher, especially since this team doesn't have a big margin for error anymore.
But despite the win over the Trojans a week ago, the Ducks still find themselves in a tough spot for the College Football Playoff, at least for now. College football analyst Scott Dochterman of The Athletic put together a projection for the playoff after the Week 5 games, and Oregon was named in the 'First Five Out' section.
The season is still pretty young, and the Ducks can still get into the dance if they were to continue to put together strong wins. This victory over the Trojans was massive for this team, helping to keep the dream of the playoff alive.
Oregon still has games against the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines, among others that can help turn the tide. In fact, the Ducks have a strong challenge ahead of them this coming week when they host the upstart UCLA Bruins in Autzen Stadium.
If the Ducks can take down UCLA, it could help push this group back toward the top of the rankings, which would then allow them to get into the playoff at the end of the year. But since Oregon did lose to the Cowboys a few weeks ago, it has limited this team a little.
Oregon can't afford another loss in all likelihood, but this team understands the pressure that the program is consistently under. The Ducks are embracing this, with the entire roster trying to get back to being legitimate title contenders for the season.
