Ever since the Oregon Ducks dropped a game to the UCLA Bruins for their second loss, there's a different column to check on regarding the Ducks' potential postseason hopes. For the preseason No. 2 squad, it went from checking on odds of winning the national title to odds of simply making it into the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
We're here to do just that after the Ducks took down the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Week 7, keeping their CFP chances alive as they got to 4-2 on the year.
Their odds are +500 to make the CFP, the 24th-highest mark in college football. Most notably, they're behind the UCLA Bruins, despite losing starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The Bruins have odds of +150, as they're 6-0 after defeating Wisconsin.
Boise State,
Oregon's opponent in the season-opener, has odds of +170 considering that the top Group of Six team gets an auto-bid into the tournament. Right now, it's looking like the Broncos have the upper hand in that race.
Aside from UCLA, there are four other Big Ten teams that have higher odds than the Ducks: Ohio State (-900), Indiana (-500), Iowa (+300) and USC (+360). Peculiarly enough, the Group of Six's New Mexico has higher odds of making the CFP at +490.
Another noteworthy team that is above Oregon is Will Stein-led Kentucky, holding a 6-1 record and +210 odds of making the CFP — who would've thought?
Last week, the Ducks had the 28th-highest odds, so making it to the 24th-highest odds is an improvement. Though, much of that could've been due to losses from the teams above them around the country, rather than Oregon's rather uninspiring win over Nebraska at Autzen Stadium.
Taking a peek at the national title odds reveals that Oregon has +6000 odds, but none of that matters unless they run the table and put themselves in position to make the CFP. Once they get there, everything resets. With six games to go, we'll see if Oregon can defy the odds and give themselves a shot at reaching the goals that they set out for themselves this season despite dropping two of their first six games.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon's CFP odds rise slightly after victory over Nebraska
