File this one in the "you can't possibly make this stuff up if you tried" category. The Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning watched USC's Desman Stephens make a dirty hit on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, and then celebrate the hit moments later. Moore has been knocked out for the remainder of the season. The Ducks, having lost three games, appeared to be dead in the College Football Playoff race, but after an upset win at Ohio State on Saturday, Oregon still has a slight chance to get back into the playoff chase. However, the only way Oregon can actually make the playoff is for Stephens, Lincoln Riley, and USC to beat Indiana this coming Saturday. Oregon is utterly dependent on USC right now. As we said: You can't make this stuff up.
Big Ten football standings
It's pretty
simple: Indiana is one of only two Big Ten football teams with fewer than two conference losses going into November 14. UCLA is unbeaten. Indiana has one conference loss. Every other team has at least two Big Ten losses. When Oregon beat Ohio State, the Buckeyes absorbed a second conference loss. This meant Indiana - which lost to Ohio State - jumped past the Buckeyes into second place in the conference. IU is now in position to make the Big Ten Championship Game if it wins out.
USC versus Indiana
Indiana winning out means the Hoosiers will again play for the Big Ten title. If Indiana loses to USC, however, those two-loss teams just behind the Hoosiers will re-enter the hunt for a Big Ten title game berth and a chance to win the conference championship. This is the fundamental importance of USC-Indiana this coming weekend. Do the Hoosiers fall back to the pack, or do they maintain their lead over every non-UCLA team?
Indiana remaining schedule
After playing USC, Indiana closes with games against bad Washington and Purdue teams. It's pretty reasonable to say that the USC game is Indiana's toughest remaining test. Washington in Seattle might not be a picnic, but the Huskies just lost at home to Penn State. They have not played well at home this year. USC probably is the toughest remaining opponent for the Hoosiers, so every other contender in the Big Ten, including Dan Lanning and Oregon, needs Lincoln Riley and Desman Stephens to win in Bloomington.
Tiebreaker time!
Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois join USC, Ohio State, and Oregon as Big Ten teams with two conference losses. There will very likely be a multi-team tiebreaker for two-loss teams if USC beats Indiana and creates a massive logjam in the standings. It will be hard for one and only one two-loss team to stand apart. If Indiana wins out and finishes with one loss, the glut of two-loss teams won't matter, but if IU loses once, there will clearly be a multi-team tiebreaker to determine the representative in the Big Ten Championship Game.
College Football Playoff
Remember: The four power conference champions get an automatic berth in the College Football Playoff. So, even though Oregon and Ohio State have three losses, they can still win the Big Ten title. If they get into the Big Ten Championship Game, they will be playing for a playoff berth. This is why (and how) Oregon is still alive despite the three losses... but USC has to beat Indiana for Oregon to reach Indianapolis in December.
Dan Lanning
After the win over USC in late September, Oregon coach Dan Lanning said "Three wins against these guys. I guess if you’re interested in winning football games and you’re from this area, you should go to Oregon. If you want to go to a Chris Brown concert, go here.”
Now Dan Lanning's 2026 season completely depends on USC and Lincoln Riley beating Curt Cignetti and Indiana. "How the turn tables," as the kids like to say.
Oregon-USC plot twist
Oregon regularly saves its best for Lincoln Riley and USC. Dan Lanning has never lost to Riley and the Trojans since he came to Eugene. USC fans don't call this a rivalry because Oregon has zero national championships. The "O" in Oregon stands for the number of national titles the Ducks have won, and until they win one, Trojan fans won't call Oregon a true rival. Oregon, on the other hand, treats USC as a team it absolutely has to beat, and the results prove it.
Now, though, Oregon fans are on their knees pleading for a USC win.
You can't make this stuff up. We will see what happens on Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Dan Lanning needs Lincoln Riley, Desman Stephens to save Oregon's year
