With Oregon's win over Washington, confidence in the Ducks from the national media is high. Last week just one national outlet had the Ducks winning the conference and making the Rose Bowl but it seems to be the trendy pick now.

Oregon will still need help to get to the Rose Bowl as the Ducks do not hold a clear path to a Pac-12 North title. Stanford had only one loss and the head-to-head victory over Oregon, and right now is the leader in the conference. The Ducks can get some help from the conference in beating Stanford but Oregon will need to take care of their own business first.

While the Ducks are picking plenty of talk to make a New Year's Six Bowl with the Rose Bowl, there isn't a ton of talk in regards to the Ducks making the College Football Playoff. If the Ducks were to run the table, as likely needed to make the Rose Bowl, Oregon's strength of schedule could be the thing that keeps them out.

CBS Sports HQ analyst Brady Quinn thinks that the path for the Ducks is clear and it comes from their rival to the north. Quinn suggests that Oregon's path to the playoff was set in 2016 by the Washington Huskies:

Everyone thinks their schedule, in particular, their non conference schedule is light. Hard to argue against that. Back in 2016 when Washington won the Pac-12 as a one loss champion, their schedule looked very similar. They ended up having three wins over Top 25 teams, as you know… But the deal is this, they both could end up having three wins versus top 25 opponents and then you’d see them take on obviously a ranked opponent in the Pac-12 Championship game. So their schedule and results would look eerily Similar. And I think if Oregon was able to win out and win the Pac-12, they would definitely be in consideration for one of those spots in the College Football Playoff.

With the season at the midway point, here's where a dozen different national publications have the Ducks in the postseason.