Oregon Ducks fall out of top 10 in penultimate CFP rankings
The Oregon Ducks entered last weekend with narrow hopes of working their way back into the College Football Playoff conversation.
Instead, their hopes of competing for a national title, conference title, or a spot in the Rose Bowl were all dashed last Saturday when they suffered a 38-34 collapse against Oregon State in Corvallis. The loss caused the Ducks to plummet in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll on Sunday.
The same is true for their standing in the CFP ranking.
On Tuesday, the CFP selection committee revealed its penultimate top 25. Oregon, which landed at No. 9 last week, dropped seven spots to No. 16.
The Ducks are one of five Pac-12 teams that cracked the top 25 this week. USC (No. 4), Utah (No. 11), Washington (No. 12), Oregon State (No. 15), and UCLA (No. 17) are the others.
The latest round of CFP rankings set the stage for a massive showdown between the Trojans and the Utes in the Pac-12 title game this Friday in Las Vegas. USC, it appears, could guarantee a spot in the College Football Playoff if it wins.
The Ducks, meanwhile, will be forced to wait until Sunday to find out their bowl game destination. The CFP selection show is scheduled to air Sunday, Dec. 4, at 9 a.m. PT, and bowl matchups will be announced soon after.
Many of the latest bowl projections have the Ducks tabbed to play in the Dec. 28 holiday Bowl in San Diego. Duke, Noth Carolina, and Florida State are among the handful of schools that the Ducks could potentially face there.
“There were some big momentum plays that really swung their way,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said following the Oregon State loss. “We probably didn’t create enough of those. We won the takeaway battle but when you get blocked punts and drop a punt, have some big plays in the kicking game. Obviously, those took a big effect. We weren’t able to stop the run. They were more physical than us up front, they took advantage of that. … Credit to (Oregon State); big win for them. An opportunity to grow for us. Time to roll up our sleeves and get back to work.”
Week 14 CFP Rankings
1. Georgia (12-0)
2. Michigan (12-0)
3. TCU (12-0)
4. USC (11-1)
5. Ohio State (11-1)
6. Alabama (10-2)
7. Tennessee (10-2)
8. Penn State (10-2)
9. Clemson (10-2)
10. Kansas State (9-3)
11. Utah (9-3)
12. Washington (10-2)
13. Florida State (9-3)
14. LSU (9-3)
15. Oregon State (9-3)
16. Oregon (9-3)
17. UCLA (9-3)
18. Tulane (10-2)
19. South Carolina (8-4)
20. Texas (8-4)
21. Notre Dame (8-4)
22. UCF (9-3)
23. North Carolina (9-3)
24. Mississippi State (8-4)
25. NC State (8-4)
