Sad news for Oregon Duck: I want to leave..

In college football, losses are a significant deal. It’s true that losing games reduces your chances of making the playoffs and winning a conference. However, it is far preferable to suffer a loss early in the season if one must.

A ranked team falls in the rankings after a loss. However, it’s always preferable to drop early rather than late. A team has more time to regain its position if it drops a slot early in the season, as No. 9 Oregon did following their loss to No. 5 Washington.

A team doesn’t collapse after a loss because it can still climb the polls. A late-season setback reduces a team’s window of opportunity to recover. Late in the season

Only Week 8 has passed. The Ducks still have six weeks and six games remaining to win and move up the standings.

They remain one of the top 10 ranked teams. The Ducks are favored to win every game left on their schedule, per ESPN’s matchup predictor. You don’t yet need to panic.

Despite the defeat last week, Oregon showed that it can compete with the top teams in college football this year. The Ducks were hurt by a few ill-executed plays and calls, but Oregon was only a few plays away from winning the contest.

It’s possible that the Ducks just played the most comprehensive game of the year. Oregon was able to stay in the game against one because to an efficient offense and a strong defense.

The season is still very much alive, which is wonderful news. The bad news is that going forward, the Ducks must play flawlessly.

“We hold the power,” Nix declared following the defeat. “We have the ability to prevail and position ourselves for success.”

It’s absurd to believe that a school with two conference defeats would be eligible to play in the Pac-12 Championship Game in Las Vegas in December, especially considering how talented the Pac-12 is this year. With just one conference loss under their belt, the Ducks would need to go undefeated to finish the season. This won’t be an easy feat, as No. 12 Oregon State (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12), No. 18 USC (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12), and No. 14 Utah (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) are still awaiting Oregon’s

It is also imperative that the Ducks support Washington in their games against these opponents. Tie breakers become more tricky the more one-loss teams there are at the end of the season; the Ducks might not win some of them. Oregon, the lone losing team, and Washington, the unbeaten squad, would play each other again in the Pac-12 Championship if both the Huskies and the Ducks prevail.

There may still be a chance for atonement and a chance to make the College Football Playoffs.

It’s important to remember the influence Husky Stadium had on the game played last week. It was raucous, angry, and noisy. For two clubs, a rematch in Las Vegas would offer a neutral venue, something that many fans demand.

Both teams would be 12-1 after defeating Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game; their only losses would come from each other. But as I’ve already mentioned, it matters a tremendous amount when a team loses. Since Washington would have lost recently, Oregon would move up in the national standings above the Huskies. The one loss for the Ducks would be more than a memory from more than a month ago.

Following the Washington game, Lanning remarked, “These guys are hungry.” They have a strong desire to succeed. That is beyond question.

However, as the season progresses, Nix, Lanning, the offense, defense, kicking, and everything else must remain flawless.

At Autzen Stadium on Saturday, Washington State (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) will try to defeat the Ducks in order to begin the season-saving quest.