How does the Oregon Ducks' loss to Purdue affect college football playoff odds?

For the first time since 2013, the Oregon Ducks are 7-0 after a narrow win over the struggling Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Indiana. This Friday night beatdown was the first shutout the Ducks managed against Arizona since 2012 and the first shutout on the road since 1992 against the Oregon State Beavers. With a crowd full of yellow and green, the Ducks felt right at home at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Oregon's defense shined in this matchup, with the Ducks forcing the Boilermakers to go 4-for-12 on third downs and 0-for-3 on fourth-down attempts. Defensive lineman Teitum Tuioti continued to lead the Ducks in total tackles, with six total tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss. Nine different Ducks made tackles for a loss in this game. Linebackers Jeffrey Bassa and Devon Jackson also forced two fumbles for the Boilermakers.

On the offensive side, aside from a few small mistakes, the Ducks came out on top. Dillon Gabriel caught 21-25 of his targets while passing for 290 yards, although his rushing attempts weren't quite as successful as in previous contests, as Gabriel lost 11 yards in the ground game. When it came to hitting the rock, Jordan James was once again the man to go, rushing for 50 yards on 10 attempts and two touchdowns in the first quarter, which really set the tone for the Ducks.

At the end of the fourth quarter, with less than five minutes left, quarterback Austin Novosad and the backup players came into play and ended Gabriel's night. Novosad was most likely selected to keep backup Dante Moore from adding more games to burn off his redshirt and give other players some much-needed reps.

Although many may point to the lack of production and chemistry on the Boilermakers team in the Oregon win, there was also clear talent on both sides of the ball, showing that they are a much more cohesive team than the group that barely matched up was able to pull off a win against Idaho week one.

How does this shutout win affect Oregon's chances of winning a national championship in the expanded College Football Playoff?

The last time Oregon competed for the title was in 2014 against the Urban Meyer-led Ohio State Buckeyes during the Mark Helfrich coaching era. The Ducks lost this national championship game 20-42 and finished the game with a record of 13-2.

According to Vegas Insider, the Ducks are currently in fourth place when it comes to odds of winning the national championship. The Ducks are +550 on MGM Bets and DraftKings, +500 on FanDuel and +650 on Bally Sports and BetRivers. The teams above Oregon in the National Championship win odds are Georgia (average +450 to +475), Ohio State (average +450) and Texas (average +350 to +375).

Only 11 teams enter this slate of games undefeated this weekend. With No. 5 Georgia taking on No. 1 Texas on Saturday afternoon, an upset is on the horizon that can only help undefeated Oregon look better as a potential title game contender.

It feels like something special is brewing for the Ducks as long as they continue to avoid the “Stanford Curse” (losing to a team that happens to be less talented in the middle of the season) in their game next week against No. 22 Illinois Autzen Stadium.