The Oregon Ducks could be the most dangerous team entering the College Football Playoff. After a disappointing end to its national championship run last season as the No. 1 seed — falling in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal to eventual champs Ohio State — head coach Dan Lanning has his team positioned the same way the Buckeyes did.
The Ducks are slotted into the No. 5 seed and will play a first-round game at home in Autzen Stadium on Dec. 20 against Sun Belt-champion James Madison. Last year's bye may have hurt Oregon and taken away a lot of key momentum entering the playoff but this season could be different if things go the Ducks' way.
Everything Oregon needs to go right to win the CFP
First round: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 James Madison
Let's start with their first round game against the 12-seed James Madison. The Dukes got a backdoor ticket to the playoff by virtue of Duke upsetting Virginia in the ACC championship. At 11-1, JMU isn't any team to just overlook. There's still a real upset risk here. Oregon can't start game planning for the quarterfinal.
Lanning will need to lean heavily on his defense which shouldn't have a problem against an G5 offense. The Ducks have earned an 84.8 defensive efficiency rating this year, the fifth-best in the nation.
However, it's on offense where they'll need to be more careful. JMU has the No. 10 scoring defense in the country and will be looking to catch quarterback Dante Moore sleeping at the wheel. Granted, the Dukes did their damage in a Group of Five conference, so the impressiveness of their stats come with a grain of salt.
Quarterfinal at the Orange Bowl: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech
It's generally safe to say Oregon will handle business in the first round and advance to the quarterfinals to face the 4-seed Texas Tech. The Big 12 champions will offer the toughest challenge the Ducks have faced to date with their No. 3-ranked scoring offense and defense.
Traveling across the country to Miami may add an additional layer of adversity to Oregon's path to victory but it made a similarly long-distance trip during the regular season and got the job done. On Sept. 27, Lanning and Co. went into Happy Valley and defeated Penn State 30-24 in double overtime.
The Red Raiders' capabilities will provide for a fireworks show in Coral Gables but ultimately Lanning's creativity and suffocating defense will be too much to handle. The Ducks will move on to the semifinal.
Semifinal at the Peach Bowl: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 1 Indiana
Ideally, Oregon would want to be playing either No. 9 Alabama or No. 8 Oklahoma in the semifinal but it seems highly unlikely either will be able to beat Curt Cignetti's Hoosiers, especially after how they dethroned the Buckeyes.
However, Lanning will have tape on Indiana from Oregon's only loss of the season. You know he'll have been studying that over and over to fix his team's mistakes and it seems like it's already worked as the Ducks didn't drop a single game over their final six contests.
The narrative seems ripe to have the Ducks enter this matchup with revenge on their minds and a chip on their shoulders. But more importantly, playing Indiana after it's had an extended period of time off and likely gone through a tough quarterfinal against an SEC foe may see them receive the Hoosiers weak and vulnerable. Momentum would be on their side.
National championship: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
Yes, this is where the shock value hits. The Ducks probably cannot defeat No. 3 Georgia or No. 2 Ohio State in the final, so another Cinderella would need to be their foe to get the job done.
Even without Lane Kiffin, No. 6 Ole Miss is a formidable opponent that will take care of business against No. 11 Tulane and then use what it learned in game tape to get revenge on the Bulldogs. Facing Ohio State would be their toughest game in program history but the Buckeyes have shown they have some massive vulnerabilities if the right kind of offense hits them head on.
Then come the Ducks. Again, Lanning's defense would be the key to success in halting a high-paced SEC offense. But this is a very winnable game and could end up being an all-time classic.
Oregon is probably the one non-champion in the bracket that can threaten each and every other squad in the postseason. Matchups matter but if things break their way, the Ducks could easily be national champions.