Oregon’s 41-28 smackdown of No. 11 Ohio State in Week 10 officially rocked the Big Ten, leaving *both* preseason favorites out of the conference title game. Talk about a curveball! In a season where UCLA has unexpectedly emerged as the conference leader, this win is a massive shake-up, making the final stretch at the top of the Big Ten absolutely wild.
Ducks Rip Buckeyes, Change Everything
Remember when Bo Jackson scored his second touchdown of the game around the end of the first quarter? It looked like Ohio State was going to cruise, even without Julian Sayin. They were supposed to overcome an unranked Ducks team that was just trying to keep its playoff hopes alive. But nope. Oregon had other plans. A monstrous 17-point second quarter, featuring a gutsy call from head coach Dan Lanning to go for a touchdown instead of a field goal right before halftime, completely changed the game. The Ducks weren’t messing around, ripping off 31 points in the middle quarters to Ohio State’s zero. That surge was more than enough to prevent any comeback from Luke Fahey, even with his 360 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fahey threw an interception that led directly to a touchdown, and his connection with star receiver Jeremiah Smith (76 yards, TD) just wasn’t enough. It was such a dominant performance that On3 tweeted, “OREGON IS DOMINATING OHIO STATE😳” And they weren’t wrong. With the win in Columbus, Oregon is now 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play. Ohio State, on the other hand, dropped its second straight game, also falling to 6-3 and 4-2 in Big Ten play.
The Big Ten Playoff Picture Gets Weird
The standings after Week 10 show just how crazy this conference has become. No. 5 UCLA is absolutely crushing it at 9-0 overall and a perfect 6-0 in Big Ten play, taking down Minnesota and proving they are the clear-cut favorite in Year 1 under Bob Chesney. They’ve got favorable matchups against Illinois and Michigan coming up, but that West Coast showdown against USC in the last week of the regular season could be the real decider for their playoff fate.
Then there’s No. 6 Indiana, still looking good at 8-1 overall, 5-1 in conference, even after a Week 10 bye. Curt Cignetti’s squad has a key matchup against USC in Week 11. That game is probably going to decide if the Hoosiers make it to the Big Ten Championship. A loss there, and with a lack of major resume wins this year, could put Indiana on thin ice with the committee.
As for our Oregon Ducks? They aren’t dead yet! But making the CFP won’t be easy. They’ll need to win out, which should be doable against Michigan, Michigan State, and Washington. But that’s not all: they’ll also need a ton of help from Indiana, USC, and more just to reach the conference title game. With three losses already and not many big wins, it’s unlikely Oregon would snag an at-large CFP bid. They need that conference title spot.
This next week is going to be HUGE. UCLA hosts Illinois, Indiana battles USC, Oregon takes on Michigan, Ohio State plays Northwestern, and Iowa goes up against Purdue. Every single one of these games has massive implications for who stays in the hunt for the Big Ten crown. Buckle up, because this Big Ten race is far from over!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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