Oregon’s 41-27 road win at USC gave the Ducks something to talk about, but it didn’t settle the biggest question hanging over the season: are they really back in the national championship picture?
That was the debate on the Ducks Confidential podcast, where Aaron Fentress and George Wrighster took different routes to the same place. The Ducks beat No. 18 USC, but for Fentress, the victory only nudged open a door he had already shut after Oregon’s loss to Oklahoma State.
“I said after Oklahoma State, I closed the window. I put nails in it.
(After the USC win) I got the hammer out and I started to pull one nail out halfway,” Fentress said. “It’s still in and the other nail is in.
The window is still closed because I never thought USC had a chance because USC doesn’t play defense.”
That’s the heart of his skepticism. Fentress isn’t questioning the result so much as what it means.
USC’s defense had already been vulnerable, with Rutgers and Louisiana both finding success against it before Saturday. So in his view, Oregon’s win over the Trojans didn’t fully answer the questions that matter in a College Football Playoff chase.
For Fentress, the lingering concerns are still the same: the Ducks’ run game and their defense. Oregon did run the ball well enough against USC, but the Trojans had been giving up ground to nearly everybody. And while the Ducks’ defense didn’t completely lock USC down, it did come up with a couple of important stops in the second half.
Wrighster, who played at Oregon and in the NFL and now hosts the Unafraid Show, saw the night a little differently while watching from San Francisco, where he was doing a show for the CW Network. He never fully slammed the door on Oregon. He just dimmed the light.
“I shut the blinds on it, though,” he said. “I shut the blinds, but the breeze was still coming in. But I had some blackout blinds on that joint and now I’m peeking out like I need a little bit more light in this room right now.”
His case for optimism starts up front. Wrighster likes the way Oregon’s young offensive line is coming along and believes that group is improving every week.
If the Ducks keep stacking wins while that unit develops, he thinks the ceiling stays high. He also pointed to the defense’s second-half response against USC as a sign of growth, especially compared with the loss at No.
19 Oklahoma State two weeks earlier.
The two agreed on the next major test: No. 5 Ohio State. Fentress wants to see Oregon head into Columbus at 7-1 and make it a real game before reopening any national title talk.
Wrighster, though, thinks the Ducks could still be in decent shape even if they lose a close one to the Buckeyes. He also said a six-game winning streak leading into that matchup would leave Oregon in strong playoff position no matter what happens there.
Before that trip comes into focus, the Ducks still have a stretch that includes a home game against No. 23 UCLA on Oct. 10, then Nebraska, a road game at Illinois and a matchup with Northwestern at Autzen Stadium.
Wrighster said the Bruins deserve more attention than they’re getting. UCLA is 4-0 and 2-0 after a 54-3 rout of Maryland, and he made it clear he views that game as a serious one.
For now, Fentress is only willing to pry one nail halfway out. He’s not ready to open the window yet.
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