Kirk Herbstreit isn’t writing off three-loss Oregon, and the ESPN analyst says the No. 23 Ducks still have a College Football Playoff path if they win at No. 12 Ohio State and run the table in November.

“I’m just saying they’re not done,” Herbstreit said Tuesday night on “Nonstop,” his livestream with ESPN analyst Joey Galloway. “I don’t think Oregon is done after seeing tonight’s ranking. I feel like Oregon’s in the mix still.”

Oregon’s season after the Illinois loss

Oregon opened the season No. 2 in the AP poll, but a 21-10 loss at Illinois on Oct. 24 dropped the Ducks to 4-3. Coach Dan Lanning fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer the next day.

“Season’s over,” Herbstreit said, recalling the reaction to the firing. “You know, Dan Lanning doesn’t know what he’s doing. Oregon’s the worst team ever, right? All that.”

The Ducks responded by erasing a 14-point deficit in a 34-26 home win over then-No. 20 Northwestern on Oct. 31. Lanning said afterward there was “zero quit from our guys.”

“They find a way to beat a top-20 team in Northwestern,” Herbstreit said. “I’m just saying with three losses after the Illinois game and firing your offensive coordinator, people were ready to throw in the towel.”

What is Oregon’s playoff path?

Oregon sits No. 23 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. After Saturday’s trip to Columbus, the Ducks finish with Michigan at home, Michigan State on the road and Washington at home.

“If somehow, someway they figure out a way to knock off Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Washington, and they’re sitting there at 9-3, I know there’s going to be a long list of three-loss teams,” Herbstreit said. “I’m just saying, for them to do that, I feel like there’s a path. Now, they have to win these games, which is going to be very tough to do.”

Ohio State enters at 6-2 after a loss at USC, which also dropped the Buckeyes to No. 4 in the latest Big Ten power rankings. A win at Ohio Stadium would give Oregon a second straight victory over a team that was ranked when the Ducks played it.

“If they win in Columbus, which is going to be very tough for them to do, I do think it’ll be interesting to see where the committee would put them if they knocked off the Buckeyes,” Herbstreit said.

Galloway agreed that the Ducks are alive but said the margin of victory will matter to the committee.

“I don’t think it’s just win those games,” Galloway said. “I think they have to win those games convincingly. I think they need to look different while they do it.”

Oregon (5-3) visits Ohio State (6-2) at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday.