Three weeks ago, Oregon’s College Football Playoff hopes looked all but finished. The Ducks had just been held to 10 points in a loss to Illinois, falling to 4-3 and staring at a long climb back into the conversation.
Now the picture looks very different. After ranked wins over Northwestern and Ohio State, Oregon has opened a path to the Big Ten championship game and, with it, a shot at reaching the CFP as the conference champion. That route still depends on some outside help, though, and Dan Lanning made it clear he’d rather not have his team’s fate tied to anyone else.
Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Lanning argued that Oregon’s recent play should carry real weight when the committee starts sorting through the field.
"Yeah, I don’t think it’s any secret that our conference probably doesn’t get the respect it deserves especially when you see week-in-and-week-out what’s accomplished in this conference," Lanning said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. "So, the results kind of speak for themselves.
I don’t get to sit in those meetings (with the Playoff Committee). Ultimately what I would say is based on what we showed we’re capable of and how we’re playing right now, I’m sure a lot of teams don’t want us in those 12 teams.
Especially coming down the stretch. And if it’s about having the best teams in the end, we gotta see who’s playing the best football in the end.
And we get an opportunity to go out here Saturday and show that."
The Ducks’ three losses still loom, especially the defeats to Oklahoma State and Illinois, two teams not projected to make the CFP. UCLA’s win over Oregon at Autzen Stadium looks better on paper because the Bruins remain undefeated, but the other two losses are harder to brush aside.
"I get it, we haven’t had sustained success all season," Lanning continued. "But ultimately, we’re playing really good football and if we can keep that trend running, this conference can keep that trend running, than they should certainly consider teams like ourselves, right, and certainly these other Big Ten teams we’ve played to be in that hunt."
The committee’s early rankings already showed a tilt toward the SEC over the Big Ten, with undefeated UCLA slotted behind Alabama, Kentucky and Texas. Lanning’s point, though, is that Oregon’s league has been producing high-level football and deserves to be judged accordingly.
"You look at Miami last year, they were almost not in it and then they make it to the national championship," Lanning said. "If it’s about getting the best teams in, you know, I think that’s something everyone’s gotta evaluate and this conference has great football teams and some great play."
Oregon still has three regular-season games left, and a possible Big Ten title game appearance remains on the table. The cleanest path is straightforward: win out, then beat what would likely be UCLA in the conference championship game for an automatic CFP berth.
If the Ducks win their final three and still need help to get in, Lanning believes their late-season surge and the strength of the Big Ten should be enough to earn a place anyway. Whether the committee sees it that way is the question that will decide Oregon’s season.
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