George Schroeder

USA TODAY Sports

It probably can't be measured in one moment of frustration. But when UCLA defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes slugged Jake Fisher the other day, it only served to underscore the impact one player can make:

With Fisher back at left tackle after missing two games to injury, Oregon suddenly has a lot more punch.

There's more to it, as always. A 42-30 victory at UCLA, which wasn't nearly that close, had something as well to do with the Bruins' continuing dysfunction. But a week after being largely written out of the national conversation, the Ducks again looked like the Pac-12's best team — and a sudden, vast improvement along the offensive line was the biggest reason.

"Obviously, (Fisher's) presence was just a calming factor," Oregon offensive line coach Steve Greatwood told USA TODAY Sports.

He added, with a chuckle, that the collective performance "was good for our mental health."

And if the resurgence continues, health might become a key point in the Ducks' playoff argument.

In a loss to Arizona and a narrow victory the week before over Washington State, Oregon's offensive line was punchless and porous. The Ducks could not run. Marcus Mariota was sacked 12 times. It's a minor miracle that he escaped injury. But the Ducks did not escape Arizona's upset, and it was hard to see Mariota remaining healthy much longer — or Oregon avoiding more losses.

But with Fisher back from a lower leg injury, the Ducks resembled something closer to their old selves against UCLA. Mariota was not sacked. As he passed for big plays, Oregon ran for 258 yards and raced to a lopsided victory.

"We stuck it to them pretty well," Fisher told The Oregonian after the game.

The question now is if the improvement sticks. But if it does, Fisher's return — or more to the point, his two-game absence — could become something for the College Football Playoff selection committee to evaluate. In choosing four teams, the committee is charged with considering factors including conference championships, strength of schedule, head-to-head results and common opponents. But there's also this, written right into the "Principles":

"Other relevant factors such as key injuries that may have affected a team's performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance."

That last part should worry everyone. The committee's evaluation should be based on what a team has accomplished — its body of work — rather than heading down the rabbit hole of trying to predict what might happen in the future. The entire process is subjective, the opinions of 13 people distilled into a decision. But there is at least objective data in what has already occurred.

A year ago when the selection principles were unveiled, selection committee chairman Jeff Long, the Arkansas athletic director, told USA TODAY Sports: "I think it would be unfair if we didn't take into account injuries as they got into the later part of the season. They do play a factor in the strength of the team as they finish the year and go on to the playoff."

That's fine. Except if we've learned anything in the first half of this crazy-fun, super-chaotic season, it's that our notion of what will happen is quite often dead wrong. That goes for the committee, which should not be projecting outcomes. Just sift the meaning of the results, guys, and then tell us who's most deserving — not who you think is going to win.

But if the committee is going to evaluate the impact of injuries on results, Oregon might present a test case. If the Ducks' performance against UCLA was the beginning of a trend, not an aberration, and the Ducks' trajectory is upward again, they're going to play their way back into the playoff picture.

The selection committee's initial top 25 ranking is scheduled to be released two weeks from today. We'll get a snapshot of its thinking on Oregon and everybody else, too, but it will be far too early to be meaningful. "There's dozens of scenarios, and there's still eight more weeks," said Bill Hancock, the College Football Playoff's executive director.

But forecasting to the end of the season, you figure a 12-1 Pac-12 champion will get a berth. Let's not forget, conference championships are supposed to serve as tie-breakers. But if there's a debate involving the Ducks, Fisher's injury might be a factor.

Since the selection committee's guidelines were established, the hypothetical examples have mostly been of, say, Florida State losing a game while Jameis Winston was out (for injury, not for disciplinary reasons — that would be a whole 'nother can of worms). Or Mississippi State missing Dak Prescott. The Ducks sans Mariota. Something like that.

But what does a left tackle mean?

Before the season, the Oregon offensive line was expected to be among the nation's best. Greatwood, who's in his 27th year at Oregon, said he's only had one other year with as much attrition.

Fisher moved over from right tackle to left tackle when Tyler Johnstone blew out a knee during preseason practices. His replacement at right tackle, Andre Yruretagoyena, was injured against Michigan State. Guard Haniteli Lousi has been out since an injury a few days earlier.

Still, in the first three games — including that 46-27 victory over Michigan State — Oregon averaged 52 points. Against Washington State and Arizona, the Ducks averaged 31. Mariota was sacked four times in the first three games, and 12 in the next two — and then none against UCLA.

The conclusion is obvious. The combined effect of all of the injuries was finally too much to overcome. While Fisher was out, Oregon started a walk-on at one tackle and a true freshman at the other. As important, the tenuous situation might have prompted the remaining veterans to occasionally try to do too much, with what Greatwood described as "disastrous results" — penalties and blown assignments and sacks, or all of the above.

Fisher's return had a ripple effect beyond just left tackle.

"Putting Jake back over there now, the rest of the group has a calming effect," Greatwood said. "They know it's gonna be handled. For Marcus, too, it calms him, because his backside should be covered."

It's more than confidence, too. It's edgy attitude. Greatwood says Fisher plays with a "reckless abandon that can really frustrate defenders." Others might call it nasty. Whatever, it was missing — and now it's back. Vanderdoes punched Fisher in apparent frustration after he was slammed into the ground by an emphatic block.

"That kind of stuff is contagious," Greatwood said, meaning the pancake, not the punch. "It's what you like to see."

If we keep seeing it, then we might also see what kind of impact Fisher's return has on the selection committee.