The race for the Big Ten Conference Championship is about to get weird, and somehow the Oregon Ducks find themselves in a strong position to push for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Meanwhile, the Michigan Wolverines season has completely crumbled, but they can still play spoilers against the Ducks (and Ohio State in a few weeks).

What makes this Oregon vs. Michigan matchup even sweeter? Dan Lanning and Kyle Whittingham had a bit of a midweek spat, exchanging comments on the state of each other’s programs. Lanning threw shade at Michigan overpaying Bryce Underwood. Whittingham did the typical whining about “Oregon outbidding everyone” thing. Should be plenty of fuel to keep the pedal down this week if either team gets ahead early. But how will this actually play out? And how will it impact the Ducks’ playoff chances, either way?

Our A to Z Sports crew took a deep dive into the numbers, and feel pretty good about this one. If you want to dive into the Ducks’ playoff odds (or any other team’s) you can do so yourself with our College Football Playoff Predictor here. If you want to hear from our crew, over a half dozen staff members broke down this matchup in today’s score predictions below.

Oregon 27, Michigan 13

Oregon struggled to find their feet with Dylan Raiola at the helm following Dante Moore’s injury, dropping to three losses on the season. However, it seems like they’ve found their groove now, beating a surprisingly tough Northwestern team and Ohio State in back-to-back weeks. Over 600 passing yards across those wins combined. 22 first downs and 41 points scored against Ohio State. Nearly seven yards per play in the two-game span. The Ducks are looking phenomenal on offense.

The Wolverines have actually been strong on defense all year long, even if they can’t get out of their own way offensively. Michigan ranks top-15 in adjusted EPA per play, yards per drop back, and yards per carry allowed on defense. That will keep the Ducks under 30 points, but the Michigan offense still falls far short of keeping them in this game as they lose by two touchdowns, 27-13.

– Travis May, College Football Managing Editor

Oregon 33, Michigan 13

I believe Michigan could be in for a long day here on the road against Oregon. There’s been some back-and-forth between Kyle Whittingham and Dan Lanning this week, and if Lanning gets a chance to run up the score, expect it to happen. Maybe I’m a bit biased because I just watched what Oregon did to Ohio State, but this is still a very capable team.

The key for Oregon is keeping QB Dylan Raiola clean because he’s a pretty good quarterback when he’s not under pressure. Michigan is riding into this game following the firing of Jason Beck as offensive coordinator, and the Wolverines have opened the quarterback battle back up. I don’t think there’s any good fix for this Michigan offense this season. Still, I think their best path is turning Bryce Underwood into a high-volume runner alongside their rushing attack while continuing to play tough defense.

It still won’t be enough this week, though, as the Ducks are going to keep their long-shot playoff chances alive without much trouble.

– Brandon Little, A to Z Sports Ohio State

Oregon 34, Michigan 13

Is this Oregon team making a run to get back into the College Football Playoff?

One of the interesting elements they have going in their favor is how much they factor in injuries. They have been devastated on offense by injuries, especially to the wide receiver position. Dylan Raiola took a couple of games to get settled in but the Ducks have won three of their last four, including a big one against the Ohio State Buckeyes,

They are primed to take advantage of a Michigan program that is in dire straits, including people already calling for Kyle Whittingham’s head. This one has a chance to be ugly early on.

– Tyler Forness, A to Z Florida

Oregon 27, Michigan 12

These are two teams who are going in starkly opposite directions. Oregon has found its stride with wins over Northwestern and Ohio State the last two weeks. Michigan hit rock bottom in. 15-6 home loss to Michigan State.

Oregon’s defense isn’t filled with world beaters, and it’ll give some drives, but they end up in field goals. Dylan Raiola and the Ducks offense find their stride in the third quarter and pull away.

– Craig Smith, A to Z Miami

Oregon 27, Michigan 17

I expect Oregon to have another frustrating start offensively, with Dylan Raiola and the Ducks struggling to find much consistency in the opening half. Michigan should be able to hang around early, especially if its defense can force Oregon into some difficult third-down situations. Fortunately for the Ducks, they won’t be facing an offense that has shown much ability to capitalize on those opportunities. Tommy Carr and the Wolverines continue to have trouble moving the football consistently, keeping Michigan from building any real separation on the scoreboard.

The second half is where Oregon starts to look more like the team many expected coming into the season. The Ducks settle in offensively, find some rhythm in the running game, and give Raiola a little more room to operate. Michigan’s offensive struggles eventually catch up with it, and Oregon’s defense does enough to keep the Wolverines from making a serious push late. It might not be the most impressive performance from the Ducks, but they’ll take care of business and come away with a 10-point victory.

– Ryan Roberts, A to Z Notre Dame

Oregon 40, Michigan 23

Don’t look now, but after being written off, the Oregon Ducks are suddenly quacking again. After taking down the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Ducks have their eyes set on a trip to the Big-10 championship and a potential CFP berth. But it starts with taking care of the Michigan Wolverines. Both Dan Lanning and Kyle Whittingham have taken their fair share of shots at each other this week, but when the game starts, I don’t expect much talking from the Wolverines.

A QB situation in flux and an underwhelming roster overall should allow Oregon to take care of business in Eugene.

– Rob Gregson, A to Z Alabama

Oregon 17, Michigan 14

I’m not sure the moves Michigan has made to its offense will fix its issues so quickly. They need a ton of help, and Oregon has started playing much better over the last few weeks. They still have struggled, but if their offense can produce a few chunk plays and explosiveness on this good Michigan defense, I can see Oregon winning this one and moving up in the College Football Playoff rankings.

– Justin Churchill, A to Z Oklahoma

Final Prediction for Oregon vs. Michigan

Our staff believes Michigan is absolutely done. Oregon has everything to fight for still on the table. The Wolverines are buried in dead money spent on a quarterback that’s failed them with a coaching staff somehow incapable of adjusting in-season. The score predictions range widely, but on average, the A to Z Sports staff believe this ends somewhere around a 29-15 victory for the Ducks. Sports books love Oregon just a little less, expecting a 10 point victory, but our A to Z Sports staff are convinced this a full two-touchdown deficit. If Oregon pulls this off, their hot streak will vault them firmly into College Football Playoff conversations despite their three losses. If Michigan loses, they’ll be sitting at 5-5, almost guaranteed to finish with more losses than they’ve had in a season since 2014 (Brady Hoke’s final season).