Oregon's Miracle Run to the Playoffs Begins on Saturday Against Nebraska

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The Oregon Ducks couldn't have played worse last Saturday against the UCLA Bruins last weekend. They turned the football over 7 times, had to bench their quarterback, and lost to a tough but beatable UCLA team.

Now, they turn their attention to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a game that is not only a must-win, but also a must-play well for the Ducks. Any hopes about the postseason are likely up in flames at this point, but they still do have a heartbeat. 

The remaining schedule is definitely tough for Oregon, and while that presents some challenges later in the year, it also presents opportunities to get back into the mix of the College Football Playoff conversation.

Now they aren't going to be able to make it all back in just one game, but Saturday against Nebraska is the first step in that. This is a game that the Ducks both have to win, and they have to look really good while doing it to get some confidence back under their belt.

Doing that against Nebraska is going to be a challenge in and of itself. The Cornhuskers are absolutely no joke. They are a gritty and salty bunch who, just one week ago, took the Indiana Hoosiers to the edge before letting that win slip out of their hands. 

Nebraska has just one loss this year, and just as the UCLA Bruins saw the Ducks as a wounded animal, so will the Cornhuskers. They are going to view this game as an opportunity to get a win over one of the biggest brands in the entire sport. 

On the Oregon side, they have a decision to make at quarterback this week. Dante Moore is still listed as out for this game, and with how badly Dylan Raiola played last week, it will be really hard to justify giving him the start.

The question around Raiola is which version is his true self? Is it the version that came off the bench against USC and played the quarterback position at an extremely high level? Or is it the guy who started against UCLA and put out one of the worst performances that you will ever see? 

It is a fair question to be asked, and it is one that Dan Lanning is trying to find an answer to this week. 

It will start with the quarterback position and will have to trickle down to every level of the field. The Ducks have got to play well this week. This is the first step in building up some momentum for what could be a miracle run to the Playoff. It starts with the first step against Nebraska on Saturday.

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