I want to start by expressing my condolences to the fans of the Oregon football program because I imagine it must be difficult to have an undefeated season. end via a blowout by a team you had already beaten in October, especially when you were just three wins away from becoming the first 16-0 national champion in college football history.
Once again my condolences.
But I also have some encouraging news, specifically that you still have a pretty good basketball team to follow, if you’re ready to turn the page. Dana Altman’s Ducks are 12-1 and ranked No. 11 in Thursday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25. And 1 daily college basketball rankings heading into Thursday night’s game against an Illinois team. I came 17th. So for our purposes, it’s a top-20 matchup at Matthew Knight Arena, where the Ducks are listed as 4.5-point favorites. If Oregon wins, the Ducks will record their fifth Quadrant 1 win of the season, which would give them more Q1 wins than any other team in the country besides Auburn.
This matchup with Illinois is actually the first of four consecutive Q1 opportunities for Oregon based on current projections. Next up is a home game against Maryland on Sunday. After that, it’s back-to-back road games at Ohio State (Jan. 9) and at Penn State (Jan. 12). So if Oregon can turn its current three-game winning streak into a seven-game winning streak, the Ducks could be 16-1 with eight wins in Quadrant 1 heading into a Jan. 18 home game with Purdue. While it’s still early, with a resume like that, Oregon would be firmly in the conversation by mid-January to ultimately secure a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday.