Four games that matter for Oregon's Big Ten title chances in Week 10

With their win over the Northwestern Wildcats in Week 9, the Oregon Ducks are officially alive in the race to make the Big Ten title game. They may not have the best of chances to do so, requiring help elsewhere, but there's a non-zero chance of Oregon pulling off a miracle in what looked like a lost season.

For that miracle to happen, the Ducks will need to win out. That includes a game this week against the No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes, and home dates with the Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies with a road game against the Michigan State Spartans sandwiched in between. It's far from an easy final four-game slate, but one that Oregon will have to deftly navigate in order to give themselves a shot at the postseason.

As far as help, the Ducks have two losses in Big Ten play, evening them with several other teams already. If that number can grow, and other two-loss teams suffer a third loss, the path becomes clearer. It's extremely jumbled right now, with 10 teams holding conference records with two losses or fewer. But the coming weeks will provide head-to-head matchups between those teams, effectively knocking them out of the race.

On top of that, the Indiana Hoosiers, currently 5-1 in Big Ten play, will more than likely have to suffer a second loss to one of USC, Washington or Purdue.

With the stage set, here are the four games in particular that will impact the Ducks' Big Ten title game chances, assuming they take care of their own business against Ohio State.