The Ohio State Buckeyes have found themselves in a situation where they likely have to win out to make the College Football Playoffs. That difficult trek begins Saturday as it hosts the Oregon Ducks. This matchup was supposed to be one of the biggest games of the whole season, now both teams are starting a backup quarterback and only one team is ranked. Despite that, this game has massive implications all around.

Getting to Know the Ducks

The Ducks are a team that started out the season with extremely high expectations, coming in at preseason no. 2, only for those to drop lower and lower as the season has gone on. Their starting quarterback Dante Moore was considered a Heisman contender in the preseason, he’s now out for the season. Head coach Dan Lanning’s squad sits at 5-3 with wins over Boise State, Portland State, USC, Nebraska and Northwestern. They have losses to Oklahoma State, UCLA and Illinois.

With the absence of Dante Moore, the Ducks have turned to Dylan Raiola at quarterback. Through five games, Raiola has thrown for 1,097 yards and 9 touchdowns with a 59.8 QBR and 66.2% completion rate.

Behind Raiola in the backfield is the running back duo of Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. Davison leads the Ducks with 91 carries, 439 yards and 7 touchdowns. Hill is right behind him with 83 carries, 399 yards and 3 touchdowns. He is also a solid receiving back, catching 20 passes for 209 yards this year. Having two running backs who can put up solid numbers is a key asset for the Ducks.

Raiola’s key passing targets are wide receivers Dakorien Moore and Evan Stewart and tight end Jamari Johnson. Moore leads the Ducks with 41 receptions, 545 yards and 6 touchdowns. Stewart has 31 receptions, 423 yards and 4 touchdowns. Johnson adds 26 for 328 and 3 scores.

Defensively, the Ducks are considered average. They let up an average of 21.4 points per game, while allowing 341.8 total yards on offense. A strength of the Ducks’ is their linebacker room, headlined by Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti. Uiagalelei has 6 sacks on the year and Tuioti adds 5.5 of his own. In the secondary, they plan to use an all hands on deck approach when facing Jeremiah Smith.

Keys to the Game

Finish Drives: The Buckeyes had numerous missed opportunities against USC, which compiled together with some other issues into a crushing loss. This week, they must be efficient in the red zone.

Start Fast: The Buckeyes have had multiple slow starts recently, including last week’s game against USC. This allowed the Trojans to snag an early lead and never look back. As was the case last week, slow starts will not fly against the Ducks.

Feed Jeremiah Smith: Jeremiah Smith is Jeremiah Smith, no matter the quarterback. We have written down this key numerous times this year, and it stays that way. When you give your best weapon the ball, good things happen.

Wrap-Up and Prediction

The Buckeyes will be at home, where quarterback Luke Fahey will feel comfortable and ready to roll. Head coach Ryan Day knows the Buckeyes need this one, and he will ensure they do.

Ohio State wins 24-17