Oregon Ducks' Path to Big Ten Championship, College Football Playoff

The Oregon Ducks beat the Illinois Fighting Illini 38-9 at Autzen Stadium. With four games left in the regular season, Indiana, Penn State, and Ohio State are the Ducks' biggest threats to win the Big Ten Championship.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer as the No. 1 Oregon Ducks host the No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks are one of three undefeated teams in the Big Ten through nine weeks. On Saturday afternoon, they beat Illinois 38-9 to improve to 8-0 on the season. The Ducks are inching closer to a Big Ten title game and potentially a College Football playoff berth.

The Ducks travel to Michigan on Saturday, host Maryland on Nov. 9, travel to Wisconsin on Nov. 16, and host Washington on Nov. 30. Oregon will most likely be favored in all four matchups, but college football is known for its chaos, and there are plenty of games remaining.

However, which teams are the biggest threats to Oregon?

Ducks Tied Atop the Big Ten

The Oregon Ducks have company at the top of the Big Ten standings. Oregon is tied with Indiana and Penn State for first place in the conference. Neither of these three teams has lost a game thus far into the season. 

For the Ducks to make it into the Big Ten title game, they must finish in the top two. With the conference having 18 members vying for just two spots, the path to the title game could very well come down to multiple tie-breaking scenarios. If Indiana or Penn State lose a game and the Ducks can win their last four, they will be playing for the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis. 

Aside from Penn State and Indiana, there is another clear threat to Oregon winning the Big Ten in their first year as a member of the conference. That team would be Ohio State. The Buckeyes went toe to toe with the Ducks when the two met at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 12. Oregon squeaked out a 32-31 win in a thriller. Ohio State would love another crack at the Ducks at a neutral site.

Biggest Contenders Nationally

Oct 19, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive back Andrew Mukuba (4) goes down with an apparent injury in the fourth quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Outside of the Big Ten, there are a handful of teams that could give the Ducks problems if they were to match up in the College Football Playoff.

The team ranked behind the Ducks at No. 2 in the AP Top 25 Poll is the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia is coming off a big road win over the Texas Longhorns in their last outing. The Bulldogs have been the most dominant team in College Football over the last three seasons. Kirby Smart’s team has beaten every opponent in front of them not named Alabama in that timeframe and won back-to-back national titles in '21 and '22.

The Miami Hurricanes are off to an 8-0 start in the 2024 season. Miami is coached by a familiar face, former Ducks coach Mario Cristobal. The Hurricanes are led by quarterback Cam Ward. You can never count out Miami with Ward.

Texas is far from out of it either. The Longhorns did lose at home to Georgia, but they are still one of the top teams in the country. The biggest question mark for the Longhorns is what they will do at the quarterback position moving forward.

There is still a lot of football to be played, and Oregon has to focus on what is right in front of them. Facing Georgia, Miami, Texas, etc is a problem for later.

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