To be assured of making the College Football Playoff, the Ducks have to win a parlay. They need a win at home versus USC as a 9.5-point favorite, then they have to rally and focus their attention on a bitter rivalry matchup with the Huskies in Seattle, a tough place to play.
The game a week from now loses value if Oregon suffers an upset loss to the Trojans, as another loss sends them to the bottom of the two-loss teams in the CFB rankings, only mathematically alive for a place in the tournament.
Early betting lines for the second leg, UO versus UW in Husky Stadium, install the Ducks as 7.