College Football Playoff Committee Explains Oregon's Lower Ranking

The Oregon Ducks were awarded for their play on the field and their 7-1 record with the No. 9 ranking in the College Football Playoff.

While some Ducks fans were hoping or expecting a higher spot, the No. 9 spot ensures that the Ducks still control their own destiny to make the College Football Playoff and compete for a national championship. Some Ducks fans may feel as though the No. 9 spot will do the Ducks better than the No. 1 ranking they had last year, when they were unfortunately seeded against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl Game.

In the AP Top-25 poll, Oregon is ranked No. 6.

CFP Committee Member Explains Oregon Ducks' Ranking

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Big Ten Schedule College Football Playoff Committee Iowa Hawkeyes Rankings Dante Moore — Oct 18, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Mack Rhodes, who is a member of the CFP committee and the athletic director for the Baylor Bears, described what some of the guidelines were for the selection of the top-25 teams. When it came to the Ducks, Rhodes was pretty straightforward about what it was exactly that Oregon was getting graded on and how they earned the No. 9 ranking from the CFP committee.

“We're blessed to have three coaches in the room and looking at the tape. When you looked at Oregon, great players at the skill position, we felt that they're really, really good up front on both sides of the ball. Their one loss is to our No. 2-ranked team, Indiana. When we looked and evaluated Oregon, we really looked in terms of just the quality of the team and how they looked on film,” Rhodes said.

Ducks' Have Great Chance To Move Up With Win Over Iowa

While Ducks fans may feel a bit cynical towards the committee for ranking them below Texas Tech and BYU, those two teams do play each other this week, meaning an Oregon win over Iowa would surely move them up to No. 8 and possibly higher depending on other outcomes around the country.

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As it stands in the CFP Rankings, if the season ended after the first batch of rankings, the Ducks would be on the road to take on Texas Tech in Lubbock in the first round of the College Football Playoff, with the winner advancing to play Ohio State.

Penn State Falling Apart Has Hurt Oregon

The Ducks caught a bit of bad luck over the course of their season so far, with Penn State capitulating after Oregon beat them in Happy Valley back in week five of the college football season. The Penn State win for Oregon was, in theory, supposed to be their crown jewel of the year. The Nittany Lions were ranked at No. 2 in the AP poll prior to the season starting.

Now that Penn State has gone 0-5 in the Big Ten, the Ducks don't yet have a marquee win they can point to. They will have a chance to get a ranked win when they travel to Iowa City to play the Hawkeyes in week 11.