CFB Twitter Declares Oregon's CFP Chances over After Upset Loss to Washington
Nov 13, 2022
EUGENE, OR - NOVEMBER 12: Washington Huskies wide receiver Rome Odunze (1) runs after the catch against Oregon Ducks defensive back Bennett Williams (4) during a PAC-12 conference college football game between the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks on November 12, 2022 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Pac-12's hopes for the College Football Playoff rest solely on USC after Oregon's 37-34 loss to Washington at Autzen Stadium on Saturday night.
Peyton Henry's 43-yard field goal with 51 seconds remaining was the difference for the Huskies. It came after Washington gained possession at Oregon's 34-yard line when Noah Whittington lost his footing on a 4th-and-1 play by the Ducks.
Oregon played that series without star quarterback Bo Nix. He limped off the field during the previous offensive possession. Ty Thompson filled in for one drive, missing on his only pass attempt.
Nix came back on the field for the final drive to either tie it and force overtime or win with a touchdown. He appeared to complete a 15-yard pass to get the Ducks down to Washington's 23-yard line with one second remaining, but officials flagged Troy Franklin for illegal touching when he stepped out of bounds without being touched before the catch.
The final play of the game saw Nix's pass skip in front of his intended target well short of the goal line.
Oregon was ranked No. 6 in the Playoff standings this week, but its second loss of the season will almost certainly end its chances of making the top four.
Here's what Twitter had to say about the Ducks' playoff chances and head coach Dan Lanning's decision to go for it on fourth down in his own territory in a tie game.
felt like a first-time, first-year coach decision there
There is still the possibility for the Pac-12 to get into the Playoff, but it will require a few things going right over the final three weeks of the regular season. USC entered this week ranked eighth in the Playoff standings.
Four of the teams ahead of the Trojans play each other in the coming weeks. No. 2 Ohio State hosts No. 3 Michigan on Nov. 26. No. 1 Georgia takes on No. 7 LSU in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 3.
Oregon had been rolling since its season-opening loss to Georgia. It entered Saturday having won eight straight games.
The news isn't all bad for the Ducks. They are still in the driver's seat for a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game if they can win their final two regular-season games. Their next test will be a showdown against No. 13 Utah at Autzen Stadium on Nov. 19.
Oregon HC Dan Lanning Denies Auburn Buzz: 'The Last Thing I Ever Want to Do Is Leave'
Nov 8, 2022
BOULDER, CO - NOVEMBER 5: Head coach Dan Lanning of the Oregon Ducks looks on from the sideline in a game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on November 5, 2022 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Dan Lanning has no plans to use Oregon as a steppingstone.
The Ducks head coach offered an extended denial of rumors he'd be interested in taking the Auburn head coaching position Monday, telling reporters Oregon "has everything I could possibly ever want."
Oregon’s Dan Lanning was asked about a fan blog affiliated with Sports Illustrated reporting “mutual interest” between him and Auburn.
Lanning’s initial response — shaking his head in disbelief — is what you’d expect.
"First off, I'll say things like this are gonna come up when you have team success and when you do your job and things go the way they're supposed to go. That's credit really to our team. That being said, I think there's a little bit of a problem in society today with people looking for what's next and where there's an opportunity, and the reality is the grass is not always greener. In fact, the grass is damn green in Eugene, right? And I want to be here in Eugene for as long as Eugene will have me.
"This place has everything I could possibly ever want, my family could ever want. I've got an 11-year-old that's lived in eight states. The last thing I ever want to do is leave. I want to enjoy this opportunity here. It's been a phenomenal place for us. And when you talk about things that align, things that match your vision for what you're looking for as a head coach, Oregon checks every box for me.
"I think history maybe shows that this is a great place to be and not a great place to leave. I want to be here. Hopefully, that's the last time I have to really address it. But the reality is this is a destination, not just for me, but for elite players. And why is it a destination? Because reat administration, great fans, great support, and it's a good reason to be here and why we're having the success we're having."
Oregon has seen its last two coaches (Willie Taggart and Mario Cristobal) use the program to boost their resumes before leaving for what they perceived as better jobs (Florida State and Miami, respectively). Taggart lasted less than two seasons at Florida State before being fired, and Cristobal is 4-5 in his first season at Miami.
Lanning, meanwhile, is 8-1 in his first year in Eugene with a shot at making the College Football Playoff. The Ducks recovered from an ugly 49-3 loss to Georgia to open their regular season to reel off eight straight wins, scoring 40-plus points in each contest.
Lanning came to Oregon after working his way up from a high school special teams coach to being Georgia's defensive coordinator from 2019 to 2021, winning a national championship with the Bulldogs last season.
The combination of Lanning's age (36) and history in the SEC makes him a natural target for Auburn, which fired Bryan Harsin on Halloween.
While the program will have little trouble finding interested parties, the Auburn job isn't strong at the moment. The Tigers haven't won 10 games since 2017 and are looking into an uncertain SEC future that includes the impending additions of Texas and Oklahoma. By 2025, Auburn may be the seventh- or eighth-best job in the SEC.
By contrast, Oregon is the pillar of the Pac-12—especially with USC and UCLA set to join the Big Ten.
The College Football Playoff released its first rankings of the 2022 season on Tuesday evening. Although there is still a lot of football left to be played,...
ESPN College Gameday 2022: Week 8 Location Hosts, TV Schedule and Predictions
Oct 21, 2022
Oregon quarterback Bo Nix (10) passes against Stanford during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Andy Nelson)
Only two Pac-12 teams have reached the College Football Playoff since the system was implemented in 2014. Oregon was part of the inaugural tournament, and Washington made the CFP two years later.
