Oregon Ducks' Strength Of Schedule Under Fire Before College Football Playoff Rankings

The No. 6 Oregon Ducks had a quiet week 10 of the college football season thanks to a bye week, but the College Football Playoff Selection Committee is releasing its first rankings of the season. With all the talk of rankings and predicted seedings before the selection committee announces its, Oregon's strength of schedule has been put under fire for a lack of quality wins.

ESPN's Heather Dinich has the Ducks predicted to be ranked No. 8 once the committee's top-25 is released, due to Oregon's underwhelming conference schedule.

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Brandon Finney College Football Playoff selection committee Penn State Nittany Lions northwestern wi — Oct 11, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning watches game play against the Indiana Hoosiers during the second quarter at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Ducks Lack Credibility In The Win Column

The Ducks may be 7-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play, but Oregon's only "quality" win is over Northwestern, which is 5-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

Oregon won a double-overtime thriller on the road against the (then-ranked No. 3) Penn State Nittany Lions, who have since dropped completely out of the top 25, fired their head coach, and are still seeking their first conference win of the season.

The Ducks' other wins in conference play have all been against unranked opponents: 56-10 vs Rutgers, 21-7 vs Wisconsin, and 34-14 over Northwestern.

Oregon Has One Of The Best Losses

Oregon's only loss of the season, and its first in Big Ten Conference history, was to the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers. The game was tied at 20-20 in the fourth quarter, but the Hoosiers eventually pulled away to win 30-20 in Eugene.

Despite the loss, the Ducks showed they are built to compete with elite programs, and the defense played a huge part in that. The defense accounted for six pass deflections and a score, thanks to freshman defensive back Brandon Finney Jr. getting the first pick-six of his collegiate career.

Since taking down the Ducks, the Hoosiers have continued to dominate in conference play and are one of six teams at the FBS level to remain undefeated.

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Schedule Begins To Ramp Up

Week 11 marks an end to the Ducks last bye week of the regular season, and a shift in competition level as they will face programs that are positive in the win column to close out the season. The biggest tests however, will be Oregon's last two games of the season.

The Ducks' final home game of the regular season will take place on Saturday, Nov. 22, against the No. 20 USC Trojans, who are looking to win out-of-conference play after beating the Nebraska Cornhuskers 21-17 on Nov. 1.

However, the last game of the season could mean the most to coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks, as it's on the road in Seattle against the newly ranked No. 24 Washington Huskies. During Lanning's tenure as head coach of the Ducks, he hasn't been able to beat the Huskies in Seattle, but that stems from his lone visit during the final year of the Pac-12.

If the Ducks can win the rest of their regular-season games, not only will their momentum reach an all-time high, but the program will also have its best chance to secure an at-large bid and a high seed from the selection committee.

Oregon's next opportunity will be on the road against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday, Nov 8, at Kinnick Stadium.