Oregon Ducks Control Their Own Destiny For CFP After Being Ranked No. 6
By STEVEN VAUGHAN, 750 THE GAME
The CFP rankings are out and the Oregon Ducks are in at No. 6. The top ranked one loss team in the nation.
Based on these rankings, the Ducks are in a great position to make the CFP.
There was a thought that the loss to Washington would make it so the Ducks would have a tough time getting to the CFP.
John Canzano on the Bald Faced Truth reacted to the Ducks being ranked No. 6 and said the Ducks are in a position where the they can overcome the disappointing loss to Washington back on October 14.
“You take great delight in seeing that despite the coaching miscues that might have cost you a win at Husky Stadium,” Canzano said Tuesday on 750 The Game. “Despite the fact that you lost a disappointing game against your rival. Despite the fact that historically Pac-12 teams haven’t fared well in the College Football Playoff. Here you are. Sitting in the initial College Football Rankings as a Pac-12 team sitting at No. 6 in the poll with games coming up against a USC team who’s No. 20. Against an Oregon State team who’s sitting at No. 16. I think Oregon is sitting pretty.”
Canzano says the committee sent a clear message to the Ducks and the rest of the nation. Oregon controls their own destiny. Win the rest of your games, and the Ducks will be back in the CFP for the first time since the 2014-15 season when they got to the national championship against Ohio State.
“For those of us who thought Oregon’s loss to Washington spelled Oregon on the outside of the CFP rankings, trying to fight their way in, I think the committee sent a message here that they saw that as a quality loss, if there such a thing,” said Canzano. “They saw it as a road defeat by three points to a team who happens to be sitting in the top five. So Oregon is now back in control of their own destiny.”
The win at Utah was Dan Lanning’s biggest win as Oregon head coach. Now Lanning is going to have even bigger games ahead of him as the Ducks play both USC and Oregon State this season. Canzano says it’s time for Lanning to learn from his mistakes he made against Washington and take Oregon to the playoff.
“If you’re Dan Lanning you have to know there are no more mistakes that can be made. There can be no more not kicking the field goal before halftime. There can be no more going for it on fourth down and three and not getting it. That was your mulligan at Husky Stadium. Oregon has to be perfect from here on out to make the playoff.”
Lanning and Oregon will look to justify the No. 6 ranking this week as they are hosting California on Saturday. It’s a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on the Pac-12 network where Oregon is a 24 point favorite.
Listen to the full segment starting at 1:08:00 in the podcast below. Catch the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano weekdays 3-6 p.m. in Portland exclusively on 750 The Game.