Over the past five seasons, the Pac-12 has been shut out of the annual event, but that could soon change. No. 9 UCLA and No. 10 Oregon are two of the top teams in the country this year, and one could go on to win the Pac-12 championship and even reach the CFP.
That's why this Saturday is so important. The undefeated Bruins are going on the road to face the Ducks in a marquee matchup with potential playoff implications. Whichever team wins will be the front-runner for the Pac-12 title.
It's a huge clash, and ESPN's College GameDay will be in Eugene for the occasion. The popular college football kickoff show airs live at 9 a.m. ET on Saturdays on ESPN, with this week's edition taking place at Memorial Quad on Oregon's campus.
Before further breaking down the UCLA-Oregon matchup, here's the schedule for ranked teams in Week 8, along with predictions for each game.
Week 8 Top 25 Schedule, Predictions
Saturday, Oct. 22
Iowa at No. 2 Ohio State, noon ET, Fox
Tennessee-Martin at No. 3 Tennessee, noon ET, SEC Network
No. 14 Syracuse at No. 5 Clemson, noon ET, ABC
No. 21 Cincinnati at SMU, noon ET, ESPN
No. 7 Ole Miss at LSU, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox
No. 20 Texas at No. 11 Oklahoma State, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Boston College at No. 13 Wake Forest, 3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network
Memphis at No. 25 Tulane, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 24 Mississippi State at No. 6 Alabama, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Minnesota at No. 16 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 17 Kansas State at No. 8 TCU, 8 p.m. ET, FS1
Picks in bold.
UCLA-Oregon Preview
Oregon hasn't had much trouble against UCLA in recent years. The Ducks have won nine of the past 10 meetings between the two programs, including each of the past three. The only win for the Bruins during that stretch came in 2017.
It's been even longer since UCLA has won in Eugene. The last time the Bruins defeated the Ducks on the road was in 2004.
However, this year's UCLA team is better than recent iterations. And head coach Chip Kelly, who was in charge at Oregon from 2009-12, will likely have the Bruins ready to play a competitive game on Saturday.
UCLA will be in a hostile environment, but it will be one the 58-year-old is familiar with. However, he has lost his two most recent trips back to Eugene, in 2018 and 2020.
"It's a difficult place to play, just like anything in this league," Kelly told reporters. "You go to Washington and it's hard; you go to Oregon, it's hard. I think that's part of it when you're playing meaningful games in October is you've got to be prepared for crowd noise, so we'll be prepared for it."
This season, UCLA has been well-prepared every week. It is the only unbeaten team remaining in the Pac-12, after winning each of its first six games. Those include home wins over Washington and Utah in its previous two contests before the Week 7 bye.
UCLA isn't the only Pac-12 team with an unblemished conference record, though. Oregon also hasn't lost to a conference rival this season.
After suffering a 49-3 loss to No. 1 Georgia in the season opener, the Ducks have won five straight games. They're 3-0 in conference play, having defeated Washington State, Stanford and Arizona in their past three contests.
It's been an impressive turnaround for Oregon, but it hasn't faced a team as talented as UCLA during its winning streak. And with College GameDay in town, this matchup has a big-game feel.
"These are games that don't take a lot of pep talks. Guys are excited," Ducks head coach Dan Lanning told reporters. "We all realize the moment here. Guys want to play at a high level. But it's also about keeping that energy directed, right? That's what it's about—a one-play focus."
This may not be the only time that UCLA and Oregon meet this season. It's possible both teams could reach the Pac-12 Championship Game on Dec. 2, but plenty of things can change between now and then.
However, whichever team wins Saturday will have a legitimate chance to reach the College Football Playoff, while the loser likely won't.
So, even though there's plenty of football to play over the next six weeks, this is an important game for UCLA and Oregon. And it's a matchup that could go either way, considering how strong both teams are.
Another Saturday of exciting college football action appears to be on the horizon. That's because there are some marquee matchups on the Week 8 slate that...
Week 7 of the 2022 college football season brought a ton of thrilling action, with six matchups featuring a pair of ranked teams. Week 8 should be quite...
It's hard to believe that the 2022 college football season is already halfway over. Through seven weeks of the year, we've seen plenty of surprises, notable...
The 2021 coaching carousel was a wild one, with several big-name programs making changes. As a result, we have a total of 29 new head coaches making their...
Oregon Apologizes for Fans Chanting 'F--k the Mormons' During BYU Football Game
Sep 19, 2022
EUGENE, OR - SEPTEMBER 17: The line of scrimmage between the Oregon Ducks and the Brigham Young Cougars during the first half at Autzen Stadium on September 17, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
The University of Oregon released a statement Sunday apologizing to Brigham Young University after Ducks fans chanted "f--k the Mormons" during a 41-20 win.
These types of actions go against everything the university stands for, and it goes against the spirit of competition. We can and will do better as a campus community that has no place for hate, bias or bigotry. 2/2
"In Oregon, we strive to be a welcoming, inclusive state to all, regardless of race, religion, gender, or background," the state's governor, Kate Brown, added in a tweet. "Our state and nation have an ugly history of discrimination and bigotry. The chant at yesterday's Oregon-BYU game was unacceptable. We must do better."
Last season, USC fans directed offensive chants toward BYU fans during a 35-31 Cougars win at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The school said in a statement at the time that the chanting "does not align with our Trojan values.
It was distasteful and we apologize to the BYU program."
