Why Oregon could be the most interesting team in the playoff race

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Oregon backmost Bo Nix took a seat, exhaled and looked retired astatine the small, crowded country afloat of reporters acceptable to inquire him astir the Ducks' crippled against Cal. He wore vexation crossed his face, bordering connected sheer disappointment.

Had anyone not been watching the crippled that had conscionable taken place, it would person been casual to presume the Ducks had conscionable suffered their archetypal Pac-12 decision of the season. Nix's archetypal words of reflection conveyed the aforesaid message.

"This was a pugnacious game," helium said. "I deliberation that we played OK offensively, but we conscionable benignant of changeable ourselves successful the ft a fewer times. I didn't play my champion today, but fortunately the guys astir maine played truly bully to inactive enactment up immoderate points."

By "OK offensively," helium was describing a portion that piled up 586 yards of full discourtesy -- the astir Cal has ever allowed nether manager Justin Wilcox, a span of 62 games dating backmost to 2017. By "some points," helium meant 42 points -- against a squad that had not allowed much than 31 successful a crippled each year. Individually, Nix became the archetypal backmost successful FBS this play to propulsion for 400 yards and 3 touchdown passes and unreserved for 3 scores. He's conscionable the 3rd to execute that implicit the past decade. By each conceivable metric, Nix played well.

Most importantly, Oregon won. Handily, 42-24.

Two thirds of the mode done the regular season, the Ducks person 1 of the much absorbing résumés successful assemblage football. They're 1 of 8 undefeated Power 5 teams successful league play, fertile 5th nationally successful scoring (42.4), 3rd successful yards per crippled (525.8) and Nix's play has earned him a spot successful the Heisman Trophy conversation.

All of that, however, is shaded by their opening-week catastrophe successful Atlanta, wherever they mislaid 49-3 to Georgia successful first-year manager Dan Lanning's debut. The Ducks were truthful uncompetitive that it's casual to recognize wherefore anyone watching them would person written them disconnected arsenic a superior College Football Playoff contender connected the spot. At the time, it would person been a just and logical conclusion.

That dynamic is wherefore heading into tonight's merchandise of the archetypal College Football Playoff rankings (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), the Ducks committedness to beryllium 1 of the astir absorbing teams to monitor. Had Oregon scheduled a pushover alternatively of Georgia, it apt would person been viewed arsenic a top-four team. It would beryllium successful the heavy of the playoff conversation. With the loss, that's not the case. The Ducks volition apt stay connected the periphery, hoping results extracurricular their power interruption successful their favor.

That's wherefore each they tin bash is aspire to a definite standard.

And that's wherefore the positives weren't what mattered aft Saturday's crippled for Nix. Fresh successful his caput were the negatives: Oregon was held scoreless successful the archetypal 4th and connected its archetypal 3 possessions. It turned the shot implicit connected downs doubly successful the reddish zone, and a 3rd travel wrong the 20 ended with an interception (the walk was delivered connected people but bounced disconnected the receiver earlier being picked off).

"I deliberation successful this concern it's important to bent up connected those mistakes due to the fact that it tin beryllium important down the road," Nix said. "Even though we overcame those, I deliberation successful different situations you whitethorn not beryllium capable to flooded those plays."

Offensive lineman Alex Forsyth evaluated the show successful a akin fashion. He pointed to miscommunications that prevented the discourtesy from reaching that modular the Ducks are chasing.

"I deliberation [the small things were the] astir frustrating due to the fact that you permission a clump of points retired connected the writer and you conscionable benignant of footwear yourself aft the game," Forsyth said. "Man, we could person won by a batch more."

Since the nonaccomplishment to Georgia, Oregon has tally disconnected 7 consecutive wins with astatine slightest 40 points. That progressive streak of scoring astatine slightest 40 is tied with Ohio State for the longest successful assemblage football. Tennessee (4) and Georgia (3) are the lone different teams with progressive streaks of 40 points successful much than 2 games.

Considering those different 3 are wide expected to extremity up 1-2-3, successful immoderate order, by the playoff committee, it's bully institution to beryllium in.

There are assorted ways to look astatine Oregon's playoff chances from a humanities standpoint. For example, if the Ducks tally the array and triumph the Pac-12 title with a 12-1 record, they would person a résumé that has astir ever been bully capable for inclusion.

Since the playoff began, 14 of the 15 Power 5 champions that went 12-1 were included successful the four-team field. Only Ohio State successful 2018-19 was near retired (when 3 undefeated teams positive 12-1 Oklahoma were selected). None of them had specified a lopsided loss, however.

Two factors could enactment successful Oregon's origin to assistance diminish the effects of that loss: timing and circumstances. No squad successful assemblage shot is the aforesaid successful December arsenic it is successful September, truthful Oregon's nonaccomplishment coming successful the archetypal crippled of the play is the champion imaginable timing to beryllium forgiven. Especially considering it was playing with a first-year manager and transportation quarterback.

Then determination is the opponent. Losing to the defending nationalist champion, a squad that remains undefeated and has a lawsuit for the No. 1 ranking, is amended than losing to immoderate different team. The downside is determination is simply a consciousness of inevitability that the Ducks' show against Georgia volition beryllium compared to however Tennessee oregon Alabama fares against the Bulldogs. If Georgia doesn't triumph the SEC, Oregon's likelihood are impossibly long.

"We haven't seen our champion yet," Lanning said. "I was hoping that this would beryllium a crippled that we could locomotion distant seeing our best, and we haven't seen it yet. I'm excited to spot wherever we tin go, but we person to pat into that and it's a prime that we person to make."

Oregon is an illustration of however an expanded playoff tract volition importantly alteration the consciousness of a assemblage shot season. With a 12-team field, the Ducks would beryllium good positioned to qualify, and the existent treatment would beryllium astir rounding into signifier with an oculus connected a playoff run.

Instead, they're successful a satellite wherever their full play is framed by 1 crippled successful September.