With their win over the Northwestern Wildcats in Week 9, the Oregon Ducks are officially alive in the race to make the Big Ten title game. They may not have the best of chances to do so, requiring help elsewhere, but there's a non-zero chance of Oregon pulling off a miracle in what looked like a lost season.
For that miracle to happen, the Ducks will need to win out. That includes a game this week against the No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes, and home dates with the Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies with a road game against the Michigan State Spartans sandwiched in between. It's far from an easy final four-game slate, but one that Oregon will have to deftly navigate in order to give themselves a shot at the postseason.
As far as help, the Ducks
have two losses in Big Ten play, evening them with several other teams already. If that number can grow, and other two-loss teams suffer a third loss, the path becomes clearer. It's extremely jumbled right now, with 10 teams holding conference records with two losses or fewer. But the coming weeks will provide head-to-head matchups between those teams, effectively knocking them out of the race.
On top of that, the Indiana Hoosiers, currently 5-1 in Big Ten play, will more than likely have to suffer a second loss to one of USC, Washington or Purdue.
With the stage set, here are the four games in particular that will impact the Ducks' Big Ten title game chances, assuming they take care of their own business against Ohio State.
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (Friday)
When: 5:00 p.m. PT | | Friday
Where: Gies Memorial Stadium | | Champaign, IL
TV: Fox
Why it could matter: By virtue of their loss to Washington last week, Nebraska finds itself outside of Big Ten title game contention. But they have a chance to play spoiler in Week 10, as Illinois has just two conference losses including a tie-breaker over Oregon after defeating them a couple weeks back in Champaign. At this point, nobody is considering the Fighting Illini to be in serious contention for the Big Ten title game, but knocking them out this week would help clear the picture for Oregon.
No. 8 UCLA Bruins vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
When: 9:00 a.m. PT
Where: Huntington Bank Stadium | | Minneapolis, MN
TV: Fox
Why it could matter: The smoothest path for the Ducks to make the conference title game may be for UCLA to just cruise to a 9-0 Big Ten record. They'd be far and away the top seed, with Oregon among a group of what they hope is two-loss teams fighting to catch the plane to Indianapolis to battle the Bruins. This is another outcome that could clear the vision for Oregon, as UCLA has the opportunity to hand Minnesota its third Big Ten loss and knock them out of the race.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Wisconsin Badgers
When: 1:15 p.m. PT
Where: Camp Randall Stadium | | Madison, WI
TV: BTN
Why it could matter: With a schedule that includes Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue and Minnesota in the final four games, Wisconsin is a real threat to remain with two losses by the end of the year and be in a tie-breaker with the Ducks. But if Rutgers can pull off the upset win on the road, it would alleviate some stress for the Ducks of whether or not they'd win a tie-breaker over the Badgers. Considering Wisconsin is a 17-point favorite, this may not be the most likely game for the Badgers to drop — but there's always a chance in college football.
No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Northwestern Wildcats
When: 4:30 p.m. PT
Where: Ryan Field | | Evanston, IL
TV: Fox
Why it could matter: Both Iowa and Northwestern head into this week with 3-2 records in Big Ten play, with this essentially acting as a conference title game eliminator. With Iowa finishing the season with games against Purdue, Illinois and Nebraska, this one may be the most realistic to expect a loss. The Wildcats should be charged up after losing on the road to the Ducks, looking to get back in the win column and hopefully the CFP top 25. Northwestern getting the win is imperative, especially considering it doesn't matter if they stay at two losses because Oregon owns the tie-breaker.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Four games that matter for Oregon's Big Ten title chances in Week 10
