Projected final 2020 College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings after Week 16
By Zach Bigalke
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 4-2. won 31-24 at No. 13 USC (Pac-12 championship in Los Angeles). Oregon Ducks. 18. 820. player
Despite failing to win the Pac-12 North, Oregon was in the Pac-12 championship game as a replacement after Washington shut down its season due to COVID-19 spreading throughout its roster. The Ducks made the most of their trip to Los Angeles, taking down No. 13 USC at the Coliseum to steal away the Pac-12 title and any longshot bid USC might have had of reaching the College Football Playoff.
Tyler Shough and Anthony Brown combined for four touchdown passes, while Troy Dye and Sean Dollars combined to rush for 107 yards. Oregon’s defense proved the decisive factor in the contest. The defensive backfield picked off Kedon Slovis three times, and the front seven held the Trojans to just 38 total rushing yards.
Given that Oregon is now a conference champion, and considering that their two losses both happened on the road by a combined seven points, look for the selection committee to give the Ducks a big boost in their final Top 25 of the season. Where they land in terms of a bowl invitation is anyone’s guess, but Mario Cristobal’s team at the very least played their way to the top of a convoluted Pac-12 heap this season.