The Oregon Ducks improved their resume for the College Football Playoff and head coach Dan Lanning made the team's case after their win over USC.

Since then, the Ducks have responded. They pulled out a gritty win at Iowa and cruised by Minnesota. In presenting its best case to the selection committee, No. 5 Oregon put a bow on it with a 42-27 defeat of No. 16 Southern California.

Miami, as the committee's highest-ranked ACC team last week, was eliminated from reaching the league title game after SMU steamrolled Louisville and Duke toppled North Carolina. Now, Pat Narduzzi's Panthers have kickstarted a possible doomsday scenario for a conference that could be excluded from the playoff altogether in two weeks.

Oregon’s playoff position is getting better, not worse. The seventh-ranked Ducks took care of business Saturday with a 42-27 win over USC, and they did it without a fully healthy roster.

Lane Kiffin and Co. headline the latest College Football Playoff projections, Rebels remain squarely in the race.

The latest AP Top 25 college football poll has Oregon back in the top five and No. 23 Georgia Tech taking the greatest hit in the rankings, falling eight spots.

Georgia Tech fell to No. 23 after a loss to Pitt, and the race to the ACC championship game became even messier. Oregon moved up to No. 5 and the race continues in the Group of Five.