The loss to Washington sucks. It hurts like a punch to the gut. It arguably shouldn’t have even happened.

As angry as fans are at Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, Ducks’ quarterback Bo Nix or even Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Oregon football (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) is very much still alive in the Pac-12 and College Football Playoff conversation.

It’s unlikely. But it’s possible.

Frankly, fans should be glad this loss came when it did.

A big thing in college football is when losses come. Yes, losing games hurts playoff chances and conference championship aspirations. But, if a loss is going to be endured, it’s so much better for it to be early in the season.

When a ranked team loses, it drops in the rankings. But, dropping early is so much better than dropping late. Dropping a spot, as No. 9 Oregon did after its loss to No. 5 Washington, early in the season allows time for a team to build back up as the season goes on. A loss doesn’t sink a squad as it can still rise in the polls. A loss late in the season provides less time for a team to build back up. Late-season losses can be absolutely detrimental. Oregon learned this last season with late losses to Washington and Oregon State.

It’s only Week 8. There are still six weeks and six games left for the Ducks to win and rise in the rankings.

They’re still a top-10 ranked team. According to ESPN’s matchup predictor, the Ducks are favored  to win each game on their remaining schedule. There’s no need to panic yet.

Last week, Oregon proved that it can hang with the big dogs in college football this season, despite the loss. A couple of poorly executed plays and calls wounded the Ducks, but Oregon was just a few plays away from winning that game.

The Ducks might have just played their most complete game of the season. The offense was explosive and the defense was able to keep Oregon in the game against one of the best offenses in college football. A few bad plays shaped what was truly an incredibly even contest.

The good news is the season is far from dead. The bad news is the Ducks have to be perfect moving forward.

“We are in control,” Nix said after the loss. “We can win out and put ourselves in a really good spot.”

With how talented the Pac-12 is this season, it’s unreasonable to think that a team with two conference losses would earn a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game in Las Vegas in December. The Ducks, now with one conference loss, would need to go unbeaten to close out the season. Such a task will not be easy with No. 14 Utah (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12), No. 18 USC (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12) and No. 12 Oregon State (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12) still waiting on Oregon’s schedule.

The Ducks also need to be pulling for Washington in its games against these opponents. The more one-loss teams remain at the end of the season, the more complicated things get with tie breakers — some of which the Ducks may not win. If the Huskies and Ducks both win out, Washington, being undefeated, and Oregon, being the only one-loss team, would face each other again in the Pac-12 Championship.

It could be a chance for redemption, and an outside shot at the College Football Playoff could still be obtainable.

The impact that Husky Stadium had on last week’s game shouldn’t be overlooked. It was loud and rowdy and hostile. A rematch in Las Vegas would provide a neutral setting for two teams that many want to see play again.

A win in the Pac-12 Championship Game over Washington would put both teams at 12-1 with the only losses coming against one another. But, as previously stated, when a team loses is unbelievably important. Oregon would leapfrog the Huskies in the national rankings because Washington’s loss would be recent. The Ducks’ lone loss would be just a faint memory from over a month prior.

“These guys are hungry,” Lanning said after the Washington game. “They’re hungry to go have success. There’s no doubt about that.”

But, Nix, Lanning, the offense, the defense, the kicking and everything else need to be unblemished as the season marches on.

The journey to save the season starts Saturday with Washington State (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) looking to knock off the Ducks at Autzen Stadium.